ພຣະເຈົ້າບໍ່ຕ້ອງການໃຫ້ຜູ້ໃດຈິບຫາຍ. That’s why God gave everything to the people to accomplish His will and save people from death. ແນວໃດກໍ່ຕາມ, people have been given a free will to make their own choices in life. Every person decides which path to go: the broad way of the world, which leads to destruction, or the narrow way of life, ເຊິ່ງນໍາໄປສູ່ຊີວິດນິລັນດອນ. ຕະຫຼອດພະຄໍາພີ, we see one recurring theme and that’s the great love of God. ຄວາມຮັກຂອງພຣະເຈົ້າ, doesn’t want anyone to perish. That’s why throughout the Bible God called the people to repentance. But what brought the people to repentance? The revelation and conviction of sin brought the people to repentance. How else can a person repent if a person doesn’t see his sinful state? How can a person turn away from his works, ທີ່ໄປຕໍ່ກັບຄວາມປະສົງຂອງພຣະເຈົ້າ, if a person doesn’t consider his works evil? Let’s look at the conviction of sin in the three dispensations of the Bible, and how sin was revealed in each dispensation.
The conviction of sin in the dispensation of God
As mentioned in a ທີ່ຜ່ານມາ ຕອບ blog, we can divide the Bible into three dispensations: the dispensation of God the Father, ພຣະເຢຊູຄຣິດ (ຄໍາພາສາ), ແລະພຣະວິນຍານບໍລິສຸດ. ແນວໃດກໍ່ຕາມ, in all three dispensations, we see the continuous collaboration between the Almighty God, ພຣະເຢຊູ; ຄໍາ, ແລະພຣະວິນຍານບໍລິສຸດ.
ໃນສະໄໝທຳອິດຂອງພຣະເຈົ້າ, we see the relationship between God and His chosen people after the flesh; ອິດສະຣາເອນ (born of the seed of Jacob).
When God; El-Elohim created man after His own image, man was made perfect. Until man decided to go his own way and rebel against the words of God and sin.
ວິນຍານຢູ່ໃນມະນຸດຕາຍແລະມະນຸດກາຍເປັນຈິດວິນຍານທີ່ມີຊີວິດຢູ່, who had knowledge of good and evil.
We read about the relationship between God and Able, Enoch, Noah, ອັບຣາຮາມ, ອີຊາກ, ຍາໂຄ, ໂຈເຊັບ, ແລະອື່ນໆ.
They all walked with God after His will, while God had not given them His law yet. But they listened to His words and believed His words and walked in ການເຊື່ອຟັງ to His words.
ແນວໃດກໍ່ຕາມ, we also read about Cain, ເອຊາວ, ພວກລູກຊາຍຂອງພຣະເຈົ້າ, ປະຊາຣາດ, who lived in Noah’s age, the inhabitants of Sodom ແລະ Gomorrah, ແລະອື່ນໆ. They all lived their own lives after the will, ຕັນຫາ, and desires of their flesh in disobedience to God’s words.
ພຣະເຈົ້າໃຫ້ກົດຫມາຍຂອງພຣະອົງ
We read about God’s people, who lived in Egypt under the oppression of Pharaoh for 400 ປີ, and how God saved them. God heard their cry and chose Moses, as His representative to redeem His people out of Egypt and from the oppression of Pharaoh.
When God redeemed His people by His hand and led them into the wilderness, God revealed Himself through all the signs and wonders. But God wanted a relationship with His people. He wanted to be their God and that they would be His people. Therefore He gave them the Law that revealed His will concerning their lives.
ສໍາລັບ 400 ປີ, they lived after Pharaoh’s will and according to the Egyptian ວັດທະນະທໍາ, ການປະພຶດ, and rituals and worshiped idols.
They were defiled and that’s why it was time, that God’s people would be cleansed from all unrighteousness and put off their old life.
The only way to do that was to ຕໍ່ຈິດໃຈຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າ with God’s will because the mind determined their actions. ຜ່ານ Law of righteousness and life, ພຣະເຈົ້າໄດ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ພຣະອົງສົງໄສຂອງພຣະອົງ, and sin was revealed.
The law represented not only God’s will but also God’s nature, ຄວາມຊອບທໍາ, ແລະຄວາມບໍລິສຸດ.
The holy law of God brought light in the darkness and gave life to those, who would submit themselves to the Law (ຂອງພຣະເຈົ້າ) and obey the Law.
