Conviction of Sin

[Chesterton]

A simple question:

I've heard Protestant preachers say "The Holy Spirit convicts a man of sin." Is this a statement Orthodox Christianity agrees with?

[Julina]

i can't imagine so, but i'm also not quite sure exactly what they mean by that anyway.

[MarkRohfrietsch]

A simple question:

I've heard Protestant preachers say "The Holy Spirit convicts a man of sin." Is this a statement Orthodox Christianity agrees with?

I'm Lutheran, and that is not the case in our denomination. The Law convicts. The Holy Spirit conveys Grace, Faith, and other Gifts. Mark

[Bessie]

At Bible study we were talking a little bit last week about the concept that God sometimes keeps things from us until we are ready. He used the example of St. Augustine stealing the farmer's fruit. When he did it he viewed it as God's Bounty. It wasn't until later in his life that he came to the realization that he was also harming someone's livelihood. Although God may keep things from us, it's always for our salvation.

The way Father put it, we shouldn't confess sins simply because someone else says they are sins.Only when we realize personally that we have done wrong should we repent and confess. In that sense I suppose the Spirit may be convicting us of sins, or making us aware of our own faults, but this is always from a place of love.