Does the Holy Spirit Convict Believers of Sin?

Does the Holy Spirit convict believers of sin? Some may believe that John 16:7- 11 teaches that He does. This verse in the NKJV states:

“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

Looking at the explanation within this Scripture, you see the world (they do not believe in Me—are unbelievers) will be convicted of sin (not sins plural). This is the sin of unbelief and rejection of Jesus and His finished work of redemption for the world. The believers Jesus is referring to (you see Me no more) will be convicted of righteousness. Then, the ruler of this world (Satan) will be judged. So right off we see that the Holy Spirit (when He has come) will not convict believers of SIN. However, He will convict them of RIGHTEOUSNESS, because Jesus will have gone to His Father and at that point, they will not see Him.
 

OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

So instead of condemning a believer of unrighteousness (sin), the Holy Spirit will direct and convict him or her toward righteousness. I want to share what is just an illustration or example of how He might approach us. He may say (not exactly), “Paula, what you are doing is out of line with your being a righteous woman. Come on, let us get back over here and do this.” The Holy Spirit is not going to come and say, “You pathetic sinner, what are you doing? What is wrong with you? Girl, you are such a failure; you are doing this . . . you are doing that.” That would not be the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will come and say something like (not exactly), “Paula, that is out of character with who you are (declared righteous through faith in Jesus) and what Jesus would want for you. Come, obey your Lord, and do this . . . or that (some specific act of righteousness that you are not doing presently).” So should you sin, He is ever present within you to remind you that the blood of Jesus has made you totally forgiven and eternally righteous. This righteousness is not just doing what is right, but it is a right standing before God because of your right believing (faith) in Jesus. So, when you sin, the Holy Spirit comes to convict and remind you that you are the righteousness of God because of Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 1:30). It may appear that this is straining at a gnat. There’s no room to go in depth here; so, if you have a question, please contact us.

May this bring peace and deliverance to you. The Holy Spirit does not convict a believer of sin . Your sin debt has been paid in full by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. He does not exist to condemn you. The Holy Spirit is God (a part of the Trinity). He plays a part in the salvation of believers, whose sins are nailed to the cross never to be remembered again (see Colossians 2:13-14 and Hebrews 8:12). No one, not even Satan, can bring a legitimate charge against a believer (see Romans 8:33).

As a believer, we need to continue to live righteously, because one day we will see Jesus. We may not see Him now, but we will someday. God sent the Holy Spirit to us so we can live transformed lives, live intimately with Him, and reveal Jesus to this world. When people look at us and they see the power of the Holy Spirit in us, it should convict them that they too can live new lives. It should convict them that there is no righteousness they can produce on their own, but righteousness can be theirs through Jesus. Let us ever surrender to the guidance of the Holy Spirit that our Lord’s righteousness may be revealed through us.