John 16:8-9 says “ And when he has come, he will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in me.” Still speaking to his disciples shortly before his betrayal, Jesus reveals three parts of the Helper’s/Holy Spirit’s work in the world. The first is “he will convict the world of sin.” Sin in the singular can mean either a specific sin or the principle of sin inside us. Here it most likely means the former, namely, unbelief. “Convict” means to convince of wrongdoing to bring shame. This occurred to those wanting to stone the woman convicted of adultery (8:9). This is the Spirit’s work, not ours. We can’t manufacture conviction in others. We should speak clearly about sin since the world doesn’t understand its seriousness. Let’s “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) and trust the Spirit in our witness.