What does the Lord Christ mean when He says of the Holy Spirit: “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin” (John 16:8)?

While Peter was talking to Cornelius and those with him, the Holy Spirit pierced their hearts: “The Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word … Then Peter answered,

874 St. Basil of Caesarea, On the Holy Spirit , trans., Stephen Hildebrand (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2011) 9.22: p. 52 (PG 32:108–109).

875 St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on 1 Thessalonians 11 (NPNF I/13:370–371) amended.

876

St. Basil of Ceasarea, On the Holy Spirit , trans., Stephen Hildebrand (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2011) 26.61: p. 100 (PG 32:180D).

‘Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord” (Acts 10:44–48). If the Spirit can pierce the heart before baptism, would He not pierce the heart all the more after He dwells in it through the sacrament of Chrismation? His work is to convict a person of sin so that he repents and confesses, and through the sacrament of Repentance and Confession, to have his sins forgiven by the Holy Spirit, who Himself forgives through the justifying blood of Christ: “Receive the Holy Spirit, if you forgive the sins of any, they will be forgiven them …” (John 20:22).

With both believers and unbelievers, the Holy Spirit does not cover up their sins; on the contrary, He is the light that reveals sin and exposes it to the inner eye, revealing the bitterness of transgression before our hearts; yet at the same time also revealing the work of the cross and the power of God’s irresistible love. From here the Holy Spirit proceeds with our confessions, and attaches them to the shed blood, along with the tears of repentance and the faithful prayers. Instantly, a person is freed of his previous sins, whether through the sacrament of Baptism or the sacrament of Repentance and Confession.⁸⁷⁷

For St. Augustine , the greatest sin is lack of faith in Christ the Savior of the world. If one does not believe, one cannot receive forgiveness for his sins. Therefore, remorse for sin means feeling the urge to abandon unbelief in Christ, and thus, it opens the door to forgiveness. St. John Chrysostom says, “the words, ‘He will convict the world of sin,’ mean: ‘He will deprive them of all defense and will show that their transgressions are inexcusable.’”⁸⁷⁸

Convict the world of sin : the Lord Christ highlights the role the Holy Spirit plays in our feeling of remorse for sin when He says, “because they do not believe” (John 16:9). If sin reigns over the heart, then there is no way to be free of it, except the coming of another king who is able to destroy it. This is faith in Christ who reigns over the heart. Sin reigned and became a source of corruption and squalor; so it became urgently necessary to believe in the Savior who expels corruption and squalor and replaces them with incorruption and holiness. Through sin, humanity broke the law and brought down the curse upon itself; and by faith in Christ who fulfilled the law and bore the curse in our place we are freed from the letter that kills and the curse, we encounter the Spirit, the Life Giver, and we live the blessed life. St. Cyril the Great says, “The reproof of sin, then, has been set first … that is those who are ignorant and persist in unbelief.”⁸⁷⁹

The Holy Spirit alone is able to enter the heart and make sin taste bitter, exposing its true nature; so that the heart becomes capable of enjoying the sweetness of communion with God. He is able to convince the heart, the mind, and the very depths of the soul that happiness,

877 Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty, My Holy God (Arabic, 1967) pp. 12–13.

878 St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on John 78 (FOTC 41:341).

879 St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, Volume 2 10.2 (LFHCC 48:444–445).

peace, joy, eternity, and incorruption lie in clinging to the Savior and not to sin; and that the pleasure of fellowship with God cannot compare to any pleasure of sin.