Beautiful Conviction

Have you ever thought the word “conviction” was beautiful? That word has been brought to life in so many different ways for me lately.  Its become something I run towards rather than shy away from. Conviction and condemnation seem to so often be interchangeable terms in our minds, but to God they are not. The word says (Romans 8:1):  “There is therefore now NO condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,” yet it relies on the spirit of conviction to bring us to the cross. 

Conviction inspires us to change; whereas condemnation inspires us not to. Condemnation tells us that we can’t be any better, or that we don’t deserve any better. It makes us so guilt laden that we now feel we deserve whatever consequences our sin has dealt, and forces us to suffer through them. It is a heavy feeling, and one that people want to avoid at all costs, encouraging us to ignore the conviction that the Holy Spirit sends our way. In our lives, we have been convicted by God but only condemned by man. So many people run away from religion because of the abuse and perversion of the gospel and the life changing power of conviction, but God did not create religion. He created conviction to bring us to the salvation, that we could experience the love that He IS.

I have a friend who has recently been convicted of a crime, and now has been sentenced to prison. I cannot explain the dramatic change that has taken place in his life because of his conviction. He has realized his mistakes, and become a changed person. He most assuredly feels the convicting power of the Holy Spirit working in his life, but he does not feel the heaviness of guilt and shame that condemnation affords. In a situation where some are put to death, he has been brought to life by this conviction.

A child that is corrected feels more loved than one that is left to their own devises. Those children feel as though no one cares enough to stop them from harming themselves. Through conviction, Jesus is trying to stop the pain in our lives. I believe this power works in all of us. If we could just learn to recognize the difference between the two, maybe we could see the beauty of God’s intent to love us by convicting us. Have you ever seen the tears run down a sinners face as he falls to his knees saved by grace? Is there any more beautiful sight in the world than a changed life? We are all sinners and have come short of the glory of God. Long after we give our hearts and lives to Him, we still sin. Allow conviction to come in and continue to make you into the beautiful creation He is lovingly crafting within.

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