Here is the revelation that is shaping my life today – salvation, righteousness, and freedom from judgment are revealed and become my personal shaping story only through the ongoing work of the Spirit.
John 16:7-11 NLT
[7] But in fact, it is best for you that I go away because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. [8] And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. [9] The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. [10] Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. [11] Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
Observation
Jesus is preparing the disciples for His return to the Father. It is best that he leaves for the physical presence of God, which is confined by the body in time and space, will be replaced by the Spirit God, the Advocate, God intimately present to all. And Holy Spirit will do three things.
Firstly, reveal to everyone that Jesus is the one who saves. He will convict the sin of not seeing who Jesus is and what he has done. Faith, belief, in Jesus does not come only by investigation, it comes through the work of Holy Spirit. The Spirit reveals my need for saving, my need for rescue, and that Jesus in himself is my rescuer. The sin of the world that keeps it trapped in the stories of darkness is the sin of rejection of Jesus as the rescuer.
Secondly, Holy Spirit will convict, reveal to us, the righteousness of God that is available to all in Jesus. “Righteousness is available because I go to the Father.” Holy Spirit will show us that our right standing with God is based fully and completely in the work of the incarnate Jesus. He will enable us, help us, put down all our filthy works that try and earn and deserve right standing, and release us into the freedom, the rest, the peace, the joy, of righteousness that is fully offered in Jesus + nothing. From here we are postured to enjoy forever the intimacy and love of God. And from here we will receive and reflect His glory to the world.
Thirdly, Holy Spirit will reveal to us that judgement has come. The one who would accuse and condemn us, “the ruler of this world, has already been judged.” We no longer live under the disqualification of condemnation, or the fear of judgement, for the accuser has been judged and no longer has a place to accuse us. We are free, even on my worst day, free from condemning judgement. The only judgement that awaits is the Fathers love for His kids to be expressed in face to face fullness.
The Holy Spirit must come so that all will know that Jesus is our rescuer, that in Him we have right standing forever with God and that there is no judgement of condemnation, no fear looming in our future, for the one who would accuse has been judged. So come, come freely, come passionately into the fullness of life in the Kingdom in the love of God. This was the work of the incarnate God in establishing this, and the work of the Spirit God is now revealing it to us.
Application
I will live in this revelation. My faith is in Jesus to save me, I will live freely in the presence of God every day, on my worst day, without fear of future judgment. I will posture myself that Holy Spirit May daily lead me into these shaping truths for my life.
Response
Thank you Jesus for coming, thank you for going and sending Holy Spirit, that I might feast at the table of my trinitarian God.
Meditation
Meditation truth – “If I do go away, then I will send him (Holy Spirit) to you.”
Consider:
Do you allow the present God Spirit to reveal, lead you into, and to establish daily in your life – salvation, righteousness, and freedom in Jesus?
Do you make time to be present with Holy Spirit?
JOURNEY DEEPER