Alla ma jrid li ħadd jitħassar. That’s why God gave everything to the people to accomplish His will and save people from death. Madankollu, 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, li jwassal għall-ħajja eterna. Matul il-Bibbja, we see one recurring theme and that’s the great love of God. L-imħabba ta’ Alla, 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, li jmorru kontra r-rieda ta’ Alla, 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 previous blog post, we can divide the Bible into three dispensations: the dispensation of God the Father, L-Iben Ġesù Kristu (il-kelma ħajja), u l-Ispirtu s-Santu. Madankollu, in all three dispensations, we see the continuous collaboration between the Almighty God, Ġesù; il-Kelma, u l-Ispirtu s-Santu.
In the first dispensation of God, we see the relationship between God and His chosen people after the flesh; Iżrael (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.
L-ispirtu fil-bniedem miet u l-bniedem sar ruħ ħajja, who had knowledge of good and evil.
We read about the relationship between God and Able, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Iżakk, Ġakobb, Joseph, eċċ.
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 ubbidjenza to His words.
Madankollu, we also read about Cain, Esaw, Ulied Alla, il-poplu, who lived in Noah’s age, the inhabitants of Sodoma u Gomorra, eċċ. They all lived their own lives after the will, xewqat, and desires of their flesh in disobedience to God’s words.
Alla ta l-liġi Tiegħu
We read about God’s people, who lived in Egypt under the oppression of Pharaoh for 400 snin, 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.
Għal 400 snin, they lived after Pharaoh’s will and according to the Egyptian kultura, imġieba, 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 iġeddu moħħhom with God’s will because the mind determined their actions. Permezz tal- Law of righteousness and life, Alla għarraf ir-rieda tiegħu lill-poplu Tiegħu, and sin was revealed.
The law represented not only God’s will but also God’s nature, tjieba, u qdusija.
The holy law of God brought light in the darkness and gave life to those, who would submit themselves to the Law (rieda ta’ Alla) 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, salvat, 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 il-ġuvni, li jimxi wara l-laħam; devotion to God, a turn away from God, Indiema, devotion to God, turn away from God, eċċ. Every time His people got into trouble by leaving His law and adopting the culture, Dwana, and behavior of pagan cultures, they cried out to God and nidem. Imbagħad Alla, 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 jindmu jew le.
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, il-kliem ta’ Alla, 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, u l-idolatrija, there was sexual uncleanness and they allowed abominazzjonijiet 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
Fit-tieni dispensa, naraw il-miġja ta’ Ġesù Kristu, l-Iben ta’ Alla, Tiegħu xogħol tal-fidwa, 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, għax Alla kien miegħu (Atti 10:38). He represented and brought the Kingdom of God, including the law of God; il-liġi tal-ġustizzja u l-ħajja, fuq l-art. 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
Ġesù; 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. Dawk, who were willing nidem. They were baptized in water and removed the sins from their lives and segwa Ġesù.
Imma dawk, who were rebellious and stubborn and had the devil as father, weren’t willing to repent.
Huma rejected Jesus Christ; the Word and remained living in sin. They hated Jesus because Jesus testified of their evil works.
Id-dinja ma tistax tobgħodkom (il-ġuvni) 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 (John 7:7)
Kieku ma ġejtx u kellimthom, ma kellhomx dnub: imma issa m’għandhom l-ebda skop għad-dnub tagħhom. He that hates me hates My Father also. Kieku ma għamiltx fosthom ix-xogħlijiet li ħadd ma għamel, ma kellhomx dnub: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. (John 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
Fit-tielet dispensa, we see the birth of the new creations and the relationship with the Holy Spirit. What the devil had destroyed in the Ġnien tal-Eden 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, il kreazzjonijiet ġodda twieldu.
Permezz tar-riġenerazzjoni fi Kristu, 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 ilma 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.
L-Ispirtu s-Santu, Who bears witness of Jesus Christ; il-Kelma, and Who represents the Kingdom of God, u l-liġi tal-ġustizzja u l-ħajja, live inside the new creation. Just like God had prophesied:
Wara dawk il-jiem, jgħid il-Mulej, Jiena npoġġi l-liġi Tiegħi f’ġewwieni, u jiktbuh f’qalbhom; u se jkun Alla tagħhom, u jkunu l-poplu Tiegħi (Ġeremija 31:33)
Mill-abitazzjoni tal-Ispirtu s-Santu, 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. Issa, God’s holy nature lives inside of the new creation.
Meta l-ħolqien il-ġdid jimxi wara l-Ispirtu, he shall submit himself to the Word and the Holy Spirit and shall obey the will of God. Therefore the new creation shall jistabbilixxi l-liġi (Rumani 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 (John 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 Indiema and to put away sin.
Alla, Ġesù, 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
Alla ma jrid li ħadd jitħassar. Huwa għalhekk li, because of His goodness, He gave His law, Ibnu, u l-Ispirtu s-Santu Tiegħu. 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, jiġu salvati, and become a new creation in Jesus Christ.
‘Kun il-melħ tal-art’
