The Holy Ghost has many responsibilities and, at the center of those responsibilities are three very important elements, as it relates to the world: sin, righteousness, and judgment. Beloved, no matter how arrogant and sophisticated the world would like to present itself; it is in error in all three areas. In John 16:8-11 Jesus tells us,

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰ concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; ¹¹ concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. (ESV)

Let’s look at a few key definitions:

• Convict: This is the Greek word elégchō: “To convict, to show to be wrong.”^[1] Again, the bottom line is that the world is wrong; you don’t look for truth in the world. We must remember that the world is guided by their god, the devil (2 Corinthians 4:4). We should not be envious of anything the world has to offer. We are in this world, but we are not a part of it (John 17:16). It is the Holy Ghost who brings conviction into the world; He is the one showing folks how wrong they are.

• Sin: This is the Greek word hamartia: “Missing the true end and scope of our lives, which is God. An offense about God with an emphasis on guilt. Aberration from the truth.”^[2] The main issue with sin is that they don’t believe in Jesus. That lack of belief in Christ causes them to miss the truth and the scope of their lives. A human being can never fulfill his purpose without God… never! Without God, they can never experience peace and joy. 

• Righteousness: This is the Greek word dikaiosúnē: “In the case of. believer, Righteousness fulfills the claims of God. In the case of the nonbeliever, the claims of that higher authority which a person adopts as his standard.”^[3] The world is in error regarding righteousness because righteousness comes from God; only He is righteous. As the world establishes his idea of righteousness Jesus establishes that righteousness is fulfilled only through Him (Romans 3:22). Jesus is the only one between us and the Father (John 14:6).

• Judgment: This is the Greek word krísis: “An official judgment. The act of judging about the final judgment, the day of judgment.”^[4] The world lives as if there is no judgment. They feel they can get away with everything. Whatever feels good, go for it! They teach that we don’t need God; as a matter of fact, they teach that God is the problem. It takes the power of the Holy Ghost to convince a human being that there is indeed a judgment coming. God is the God of justice; he will judge all injustices (Jude 1:5-10). Also, see Isaiah 30:18. For those who still carry hate because of what was done through the ancestors through slavery and the racism that still exists and, other injustices… a reminder that God will judge every injustice. It is HIS job and not ours.

^[1] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

^[2] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

^[3] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

^[4] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).