And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2
The word propitiation paints a picture of Jesus’ blood satisfying the wrath of God for all sin for all time. John tells us that Jesus was the “propitiation” for the “sins of the whole world”.
Think about the enormity of what John is telling us. Jesus’ sacrifice provides the forgiveness of sin not only for Christians! His blood was shed for Christians and non-Christians alike.
Jesus’ one sacrifice provides forgiveness for even those who have not accepted Him as their Lord and become a Christian. He died for the entire world.
Let me take a step back. Jesus paid the price for all sin but this does not mean that people are not required to become a Christian to enjoy the benefit of what He provided through His death, burial, and resurrection.
The payment for our sins has been made but we still have to receive it by making Jesus our Lord.
I think that what I’m trying to get across in this post is that the divide between God and the non-Christian is not whether they are an alcoholic, lied, or committed any other sin. Jesus paid the price for all sin and eliminated it as the barrier between God and man.
The issue now is not sin but whether or not a person has received Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If you have not done so yet then I encourage you to pray the following prayer:
“Dear God, I want to be a part of your family. You said in Your Word that if I acknowledge that You raised Jesus from the dead, and that I accept Him as my Lord and Savior, I would be saved. So God, I now say that I believe You raised Jesus from the dead and that He is alive and well. I accept Him now as my personal Lord and Savior. I accept my salvation from sin right now.“
That is all there is to it! If you prayed that prayer for the first time, please let us know through a comment on this post! We pray for all of our readers daily and you are included in that group!
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
John 16:7-11
Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit in this verse. He said that it was “expedient” for His disciples that He leave. The word “expedient” means that it was going to be better for us to have the Holy Spirit than Jesus in the flesh!
It seems that the majority of Christians do not have a clear understanding of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. They act like they believe He is the one making them miserable but nothing could be further from the truth!
In John 16:8 we see that Jesus said the Holy Spirit would reprove the “world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”.
“The Holy Spirit nails me every time I forget to read my Bible or pray.”
It is our consciousness and not the Holy Spirit that convicts us of these things. Religion amplifies that conviction. The Holy Spirit will never make us miserable and He will never condemn us.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Romans 8:1
The sense of condemnation and unworthiness that plagues so many Christians is not from the Holy Spirit. It is from religion that takes the human conscience and amplifies it.
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
1 John 3:18-20
The heart represents our spirit and our conscience is the voice of our spirit.
This brings us back to Jesus’ statement that the Holy Spirit will “reprove the world of sin”. What sin was He talking about?
I believe that Jesus knew this would not be understood because he explained what He meant in the next verses:
Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
John 16:9-11
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would reprove, or convict, unbelievers of sin (singular) because they would not believe on Jesus. He is not convicting people of the sin of adultery, drunkenness, or lying. The Holy Spirit is not concerned with any of these things because Jesus paid the price for every sin that will ever be committed. He instead is concerned with whether or not people accept and appropriate the forgiveness that is readily available for every person who will ever live.
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