The Holy Spirit convicts us of righteousness and not sin!

The Holy Spirit today, convicts us of righteousness, not sin. Sounds heretical right? Well, the church of Jesus Christ has heard all sorts of teachings on the Holy Spirit and this issue is one of the many issues I would like to address. Many believers are still clinging onto the grandfather teaching that the Holy Spirit convicts the believer of sin. However, down through the ages, little by little, God has supplied truths of the gospel and we are still rediscovering the gospel till it becomes a perfect jigsaw puzzle.

”But, this great man of God….”

Hold your horses! Let us quote the scriptures instead of this great man or that great man, deal?

”Okay then. John 16:8-11!”

As you wish.

John 16:8-11

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁸ And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

”See, the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin! See! See! I told you!”

Let me show u another verse. You supplied one verse, so I supply one.

John 15:19

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

What Jesus meant in this verse is that we(believers) are in this world and yet not of this world! Let’s go back to John 16.

⁸ And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

For a long time, people have been using the same verse over and over again to prove their point.

If we preachers had used magnifying glasses, we would have seen the phrase,”convict the world of sin”.

Suffice to say, the word ”they” refers to the world. Jesus was speaking to His disciples so when He says, ”they”, He definitely wasn’t referring to His disciples. He was referring to people outside which is the ”world(unbelievers)”.

Now, what sin is an unbeliever convicted of? Unbelief! How can a believer, who has accepted Jesus Christ into his life, be included in the unbelief category?

Now, see the words highlighted in red. Jesus was talking to His disciples. Notice Jesus used different words? They, you, ruler of this world(devil)? They(world), you(disciples also known as believers), ruler of the world(devil). Jesus distinguishes us from the world and from the devil. We are in the category of righteousness.

The Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius when Peter proclaimed remission of sins. The Holy Spirit unveils to us our righteousness in Christ and not our sins.

The Holy Spirit is a helper according to Jesus. Can you live with a friend, a helper who always points out your faults? Absolutely not! David never had the Holy Spirit because David was never clean. The Holy Spirit at that time, comes and goes. We having been clean, washed by the blood of Jesus, have the benefit of the Holy Spirit coming into us and abiding with us forever and also reminding us of our righteousness in Christ!

 

Does cheap grace ever exist in the bible?

Today, I would like to go back to grace. Whenever someone sin in a grace church, people will say,”Watch out, its the grace teaching!” When someone sin in a law church, nobody says,”Watch out, its the law teaching!” The devil has set a veil in people’s hearts! Today, I want to address the issue of people calling grace cheap, greasy and crazy. You see, grace was never cheap, we cheapen grace. Lets see what gift God gave Paul.

Ephesians 3:8

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁸ To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

Its amazing how Paul was lesser than the least of all the saints! Its one thing to be the least, its another thing to be lesser than the least! Worst! But did you know that the gospel of grace was given to Paul, someone who never walked nor slept nor ate with Jesus? The gospel should be given to Peter, James or John but it was not. This is one sign of God’s unmerited favor! So Paul, who is lesser than the least of all saints, this cheap grace was given, that he should preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles. This cheap grace theory is stupid. Its stupid because according to this verse, God gave Paul grace so that he can preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. The day we can measure the unsearchable riches of Christ, the day we can fathom it, that is the day we know how priceless grace is! Its an insult to Christ to say grace is cheap because God had to give Paul grace before Paul could preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. How much is the riches? I dont know! It is unsearchable! From here, we can tell grace is not cheap. God is not a cheapo to give something cheap to someone lesser than the least of all the saints.

John 1:16-17

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁶ And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

In our estimation, the law worths more than grace. Nobody dares to insult the law but everyone insults grace. We have received the fullness of cheap grace for cheap grace. Yo, I hope you are understanding my point. Something is wrong with this teaching of cheap grace! Verse 17, for the law was given through Moses, cheap grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. In the greek, grace and truth are one. Meaning, without grace, there is not truth and without truth, there is no grace. If we call grace cheap then truth is also cheap and Jesus will be stupid to say,”Know the truth and truth will set you free!” How can something cheap set you free. Even your Holy Communion, just one small piece of bread and one small cup of Ribena or grape juice is not cheap. Jesus was the payment! The bible calls Jesus heaven’s best. God had to use heaven’s best to pay for our Holy Communion! Another thing, how can something cheap come through Jesus? Redundant! Are you telling me what was given by Moses is more valuable than what came through Jesus? Stupid!

