Jesus’ Purpose: Truth, Righteousness, and the Holy Spirit
John 16:20-22
"Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also, you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you."
Why is Jesus saying these things?
Jesus’ words in John 16:20-22 and the surrounding context reveal his deep understanding of the disciples’ emotional and spiritual state as he prepares them for his impending death, resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. From the beginning of chapter 16 Jesus has been reading the hearts and minds of the disciples. Probing their thoughts and discerning their concerns. And what he's picking up on is a lot of worry and uncertainty about the quality of the mission, and the veracity of their faith in that mission. They love Jesus, and they want Jesus to be the Christ, but they also need something like a tradition or a system that they can lean on for assurance. They're close but still struggling with fully relying upon Jesus the God-Man.
People know the words and the music and the patterns of worship. They know the literature and the liturgy and keep the commandments. They know how to do temple. They can do (religion). And many times, this tendency to lean on religion that reflects The Father can become a barrier to a real relationship with the Son.
And so, Jesus anticipating their struggle he says...
John 16:12-14
"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you."
And he tells them this because it's necessary that they receive the Holy Spirit. They can love God and do church all day long, but if they want to come into his kingdom, and bring others as well, they will need to know The Spirit.
Why do they need to know the Spirit?
Jesus explains:
John 16:8-11
"And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."
They need to know Him, not like they know religion. They need to hear Him, not like they hear the traditions of men. And they need to follow His lead, not follow the ways of the world, because the world is heading into a very dark period.
In John 16, Jesus is in the midst of his Farewell Discourse (John 13–17), delivered to his disciples on the night before his crucifixion. He knows his death is near, and he’s addressing the disciples’ fears, doubts, and confusion about what lies ahead.
Jesus essentially said, we have many established ideas about righteousness, and likewise unrighteousness. And he wants them to know the truth about righteousness. And he knows they'll only know the truth if they receive the Spirit of truth.
Jesus emphasizes the necessity of the Holy Spirit because the disciples’ current understanding, shaped by religious traditions, human reasoning, and worldly expectations, is insufficient for the mission ahead and for a true relationship with him. Jesus earlier told them they needed to be perfect, to exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees. But, if they must do this, how will they be able if they can't be religious? How are they ever going to exceed the super-religious standards of the Temple?
Jesus needs them to understand the truth and how truth becomes righteousness in Grace. He wants them to understand that the Holy Spirit is not just an add-on but the divine enabler who will transform their perspective, empower their witness, and guide them through a world that’s about to grow darker.
Jesus explains that the Holy Spirit will "convict the world" in three key areas:
1. Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me:
The disciples, still wrestling with fully trusting Jesus as the Messiah, they need the Spirit to deepen their own faith and to proclaim this truth to a world that rejects Jesus. Without the Spirit, they’d lack the clarity and boldness to confront this foundational unpardonable sin.
2. Concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer:
The Spirit will reveal that true righteousness comes through faith in Jesus, who has fulfilled the Law and is now with the Father. This is a critical shift away from their religion and realigns their spiritual ideas with the truth of Christ’s work.
3. Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged:
The Spirit will confirm that Satan, “the ruler of this world,” has been defeated through Jesus’ death and resurrection. This gives the disciples confidence that, despite the world’s hostility, God’s victory is assured. They need the Spirit to discern this spiritual reality and stand firm in a world under judgment. And that's the whole concern really. Being faithful to the truth of God is pivotal and of most importance to the Christian family. And you cannot equivocate on that or compromise it with a blending of half-truths and downright lies. The disciples cannot convict the world of these truths on their own. Human effort, religious traditions, or intellectual understanding always fall short. The Spirit’s conviction is a supernatural work that pierces the heart and reveals truth, enabling the disciples to bear witness effectively.
The apostle Paul warned about this:
2 Timothy 4:3-4
"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths."
And oh boy after two thousand years we've seen this happening over and over and it is still happening.
Whether in false teachings and practices within the church, syncretism with pagan philosophies, or modern distortions that blend truth with cultural lifestyle preferences, today, we see it in the pressure to water down biblical truth to suit "Christians" "itching ears," prioritizing comfort over conviction. Jesus knows the Holy Spirit is the antidote to this drift. By guiding believers into "all the truth" (John 16:13), the Spirit keeps them anchored in God’s Word and discerning of lies. This is why fidelity to truth, as I've said, is "pivotal and of most importance to the Christian family." Compromising with half-truths or lies undermines the gospel and weakens the church’s witness.
