“Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” John 16:7-8 (NIV)
How does a Simon (diminished sense of need) become a Mary (overwhelming sense of gratitude)? That’s the work of the Counselor (or the Holy Spirit). When the Holy Spirit begins to work in your soul, the first thing He will do is talk to you about your sins. The first work of the Spirit is to convince you of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
Who needs convincing of sin? All the members of the board of your soul—Mind, Heart, Will, Conscience, Memory, and Imagination. Imagine the Spirit of God coming into the boardroom of your soul. He takes the chair and calls the meeting to order:
Conscience sits there looking half asleep, and the Spirit of God wakes him up. “Conscience, when are you going to ring the alarm?”
“I will if someone suggests stealing, killing, or committing adultery.”
“No,” says the Spirit, “you’ve got to start monitoring sin in the soul. You have to sound the alarm when you see it in Mind, Will, Heart, or Imagination.”
“Memory, you’ve lost sight of some of the sins in this soul, so let me remind you of a few.”
“Heart, let me explain why sin matters. Your sins led Christ to the cross. So, Will, that’s why we have to lead the others in a new direction.”
This is the kind of conversation that happened in the soul of the woman in Simon’s house, and it led her to faith in Christ.
Has the Holy Spirit begun this first work in your soul?
