John 16:8-15

1. Our Lord probably meant to show us what the Holy Spirit would do to the world of unbelieving Jews. He would convince them “of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”
2. Our Lord probably meant to foretell what the Holy Spirit would do for the whole of humanity, both Gentiles as well as Jews.

"The difficulty of rightly explaining the sayings of our Lord in this place is undeniably very great. It may well be doubted whether the full meaning of His words has ever been entirely grasped by the human mind and whether there is not something at the bottom which has not been completely unfolded."

"Then let us never forget, in reading the Bible, to pray for the teaching of the Holy Spirit. We must not wonder if we find the Bible a dark and difficult book if we do not regularly seek light from Him by whom it was first inspired. In this, as in many other things, we do not have because we do not ask."

Questions:

1. Jesus declares that the Spirit will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. Ryle, admitting this to be a deep passage in which much is not fully understood, suggests that it speaks first about the Jews and then about the whole world. It is a deeply comforting thought that the Father and Son have sent the Spirit to remind us of all truth. Can we testify of this reality in our own lives? Has the Spirit brought light when reading Scripture and brought remembrance of truth when in conversation? Do we regularly pray for the Spirit to work in our lives?