Conviction and Comfort

John 12–21: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chapter 17: The Holy Spirit Convicts the World (John 16:1–11)

Although the content of this section is similar to that of chapter 15, there is a subtle difference in emphasis. In chapter 15, Jesus instructed the disciples as to what they were to do (e.g., vv. 4, 9, 10, 12, 14, 17–20). But in chapter 16 He focused on what God would do for them through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit (e.g., vv. 1–4, 7, 13–15). He would comfort, strengthen, and aid the disciples in the midst of their conflict with the world

A Word of Warning (v. 1-4)

What they will do:

Put you out of the synagogue (v. 2)

This was a threat that had been made many times before

John 9:22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.

John 12:42 Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue;

To be made outcasts from the synagogue meant far more than merely being forbidden to attend religious services.

Those who were excommunicated from the synagogue were cut off from all religious, social, and economic aspects of Jewish society.

They were branded as traitors to their people and their God, and faced the likely consequence of losing both their families and their jobs.

They were denied the dignity of a proper burial.

Kill you (v. 2)

The Lord’s warning went even further. The day would come when killing Christians would be considered service to God, a meritorious act. The day came very soon, as illustrated in the martyrdom of Stephen.

Paul himself confessed that before he came to know Christ he considered the killing and persecuting of Christians to be a true expression of religious zeal. Acts 22:4 “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons,

How is it that some of history’s greatest tragedies were committed in the name of religious zeal?

I believe that Satan’s greatest weapon in his arsenal is his ability to blind his followers both spiritually and morally.

How can anyone believe that abortion is right? They have been blinded by the evil one.

How can anyone believe that homosexuality is right? They have been blinded by the evil one.

Why I am tell you this:

To keep you from stumbling (v. 1)

The phrase “these things have I spoken unto you” refers back to the content of chapter 15.

The word Jesus used, translated here as “stumbling”, is related to the idea of being caught in a trap.

D.A. Carson rightly pointed out that “The greatest danger the disciples will confront from the opposition of the world is not death but apostasy.”

Jesus was equipping them ahead of time so that the coming persecution rather than destroying their faith it would only strengthen it.

The reality is that at first the disciples did stumble when the persecution began. Jesus predicted this very thing in Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE SCATTERED.’

Their faith took root again after the resurrection.

1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

To give you confidence that I am who I say I am (v. 4)

During His ministry Jesus bore the brunt of the world’s attacks. He would do so again for the last time in just a few short hours.

But after He is gone the disciples will have to learn to bear this persecution on their own.

Jesus never glossed over the truth when it came to counting the cost of being His disciple. In Luke 9:23–24 He said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”

It was important that the disciples understood that none of the events that were about to take place took Jesus by surprise, not His own death nor their coming persecution.

Why they will they will persecute you:

They think they are serving God (v. 2)

They do not know the Father (v. 3)

They do not know the Son (v. 3)

What do the Jews, the Romans, the Catholics and the Muslims all have in common?

Culturally, certainly not much. However, spiritually they are all in the same place. They do not know God, neither the Father nor the Son nor the Spirit.

The Mental State of the Disciples (v. 5, 6)

Their Questions (v.5)

But none of them was even concerned enough about the Lord to ask Him, “Where are You going?” Though both Peter (13:36) and Thomas (14:5) had asked Him earlier where He was going, the Lord’s point was that their questions had reflected a concern for themselves and not a concern for Him. Those earlier queries were more of a protest over His abandoning them than an expression of genuine interest in what He was about to experience.

Their earlier questions reveal what I call a sub-conscience selfishness. We often think of selfishness as a conscience choice of doing what is best for self or putting your desires first. However, I believe that there is a much more sinister form of selfishness that is much harder to recognize.

Illustration: I first noticed it in my life when I got married.

I was a Bible college student serving in my local church, nobody from the outside would have called me particularly selfish.

However, I soon learned how selfish I was. Once I was married I quickly learned that there was someone else I had to include in all of my decision making processes. I couldn’t just leave and go fishing whenever I wanted there was someone I had to include and that is when it dawned on my that much of my decisions were based on selfish thinking. Everyday my choices were based on what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go and who I wanted to be with. I was sub-conscientiously selfish.

It is this kind of selfishness that has destroyed many:

Marriages

Families - estranged fathers and sons, mothers and daughters

Churches

Their Sorrow (v. 6)

Should we grieve for what happened on the cross or rejoice?

To this point the disciples had only sorrow, sub-consciencely selfish sorrow.

Jesus has already pointed out that they are missing the joy that these coming events will produce. John 14:28 “You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

They should have had joy for Jesus’ sake that He would return to His Father and home whom He loved.

They should have had joy for themselves because as Jesus points out it will turn out to their advantage that He leaves them.

The Positive Reality of Christ’s Departure(v. 7-15)

An Unbelievable Truth (v. 7)

Can you imagine being the disciples and hearing Jesus say these words?

You have a greater spiritual advantage today than the disciples did in their days walking and talking with Jesus.

A Comparison

What the disciples had during Jesus’ ministry

God in flesh teaching them and encouraging them.

They had a tangible God

They had the Old Testament

What we have today

God the Spirit permanently indwelling us

God the Spirit illuminating our understanding of spiritual things

God the Spirit filling us and empowering us for service

We have the complete Scriptures

To summarize they had God with them and in a short time they would have God within them.

A Description of the Holy Spirit’s Ministry to the World - Conviction (v. 8-12)

Verse 8 makes it clear what the Holy Spirit has come to do in relation to the world. He has come to convict the world. While that seems like a negative action it has an intensely positive result, because the goal is to bring sinners to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

No one can be saved apart from the Spirit’s convicting and regenerating work. The Bible teaches that all people are by nature rebels against God and hostile to Jesus Christ. They are “dead in [their] trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1); “by nature children of wrath” (v. 3); “darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart … callous [having] given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness” (Eph. 4:18–19); “and alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds” (Col. 1:21); blinded by Satan so that they cannot understand spiritual truth (2 Cor. 4:4; cf. Luke 8:5, 12). In that condition, they are helpless; they are unable to believe the truth and are even guilty of suppressing it (Rom. 1:18–32). In John 6:44 Jesus declared, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” This is how the Father draws people to Himself, through the convicting work of the Spirit.

What the Holy Spirit convicts the world of:

Sin - specifically the sin of unbelief

Righteousness - the fact that Jesus is from the Father and will return to the Father proves His righteousness. It also proved their lack of righteousness.

Judgment - never did the world’s judgment prove more faulty than when they rejected Christ. They followed the judgment of the prince of this world upon whom three major judgments have been laid.

He was judged as guilty when he was cast from heaven

He was judged as guilty when he was defeated at the cross

He will be judged as guilty when he is finally cast in the lake of fire.

There are only two possible responses to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, repentance or rejection.

There are still many things we do not know.

A Description of the Holy Spirit’s Ministry to Believers (v. 13-15)

Guide in Truth

We call this the illuminating ministry of the Spirit.

Without the Spirit we would not understand the spiritual truths of Scripture.

Glorify the Son

When Jesus came everything He did was to glorify the Father and to reveal the Father.

The Spirit does the same for the Son.