2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
John 16:8,10 NASB
And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; [10] and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
Yesterday we looked at that passage in John 16 concerning the threefold ministry of the Holy Spirit that is discussed there. I wanted to look a little bit further at the whole idea of the Holy Spirit convicting us of righteousness. It is really important that we understand that this is one of the great priorities of the Holy Spirit, and it will also give us a better understanding of the heart of God in our relationship with him. Over the years, I have discovered in the lives of so many believers that what they think about the most is how they have failed, and as a result they have cultivated a sin consciousness. Normally this flows out of sincere hearts that really desire to live a life that’s pleasing to God, and because they often find themselves struggling with issues, they believe it is holy to feel guilty all the time, and that the Holy Spirit is committed to reminding them of their sin so that they will be motivated to do better. As I mentioned yesterday, of course the Holy Spirit will speak to us about our sin because Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the grave to set us free from sin’s power. The Holy Spirit knows that sin is destructive in our lives, and robs us from the abundant life that Jesus came to give us, and therefore he will speak to us about our sin, but he never speaks to us about our sin without also convicting us of righteousness. Again, as I said yesterday, the Holy Spirit primarily speaks to us about our righteousness in Christ, instead of talking to us about our sin. The reason for this, is as I mentioned above, Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. He didn’t just come to forgive us; he forgave us with the goal of transforming us, and making us whole. The false view of God that believes he is constantly pounding us about our inconsistencies, weaknesses and failures is a great tool of the enemy to keep believers from moving forward in their walk with the Lord. The Scripture tells us in Romans 8 that God is for us; not against us. It also tells us in Romans 15:13 that God is a God of hope, so he, God the Holy Spirit, is always speaking hope into our lives, reminding us of our righteous standing before the father that finds as completely accepted and loved as much as Jesus is accepted and loved because we are in Christ. He is always also convicting and convincing us of the fact that we have in Christ what it takes to live a Christlike life because the righteousness of God is resident in us in the person of Christ. He is also always cheering us on; not beating us up. He does not find delight in pointing out our failures; instead, he finds great delight in reminding us of who we really are in Christ, so that we will get up, again and start walking out the truth about who we are as new creations. Instead of wanting to condemn us, which he never does according to Romans chapter 8:2, He is always calling forth the new creation, affirming us as people who have become the righteousness of God in Christ. Would you rather have a coach, or a teacher who is always pointing out even the smallest errors in your life; or would you like to have a coach, or a teacher that is affirming you, celebrating your victories, and speaking into your life the truth that you can be everything you long to be.You have already been equipped with all that is necessary in Christ to be the godly man or woman, boy or girl that you are called to be, and that in your heart you long to be. That is what the Holy Spirit is always talking to us about. The Holy Spirit is our greatest cheerleader. He is always convincing us of the truth, for the Scripture says that he will lead us into all truth, and the truth about me and you as believers, is thatwe are righteousness of God in Christ. He wants you to be convinced that you are unconditionally accepted, and immeasurably equipped.