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And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
John 16:8 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment;
  • KJV And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
  • NKJV And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
  • NASB And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment:
  • NLT And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

When the Spirit comes, He will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Spirit exposes the world's true spiritual condition.

Overview

Jesus describes the Spirit's convicting ministry toward the world in three areas, which the next verses unpack. This conviction confronts the world with the reality of its sin, the true righteousness found in Christ, and the certainty of judgment. The Spirit thus works through the gospel to bring conviction that can lead to repentance and faith.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 7

  • Jude 1:15to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of every ungodly act of wickedness and every harsh word spoken against Him by ungodly sinners.”
  • Acts 2:37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
  • Zech 12:10Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
  • Acts 16:29–30Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
  • 1 Cor 14:24But if an unbeliever or uninstructed person comes in while everyone is prophesying, he will be convicted and called to account by all,
  • John 8:9When they heard this, they began to go away one by one, beginning with the older ones, until only Jesus was left, with the woman standing there.
  • John 8:46Which of you can prove Me guilty of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me?

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 16:8YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.

How John 16:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.