Conviction Not Condemnation

Conviction not Condemnation

There are two areas in which Christians struggle, discerning the difference between conviction and condemnation, and it is because of this struggle that one must seek out the word of God and apply it to these situations. The key is to know that conviction is from the Holy Spirit and condemnation is from the enemy, Satan. The Holy Spirit brings an awareness of our sins, so that we may recognize when we are wrong, repent and turn away from the sin. Satan is the accuser and he wants to continuously remind us of what we did wrong and condemn us. Conviction brings awareness of what was done wrong, leading to repentance; condemnation is a hindrance that keeps a person exactly where they are, unable to move forward, because of the wallowing in their guilt. There is a very fine line between conviction and condemnation, however we know the Holy Spirit gives life and the enemy brings death, one must be prepared to recognize the two.

CONVICTION

(KUN-VIK-SHUN)

"That deep emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God."

-- Albert Einstein

Theological Definition

"Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit where a person is able to see himself as God sees him: guilty, defiled, and totally unable to save himself (John 16:8). Conviction functions differently for the Christian and non-christian. For the non-christian, conviction reveals sinfulness, guilt and brings fear of God's righteous judgement. Whereas, conviction in the believer brings an awareness of sin and results in repentance, confession and cleansing."(Christian Apololgetics & Research Ministries, Conviction)

Biblical Foundation:

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. John 3:17-18

Practical Application

Our God is a loving God and when he convicts us, it is not to harm or hinder our growth. He wants to draw us closer to him through his loving kindness. Through the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit he brings awareness that an action taken may not have been the best or handled in the best way. Everyone's convictions are different. The Lord pulls at my heart strings on small things involving people in the service industry. Whenever I go to the grocery store I usually am in a rush and tend to want to leave the basket right by my car. I have no peace knowing that there is a specific place where those baskets belong and that it is not fair for the employees to have to go all around picking up after me; listening to that instant prompting from the Holy Spirit prevents guilt and condemnation.

Three practical applications to acknowledge conviction in life:

1. Study Scripture concerning conviction.

Study the Word of God so that when the accuser comes to kill, steal and destroy, the ability to fight with the Word will be stored up. (Isaiah 30:18, 1 John 1:9, Romans 2:4, 2 Timothy 3:16, Acts 8:37, Hebrews 3:14)

2. Remember the Holy Spirit's purpose for conviction.

The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to remind a Christian