So “When the Spirit comes,” Jesus says to his disciples in John 16:8, “he will convict the world of guilt” – guilt “in regard to sin” (9), but also “in regard to righteousness,” verse 10.
But what guilt can be attached to righteousness? Jesus explains: it’s “because I’m going to the Father, where you can see me no longer.”
The evidence, therefore, that the world is being justifiably charged with guilt on this point too, is that Jesus is no longer here. And what a tragedy that is, because when he was here he was the picture of righteousness. He said and did things that healed and restored thousands of broken lives, he got imaginations whirring with, “What if he’s the longed for Messiah who’ll put evil to flight, and what if ‘now he’s restoring the kingdom to Israel’ (Acts 1:6) ‘establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness forever’ too (Isaiah 9:7)?”
All that promise and potential of a better world, and the real possibility that at last a society could be built “on earth as it is in heaven,” based on thoroughly right and fair judgments on all matters for all types of people and in every situation.
But the powers that be wanted nothing to do with Jesus, accusing him of being a threat to the nation, and branding him as a criminal. So they killed him and all that righteousness he lived and displayed went with him. It was the most tragic and insane error of judgment that a human society had ever made. Because with Jesus gone, the only real hope of a better world had gone too.
But our world is faced with the same guilty charge, because the Holy Spirit is now living and displaying that same righteousness of Jesus in his disciples today. And again it’s being made clear that what Jesus taught is a much better way of life. Which gives total justification for the Holy Spirit saying to the world, “Guilty as charged, because you had the right way of living staring you in the face, but you cooked up reasons to dismiss and reject it. Righteousness was made obvious to you, just as it was in Jesus’ day, but you wanted nothing to do with it either.”
To which Jesus says, “More fool you, because I’m going to the Father,” verse 10, to be given even more power to make righteousness on earth happen. In regard to righteousness, then, does it include “An element of triumph” too?,…(next blog)
