Soothing Others Under Conviction

I imagine we have all been talking with a friend or a family member, when they confessed to us that they had sinned, and the Lord was convicting them of their sin. The natural reaction of the flesh is to respond with comforting words that make them feel better about their situation. However, that is the worst thing we can do. If we say anything to condone sin in any way, we are hurting them much more than we are helping them.

God listed His grievances against His people for Jeremiah to prophesy and to record for us. He mentioned their idols and another practice we might have missed. (Jeremiah 8:11) Their sin was that they healed the hurt of the daughter of His people slightly by saying, "Peace, peace!" when there was no peace. Their comforting words helped lessen the hurt they were feeling by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and thus kept them from repenting of their sins. That is a serious sin.

We must not interfere with the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of other people. One of the Holy Spirit's duties is to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. (John 16:8-11) He knows just how to turn up the heat on people so they see their sins, and they know the need to confess those sins and repent of them, He does that to help them get saved or to get right with God. He does it in love, and in concern for their heart condition. We must not soothe others in their sin.

Think of all of the people that Jesus encountered while He was here on this earth. He saw a lot of people who were living in sin, but He never downplayed their sins. He never tried to make them feel like they were OK, even though they had sinned. He told them the truth, so they would listen to the Holy Spirit and repent of the sins. Then, they would be set free and enjoy the peace that passes understanding and have the joy of the Lord. We need to always do the same thing Jesus did. not try to soothe people under conviction.

#NHBaptistdotorg

Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 9-11.