John 16:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;

NIV: about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;

NASB: and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me;

CSB: about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me;

NLT: Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more.

KJV: Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

NKJV: of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;

The Holy Spirit will come after Jesus leaves earth (John 14:16–17, 26; 15:26–27; 16:7). This arrival will fully occur at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). Jesus has noted that the Holy Spirit will "convict" the world (John 16:8). This implies something different than the way the Spirit influences the thoughts and feelings of Christians (2 Corinthians 2:14–16). The prior verse specified the first of three ways in which the Holy Spirit convicts the world: about sin (John 16:9). Here, Christ explains the second aspect: conviction about righteousness.

Legitimate influence from the Holy Spirit will always lead a person towards truth. Jesus often stressed the importance of His followers living out the goodness of God (John 13:35; Matthew 5:11–16). The influence of the Holy Spirit, in the lives of godly people, is meant to demonstrate God's will and His truth—often to the frustration of nonbelievers (1 Peter 4:3–4). Reliance on the Holy Spirit, leading to obedience to God, eventually proves itself as righteousness (Matthew 11:18–19).

Whether it's by upholding the goodness of godly behavior, or proving the evil of sin, the Holy Spirit will "convict the world" on the subject of righteousness. Christ's resurrection from the dead was miraculous proof that His enemies (John 11:53) were wrong about Him, and about their own righteousness (1 Corinthians 15:19–20).

John 16:5–15 resumes an explanation of the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus began to discuss this topic in John 15:26–27, before returning to the subject of persecution (John 16:1–4). Christ must leave the world, so His followers will learn to depend on the influence of the Holy Spirit. That Spirit will guide, judge, and speak in order to bring glory to God.

Throughout His teaching in the Last Supper (John 13:1–5), Jesus has often brought up the fact that He's giving His followers advance warnings (John 13:19; 14:25). His intent is to provide encouragement—persecution as a result of their faith is inevitable. In keeping with that reassurance, Jesus again promises the coming of the Holy Spirit. He explains that after a time of deep sorrow, His followers will experience great joy and clarity. This concludes with a beloved promise that Christ has "overcome the world."

This completes the teaching portion of Jesus' words during the Last Supper, begun in chapter 13. Christ echoes many of the themes of His earthly ministry. His focus is especially on encouragement: reminding the disciples that the hard times they will experience will end in victory. While they don't clearly understand, the Holy Spirit will lead them in the right direction. This ends with Christ's beloved declaration that He has "overcome the world." That introduces the record of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer in chapter 17, immediately before His arrest early in chapter 18.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.