Conviction of Sin

"When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah." (Psalm 39: 11 KJV)

The scriptures have much to say about what is called, in Christian nomenclature, "conviction of sin." Just shortly before the Lord's death, he prophesied - "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment..." (John 16: 7,8 NIV)

Every heaven born soul has experienced this phenomenon. Most times this work of convicting the heart of the sinner occurs before salvation. One must be convinced of the need of salvation before he will seek it. Sinners must realize they are sick before they will seek remedy.

The Psalmist expressed something integral to this universal Christian experience. When a man is convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit, he is made to see, for the first time, his true condition. He sees himself in the mirror of truth. He no longer is a lover of self, a narcissus, but rather becomes one who loses all spiritual self esteem before the Almighty, having seen all his pretended "beauty" "consume away."

Job experienced this when he was brought face to face with God, saying:

"I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42: 5,6 KJV)

Notice that Job did not see himself as horrible until he had looked into the face of God. The face of God acted as a mirror and revealed to him his true condition. Sinners do not see themselves as they really are because they are looking into the Devil's spiritual "vanity mirror," a mirror which shows a "false vision" of things. The Devil's mirror will tell the ugly sinner that he is "beautiful," deceiving him. He does not want the sinner to see his need of Christ and salvation. Notice too that the result of Job's conviction was his turning away from his sins and turning to the Lord. He said he "repented" and that "in dust and ashes."

Jesus spoke of the Pharisees as those who "needed no repentance."

"When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Mark 2: 17)

These Pharisees were vile sinners, spiritually sick, but they did not know or confess it to be so. They thought of themselves as spiritually healthy, as just and righteous persons who needed no spiritual healing, as having no need to repent. This kind of sinner refuses to acknowledge his sick condition. Such sinners live in denial of the fact. They are self righteous, good in their own eyes, yet not so in reality, in the eyes of God.

Friend, do you see yourself as lost and undone? Do the burdens of your sin weigh upon you as a heavy stone? Or, is your heart so hard that you cannot feel your need of salvation? If the former, I pray that you will flee to Christ and to his righteousness, the only remedy for your guilt ridden conscience. If the latter, I pray the Lord will open your eyes and show you the sickliness of your condition before him.