Romans 6:14

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

I can boldly tell you now that the law produces greasy, cheap and lowly lifestyle. Under law, sin has dominion over you, under grace sin does not have dominion over you! Comeon! Its so clear! Sometimes I wonder whether people have eyes to see. That pornography that you have been watching, might have vexed your soul but as long as your mindset is a law mindset, that pornography reign over you. Only grace can truly set you free. But my point is this, grace will never produce cheap lifestyle. If someone is living in sin, he does not fully understand grace. Grace itself is not cheap! The law is also not cheap, the law is holy! But it cannot make you holy. The law is a mirror, you look into it, you see pimples, you dont curse the mirror or break it. The mirror would break by itself! Just kidding. But we dont break the mirror! Grace is the lotion cream. Grace will clean you up and when you look into the mirror, you dont see that ugly looking person you once saw. Amen?

Romans 5:17

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁷ For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

Once again, what is the power to reign in life? The abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness! How can grace ever be cheap? Without grace, you cannot reign in life. You cannot reign over drugs, pornography, food, you cannot reign as a king! The word reign here is the greek word for kingly rule. Only with grace can you reign as a king. Also the gift of righteousness. Righteousness is a gift not a wage or a reward. If grace is cheap then those who receive abundance of cheap grace and the gift of righteousness…. Sounds wrong. Grace is never cheap. It might be free for us but it took God to give up His only begotten and beloved son. The book of Revelations was written by John whose name means grace. My friend, grace is never ever cheap. I’m going to bring all this to a close.

2 Peter 1:2

New International Version (NIV)

 ² Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

According to Peter, the more we know Jesus, the more grace and peace be ours. Now, Peter is an apostle to the Jews. Lets say you are a Jew, if you talk to Peter, you would have spoken hebrew to him and not greek. Peace in hebrew is shalom which means peace, prosperity, health, wholeness to every area of your life. When you know Jesus, when you study Him, when you see Him in all His glory and majesty, grace and shalom be yours in ABUNDANCE! Those who receive abundance of grace…..Its redundant to receive something cheap after knowing Jesus so intimately! Grace is priceless! Grace is the person of Jesus! When you have grace you have shalom! Hallelujah!

Galatians 5:4

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁴Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Im closing. Many of us, when we were baby christians which was probably years ago or decades ago, we put more value to the law rather than grace. But I submit to you, this wasnt the case for apostle Paul. The moment you come under law, you fall from grace. He never said, ” ye are elevated from grace.” He said that we are fallen from grace and sin cannot stop grace, grace stops sin! But legalism stops, quenches the flow of grace. Legalism pulls you down from grace. Grace is always higher! Hallelujah!
Guys, I believed, I have cleared many of your doubts, I pray in Jesus name you will learn to see grace as a priceless gift from God.

Shalom,

Nicholas Tan Chee Yee

©Nicholas Tan Ministries 2011

Jesus is willing!

Today, I want to to share with you a short story in the bible that brings out God’s heart for you. Now, I’d like to start with this verse.

John 14:9 (New King James Version)

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Jesus says here that all who see Him has seen the Father. So it is our vested interest to study His miracles and His heart in the gospels. Jesus acts are always acts of grace. The bible says that He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Matthew 8:1-3 (New King James Version)

Matthew 8

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

 ¹ When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. ² And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
³ Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

This might be a short story but we can dig out a whole chunk of nuggets concerning God’s heart. Now this was after the sermon on the Mount and this miracle took place after Jesus had finished teaching. This leper came and He knew Jesus had the power to make him clean but He wasnt sure whether Jesus was willing. Many of us, we know God has the power to heal, supply and restore but we wonder whether He is willing. The leper did not doubt Jesus power but He was not sure whether Jesus could cleanse Him. Now, what is Jesus response? The bible says that Jesus touched the leper. In those times, leprosy was so contagious that you cannot go near a leper. Imagine a child sees his father and runs to hug his father but his mom grabs him with tears in her eyes. This leper might not have been touched for decades. It is proven that babies die whenever they dont get touched. The way Jesus responded was to touch the leper. Then He said,” I am willing, be thou cleansed.” This is the heart of God! Jesus says that He is willing to cleanse us! You know what? The leprosy left immediately.

Sometimes you might be sick, depressed, oppressed, pressed with pressure, and you wonder whether Jesus is willing to cleansed you or heal you. Listen my friend, doubt no more! He is more than willing! All the leper wanted was healing but Jesus gave him more. Jesus touched him, Jesus restored back to him the sense of touch.

That leper can also be a picture of a sinner. Often, we want to be free from sin and we want God to heal us but we are not sure whether He is willing. Like I said earlier, He is willing! He will restore back to you more than you ask for.

