Conviction of Sin

Question: How is conviction of sin produced? In other words, what kind of preaching would you recommend in order to bring people to a realization of the awfulness of sin, and to bring upon them conviction of sin?

The law was given to bring men to a knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20), and I find that the preaching of the law does bring men to such a knowledge. I preach on the Ten Commandments, looking to the Holy Spirit to show men how they have not kept them. I also preach on Matthew 7:12, the so-called Golden Rule, to show people that they have not kept the Golden Rule and therefore cannot be saved by it: "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them." In addition, I preach on Matthew 22:37-38. Through these verses, I seek to show people that they have not only sinned but they have also broken the first and greatest of God's commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment."

However, we read in John 16:8-9 that the sin of which the Holy Spirit convicts men is the sin of unbelief in Jesus Christ. Also, we see in Acts 2}1-37 that the sin of which the Holy Spirit convicted so many thousands on the Day of Pentecost was the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. Working along these lines, I find that holding up before men the majesty and glory of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for us, hen driving home the awfulness of the sin of rejecting such a Saviour,brings the deepest conviction of sin.

But in all our preaching, we must bear in mind that it is the Holy Spirit, not we ourselves, who convicts men of sin. He does it through the truth that we present, but we must realize our dependence upon Him and look to Him and count on Him to do the work. This is where many make their mistake. They try to convict men of sin instead of putting themselves in an attitude of complete dependence on the Holy Spirit so that He will convict men through them.

~R. A. Torry~