The law revealed the truth and exposed every sin, that would lead to death. Because God didn’t want anyone of His people to perish. By keeping the law and all the regulations, that belonged to the law, His people would be blessed, ປະຢັດ, and have life. But every person, who was part of His people, had a choice to obey the law of God or not.
Throughout this dispensation, we see that God’s people were devoted to God for a specific time and then turned away from Him. That’s the nature of ຜູ້ເຖົ້າ, ຜູ້ທີ່ຍ່າງຫຼັງຈາກເນື້ອຫນັງ; devotion to God, a turn away from God, ການກັບໃຈ, devotion to God, turn away from God, ແລະອື່ນໆ. Every time His people got into trouble by leaving His law and adopting the culture, ພາສີ, and behavior of pagan cultures, they cried out to God and ກັບໃຈ. ຫຼັງຈາກນັ້ນ, ພຣະເຈົ້າ, who is faithful and full of goodness, saved them. But it didn’t take long before His people rebelled again and became disobedient to the law. But what exposed the sin in His people’s life? The law of God exposed the sin and apostasy of the carnal man.
The conviction of sin by the law
When the law of God was read before the people, the holiness of God became visible and sin was revealed to them. The law was their teacher, and showed them, how far they were driven away from God and His words. Then His people had a choice to ກັບໃຈ ຫຼືບໍ່.
Without the law of God, which represents the law of righteousness and life, they were not aware of the fact that their lives were full of sin. His people had rejected the law, ພຣະຄໍາຂອງພຣະເຈົ້າ, and lived just like all the other nations, after the lusts and desires of the flesh. They did their own will and were led by their flesh instead of the Word of God. They took strange women from other nations, they committed adultery, ແລະ idolatry, there was sexual uncleanness and they allowed ຄວາມຫນ້າກຽດຊັງ in the house of the Lord.
But as soon as the law appeared and was being read, sin was revealed and convicted man of sin. Without the law of God, there was no awareness of sin.
The conviction of sin in the dispensation of Jesus Christ
ໃນຍຸກສະໄໝທີສອງ, ພວກເຮົາເຫັນການສະເດັດມາຂອງພຣະເຢຊູຄຣິດ, ພຣະບຸດຂອງພຣະເຈົ້າ, ລາວ ເຮັດວຽກການໄຖ່, and His relationship with God’s people. He is the Word, that became flesh and lived among the people. Jesus was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and power, and went about doing good, healing all that were oppressed by the devil, ເພາະພຣະເຈົ້າຢູ່ກັບພຣະອົງ (ກິດຈະການ 10:38). He represented and brought the Kingdom of God, including the law of God; ກົດແຫ່ງຄວາມຊອບທໍາແລະຊີວິດ, ໃນໂລກ. Jesus lived after God’s will and therefore He established and fulfilled the law. God’s holy nature lived in Jesus and He confronted the people of God with their sins.
The conviction of sin by the Word
ພຣະເຢຊູ; the Light shone in the darkness and brought all things, that were hidden in darkness into the light. The Light confronted people with their sins. ທີ່, who were willing ກັບໃຈ. They were baptized in water and removed the sins from their lives and ຕິດຕາມພຣະເຢຊູ.
ແຕ່ວ່າເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນ, who were rebellious and stubborn and had the devil as father, weren’t willing to repent.
ພວກເຂົາ rejected Jesus Christ; the Word and remained living in sin. They hated Jesus because Jesus testified of their evil works.
ໂລກບໍ່ສາມາດກຽດຊັງທ່ານ (ຜູ້ເຖົ້າ) since you are part of it), but it does hate Me (new Man filled with the Holy Spirit) because I denounce it and testify that its deeds are evil (ຈອນ 7:7)
ຖ້າຂ້ອຍບໍ່ໄດ້ມາແລະເວົ້າກັບພວກເຂົາ, ພວກເຂົາບໍ່ມີບາບ: ແຕ່ບັດນີ້ພວກເຂົາບໍ່ມີຜ້າຫົ່ມສໍາລັບບາບຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າ. He that hates me hates My Father also. ຖ້າຫາກຂ້າພະເຈົ້າບໍ່ໄດ້ເຮັດໃນບັນດາພວກເຂົາວຽກງານທີ່ບໍ່ມີຜູ້ອື່ນໄດ້ເຮັດ, ພວກເຂົາບໍ່ມີບາບ: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. (ຈອນ 15:22-24)
The confrontation with the Word, Who represents the righteousness and holiness of God, revealed the sin in people. The Word convicted the people of sin.
