John 16:8, 10 says “ And when he has come, he will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: …of righteousness, because I go to my Father and you see me no more.” In this statement Jesus told his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane the second part of the Holy Spirit’s work in the world: to “convict the world…of righteousness.” Earlier we saw that “convict” means convince in one’s conscience of sin. But convince of righteousness? Yes. Jesus died on the cross. He either deserved it (was guilty) or not (was righteous). The Jews illustrate mankind’s self-righteous: “they…establish their own righteousness and have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:4). Jesus on the cross forces everyone to choose who is truly righteous. God doesn’t accept both. That is why he is despised by so many. Let’s remember this difficulty in our witness today.