There has been much debate and confusion surrounding what Jesus meant by the Spirit convicting the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment in John 16:7–11. Even Jesus’ explanation of what he meant in John 16:9–11 seems to add to the confusion. It is my intention to shed some light on this important passage and offer an interpretation that, although may seem new to many readers, takes all that Jesus says seriously.
The role of the Holy Spirit in the world according to John 16:7–11 is to prove the world wrong and guilty concerning (1) its sin of rejecting Jesus, (b) its belief that Jesus was not one with the Father and would not return to Him, and (c) its belief that Satan was not judged at Jesus’ glorification.
The Literary and Historical Context of John 16:7–11
During the Last Supper (John 13:1–16:33), Jesus tells his eleven disciples that he is going to the Father, which is beneficial to the eleven because he will then send the Holy Spirit to them:
“I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”
JOHN 16:7
After telling the disciples he will send the Spirit to them, Jesus goes on to describe the Spirit’s role in the world:
“And when he comes, he will convict (ἐλέγχω) the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”
JOHN 16:8
Before we analyse each area of conviction, we need to first understand what Jesus means by “convict” (ἐλέγχω).
What It Means to “Convict” (ἐλέγχω) the World (John 16:8)
According to A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd edition (also known as BDAG), ἐλέγχω can mean (1) to bring to light or expose something, (2) to convict or convince a person of wrongdoing, (3) to express strong disapproval of someone’s actions, to reprove them of wrongdoing, or (4) to punish or discipline someone for something.
Option 1 can be dismissed because the context suggests the Spirit is doing more than simply bringing the world to light. Further, ἐλέγχω is not followed by an accusative noun when it is used to bring something to light in the New Testament (see John 3:20; Eph 5:11, 13; Tit 2:15 in the Greek text). Option 4 can also be dismissed because the context does not indicate the Spirit is punishing the world. This leaves us with options 2 and 3.
The more traditional interpretation of John 16:8 is that the Holy Spirit is convicting and convincing the world of its wrongdoing (its sin, righteousness, and judgment), so that some will repent and be saved (option 2). However, option 3 also has merit. It is quite possible that the Holy Spirit is proving the world wrong (or guilty in a legal sense) concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment without the element of conversion.
Option 3 seems more likely for two reasons. First, ἐλέγχω does not imply conversion or reform and nothing in the passage suggests that the world is converted through the Spirit’s work of proving the world wrong (ἐλέγχω). Second, Jesus in the Gospel of John at the Last Supper has already stated that the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit because it does not see him or know him (John 14:17), suggesting that John 16:8–11 is not about conversion, but about proving the world wrong in its beliefs.
Let’s now look at the three areas in which the Spirit will prove the world wrong.
The Spirit Will Prove the World Wrong concerning Sin (John 16:9)
John 16:9 says, the Spirit will prove the world wrong (or guilty) “concerning sin, because they do not believe in me.” The reason (“because”) that the world is proven wrong concerning sin is that the world refuses to believe in Jesus. Jesus’ coming has forced everyone on earth to either believe in him or reject him. Those who refuse to believe in Jesus are committing sin. The Spirit’s coming has ensured that all those who reject Jesus are guilty of sin. The coming of Jesus has made rejecting him the chief sin.
The Spirit Will Prove the World Wrong concerning Righteousness (John 16:10)
John 16:10 says, the Spirit will prove the world wrong (or guilty) “concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer.” The latter clause (“because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer”) provides the explanation of what Jesus means by “righteousness.” Contrary to popular opinion, it most likely does not refer to the world’s righteousness in the Pauline sense of forensic justification.
Since the righteousness is related to Jesus returning to the Father, it is more likely that the righteousness spoken of is Jesus’ righteousness, referring to vindication. Thus, the world is proven wrong concerning Jesus’ righteousness. When Jesus returns to the Father, he will be vindicated in his claims that he is one with the Father, came from the Father, and will return to the Father (see John 5:17-47; 10:30-39; 13:1-3).
Thus, the world is proven wrong regarding Jesus’ righteousness because they did not think he was one with the Father, came from the Father, and would return to the Father. But when Jesus raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, he vindicated himself and proved the world wrong.
The Spirit Will Prove the World Wrong concerning Judgment (John 16:11)
John 16:11 says, the Spirit will prove the world wrong (or guilty) “concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world [Satan] is judged.” The judgment is the judgment against Satan, not against the world. Thus, John 16:11 is better understood as “the Spirit will prove the world wrong (or guilty) concerning judgment against Satan, because the ruler of this world [Satan] is judged.”
Just as the world is proven wrong about the righteousness of Jesus in verse 10, so the world is proven wrong about the judgment of Satan in verse 11. Contrary to the world’s beliefs, Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension (his glorification)judged and condemned Satan. In short, the world does not believe that Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension (his glorification) judged and condemned Satan, and the Holy Spirit proves them wrong on this account.
It should also be noted that although the judgment against Satan is certain, it has not been immediately executed. Just like those who reject Jesus are judged, yet continue in their rebellion while awaiting their sentence, so too is Satan allowed to continue in his rebellion while awaiting his sentence to the pit (Rev 20:1–3) and the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:7–10).
Summary
John 16:7–11 can be summarised as follows: Jesus will send the Holy Spirit when he returns to the Father. When the Spirit comes, he will prove the world (a) wrong and guilty concerning its sin of rejecting Jesus, (b) wrong and guilty concerning its belief that Jesus was not one with the Father and would not return to Him, and (c) wrong and guilty concerning its belief that Satan was not judged at Jesus’ glorification.
| The Holy Spirit proves the world wrong/guilty concerning . . . | Interpretation |
| Sin | The world is guilty of sin because it rejected Jesus |
| Righteousness of Jesus | The world is wrong in its belief that Jesus was not one with the Father and would not return to Him |
| Judgment of Satan | The world is wrong in its belief that Satan was not judged at Jesus’ glorification |