The conviction of sin in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit
ໃນຍຸກທີສາມ, we see the birth of the new creations and the relationship with the Holy Spirit. What the devil had destroyed in the ສວນເອເດນ was restored by Jesus Christ. Jesus established the Law and dealt with the sin problem of man.
Through His death and resurrection from the dead and by the coming of the Holy Spirit, ໄດ້ ການສ້າງໃຫມ່ ໄດ້ເກີດ.
ໂດຍຜ່ານການສືບພັນໃນພຣະຄຣິດ, the flesh of the old man died and the spirit was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. The new man was born by ນ້ໍາ and Spirit and was no longer a son of the devil but had become a son of God.
Man was reconciled in Jesus Christ with the Father and had received His Holy Spirit. Man didn’t belong to the world but to the Kingdom of God.
ພຣະວິນຍານບໍລິສຸດ, Who bears witness of Jesus Christ; ຄໍາ, and Who represents the Kingdom of God, ແລະກົດແຫ່ງຄວາມຊອບທໍາແລະຊີວິດ, live inside the new creation. Just like God had prophesied:
ຫຼັງຈາກມື້ນັ້ນ, ພຣະຜູ້ເປັນເຈົ້າ, ເຮົາຈະເອົາກົດໝາຍຂອງເຮົາໃສ່ໃນສ່ວນຂອງເຂົາ, ແລະຂຽນມັນໄວ້ໃນໃຈຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າ; ແລະຈະເປັນພຣະເຈົ້າຂອງພວກເຂົາ, ແລະພວກເຂົາຈະເປັນປະຊາຊົນຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ (ເຢເຣມີ 31:33)
ໂດຍການຢູ່ອາໄສຂອງພຣະວິນຍານບໍລິສຸດ, God’s will and His nature live in the heart of the new creation.
The old nature of the devil, which is present in the flesh doesn’t exist anymore but is crucified in Christ. ດຽວນີ້, God’s holy nature lives inside of the new creation.
ເມື່ອການສ້າງໃຫມ່ຍ່າງຕາມພຣະວິນຍານ, he shall submit himself to the Word and the Holy Spirit and shall obey the will of God. Therefore the new creation shall ຕັ້ງກົດຫມາຍ (ຊາວໂລມັນ 3:31)
The conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit
Jesus bore witness of the Holy Spirit and said that the Holy Spirit reproves (convicts, confutes, admonishes, exposes, rebukes) the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment (ຈອນ 16:8-10)
The Holy Spirit represents the will of God and convicts the sins of man. Just like Jesus convicted the sins of man and called man to repentance and put away sin. And just like God convicted the sins of man, by the law and called His people to ການກັບໃຈ and to put away sin.
ພຣະເຈົ້າ, ພຣະເຢຊູ, and the Holy Spirit are One, and therefore They have the same nature and the same will. They shall never contradict Each Other!
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and exposes all the lies of the devil. Therefore everything that happens in darkness, He will bring into the light.
He confronts people with their sinful state and reveals to them their evil works from God’s point of view instead of man’s point of view.
That’s why we need the Holy Spirit. He alone will convict the person of sin and show him his defiled sinful nature.
Without a conviction of sin, a person cannot repent and lay down his life and put away his sins. That’s because the person is not aware of his sins. The person doesn’t see the necessity of laying down his flesh and becoming born again in the spirit. He shall not consider the works of the flesh as evil and therefore shall never put off the carnal works of the flesh. The person will only do that if God will reveal to him his spiritual state.
The conviction of sin brings man to repentance
ພຣະເຈົ້າບໍ່ຕ້ອງການໃຫ້ຜູ້ໃດຈິບຫາຍ. ນັ້ນແມ່ນເຫດຜົນທີ່ວ່າ, because of His goodness, He gave His law, ລູກຊາຍຂອງລາວ, ແລະພຣະວິນຍານບໍລິສຸດຂອງພຣະອົງ. So that the sins of the world, which are concealed in darkness and are hidden for the natural eyes of the old man, will be exposed and man has the opportunity to repent, remove his sins, ໄດ້ຮັບຄວາມລອດ, and become a new creation in Jesus Christ.
‘ຈົ່ງເປັນເກືອຂອງແຜ່ນດິນໂລກ’