Jesus knows the disciples cannot remain faithful to truth or proclaim it effectively without the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s work is supernatural, piercing hearts and revealing truth in ways that human effort, religious traditions, or intellectual understanding cannot. This is why Jesus insists the disciples must know the Spirit, not as a concept but as the living presence who guides, convicts, and empowers. If they do not know the Spirit, Satan will substitute that Spirit with the spirits of false doctrines and idols.
These substitutes often arise from:
1. Human desire for control:
Seeking predictable structures over the unpredictable leading of the Spirit [Legalism and Works-Based Righteousness]. Legalism emphasizes strict adherence to rules, moral codes, or religious practices as the means of righteousness, often sidelining grace and the Spirit’s transformative work. It appeals to the human desire for predictable structures and measurable outcomes.
Galatians 5:16-18 urges believers to "walk by the Spirit," free from the Law’s yoke, as the Spirit produces fruit that fulfills God’s will.
2. Cultural pressures:
Adopting worldly values or blending them with Christian teaching, as warned about in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 [Institutionalism and Clericalism]. Institutionalism elevates church structures, hierarchies, or traditions as the primary mediators of God’s will, while clericalism overemphasizes clergy authority, often sidelining the Spirit’s direct work in all believers. These appeal to cultural pressures for order, authority, and conformity.
Acts 2:17-18 (quoting Joel 2:28-29) declares that the Spirit is poured out on all, men, women, young, old, empowering every believer to prophesy and serve. The priesthood of all believers.
3. Fear of the unknown:
Preferring familiar traditions or intellectual frameworks to the Spirit’s transformative power [Cessationism]. Cessationism teaches that miraculous gifts of the Spirit (prophecy, tongues, healing) ceased after the apostolic era or the canon’s completion. It stems from fear of spiritual chaos or unchecked mysticism, preferring familiar theological frameworks. But the reality is that absent the Spirit the people will begin to chase after idolatrous features to fill the void.
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 affirms that the Spirit’s gifts are given for the church’s edification, with no clear biblical mandate for their cessation.
4. Misguided zeal:
Elevating secondary doctrines or idolatrous practices to central importance, crowding out the Spirit’s primacy [Rationalism, Intellectualism, Ritualism and Sacramentalism]. These prioritize human reason, theological systems, or scholarship as the primary means of knowing God, often sidelining the Spirit’s illumination. And ironically the result is again a void left behind by the absence of the Spirit which causes them to elevate rituals or sacraments as essential for spiritual life, sometimes treating them as ends in themselves rather than means of grace. By treating truth as a product of human intellect, or relativism, rather than a revelation of the Spirit (John 16:13), these approaches reduce faith to opinions and propositions. The result is mechanical or superstitious acts, replacing reliance on the Spirit’s living presence, implying that grace is dispensed through human performance.
1 Corinthians 2:10-14 teaches that the Spirit reveals God’s truths, beyond human wisdom, and John 4:23-24 calls for worship "in spirit and truth," not mere ritual.
It's all Satan's strategy to replace the power of the Holy Spirit. He mimics spiritual vitality [Moral relativism]. He exploits human weaknesses [Consumerist Christianity]. And he undermines the gospel with misdirection [Skepticism of the Spirit, and Syncretism]. He's a magician clothed as an angel of light. Satan’s goal is to divert the church from the Spirit’s guidance, which exposes his defeat (John 16:11) and empowers believers to proclaim Christ. The Spirit’s absence leaves the church susceptible to deception, division, and ineffectiveness.
Conclusion:
To avoid Satan’s substitutes and remain faithful to truth, the church must prioritize knowing the Holy Spirit, as Jesus insisted in John 16.
Culture dependence upon the Spirit. Test doctrines against scripture and honestly examine our motives. Embrace grace over legalism. And stand firm in the truth. The Spirit is the antidote, guiding believers into truth, convicting hearts, and empowering uncompromising witness. By knowing the Spirit, not as a concept but as the living presence who convicts, guides, and glorifies Christ, the church can resist deception, live in grace, and fulfill its mission in a darkening world.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
We come before You with humble hearts, seeking Your presence and the guidance of Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for the promise of Your Spirit, who convicts us of truth, reveals the righteousness found in Your Son, Jesus Christ, and assures us of Your victory over the darkness of this world. We pray for discernment to recognize the lies and half-truths that seek to undermine Your gospel. Fill us with Your Spirit, that we may walk in grace, proclaim Your Word with boldness, and live as faithful witnesses to Your love and power.
Guide us, Holy Spirit, into all truth, and empower us to glorify Jesus in all we do. May Your church shine as a light in this world, uncompromised and unwavering, until the day we see You face to face.
In Jesus’ holy name, we pray, Amen.