He will convict the world concerning sin.

John 16:8

You might expect that people who are far from God would have a much greater awareness of their own sin, but exactly the opposite is true. It is actually those who are pursuing a godly life who have a heightened awareness of their own sin.

The reason for this is that the first work of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of sin. He comes into our lives like a great light. Dirt shows up when the light is turned on. If you go into a dark theatre, it’s hard to tell whether or not the place is clean. But when you turn on a bright light, things that were hidden in the dark can be seen clearly.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to shine a light into the dark corners of your life. If you are experiencing this today, don’t run away from it! Thank God for it. It is evidence that God is at work in your life. His work is never ultimately to condemn us, but to shine the light on Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away our sin.

The Spirit of truth will show you your sin, so that He can bring you back to the great truth of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. That is why it is so important that the truth of the gospel gets fixed in our minds and settled in our hearts.