Zechariah 9:12 (New International Version)

¹² Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
   even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

Are you sick? God says that He will restore you with robust robust health. Are you lacking? God says He will supply supply you. You lacking in wisdom? God says He will make you wise wise. He will restore double! He is willing my friend, willing!

I want to show you a contrast here. Under law, whenever a leper touches someone clean, the clean becomes unclean. Under grace, when the clean, Jesus, touch the unclean, the unclean became clean. You disease under grace is not contagious. God’s healing and prosperity is more contagious than your sickness, disease or sin. If you are sick, the healing of God is more contagious. Hallelujah!

Romans 5:20 (King James Version)

 ²⁰Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

Grace is greater than your sin. The word abound in the greek is hooperperisneuou which means that grace will superabound! Your sin can abound but grace will superabound. There is hope for the hopeless. Your sin can look big but grace will swallow it up! Are you sick? Let healing superabound! Are you lacking? Let prosperity superabound! Are you lacking in wisdom? Let wisdom superabound! Hallelujah!

Now, have you seen Jesus? Have you seen His acts of grace? This is God’s heart! You see Him, you see the Father! Praise Jesus! God is willing my friend, so willing!

 ©Nicholas Tan Ministries 2011

All your sins have been forgiven!

 Ephesians 1:7

⁷In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Sometimes when people read this kind of verses, they often skip and jump to the next verse. Did you know that knowing all your sins are forgiven is going to give you victory in life? It is knowing you are forgiven that gives you dunamis power to sin no more.

”Are my sins forgiven entirely? Are you sure they are? I feel so sad and condemned because I sinned yesterday, I had a bad thought! How?”

Let me tell you my friend, your sins of your entire life not only your past sins but your entire life has been put into the body of Jesus and He paid a perfect price for every speck of dirt(sin) in your life. All your junk(sin) was put in the body of Jesus and God punished them all in His body so that you and I can be pronounced holy, clean and righteous. Feel no more condemned! You are not dirty,  at the cross, God bathed you with Jesus blood so clean that you are now as white as snow(Isaiah 1:18).

”Amen! I dont sin because I am covered with a blanket of forgiveness! Yipee!”

Listen my friend, you STILL sin, and you sin like crazy every day, if you dont sin, why is there a need of eternal forgiveness? We still sin but they are all washed away. There was a prostitue who was brought to Jesus by the pharisees, cut the long story short, Jesus said to her,” Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more. It is knowing that there is no condemnation which gives us power to go and sin no more. Amen?

We must have faith in the right things. I believe much more in Jesus blood than in sin, I believe that even when sin increases, His grace will superabound and swallow sin up!(Romans 5:20) Amen? I believe Jesus blood has washed us too too too clean already.

Now, look at Ephesians 1:17 again, God says that our sins are forgiven according to the riches of His grace. Let’s say a boss tells his assistant,”I am going to increase your pay according to the salary you requested.” The word according is not just blessing you out of something but it means that God has forgiven all your sins as much as the riches of His grace. The day you know the riches of God’s grace, that is the day, you know how much you are forgiven! God also promises redemption! Redemption from the curse of the law. The law curses whenever you sin but God declares that the curse will not fall on you because of His son’s death. In Isaiah 54 God swore He will never rebuke you ever again nor will He ever be angry or mad at you. 2000 years ago, Jesus drank the cup of our sins and there God poured out His wrath and anger at Jesus and God condemned, curse, judged and punished all your sins so that you and I can walk free from the path of condemnation into righteousness! Hallelujah!

1 John 2:2

² And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

Here in 1John 2:2, John by the Holy Spirit declared that Jesus Himself, is the propitiation for our sins. His blood has washed us clean. The reason why we are forgiven the moment we were saved was because we believed in the person of our forgiveness. His redemptive work was so that before God, He is our person of forgiveness. He is our mediator. When God sees us, He looks at us as pure people. Thats why the Holy Spirit can dwell in us! Paul always reminded people of who they are in Christ to counter sin in the church.  

Hebrews 1:3 

³ who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

The bible says that because Jesus has purged our sins, He sat down forever at God’s right hand. It was not because Jesus is God that He sat down, although He could sit down anytime. It was because of His perfect work at the cross, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Denying your sins are purged, forgiven and remitted is denying Jesus rights to sit on the right hand of God. It is denying Him to sit down! Believe you are righteous now! Believe you are forgiven now!

Now, I want to conclude this, how much are your sins forgiven? According to God’s grace. It is our vested interest to study His grace in the bible. See how Jesus blessed people and healed people, thats how much you know that your sins are forgiven!

©Nicholas Tan Ministries 2011