Aug 10, 2011
Conviction
There are two Greek words for conviction.
The first meaning is ‘full assurance’ and the other is ‘correction’. The use as correction is only used once when Paul was talking to Timothy in:
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number 1882
Transliteration: epanorthósis
Phonetic Spelling: (ep-an-or’-tho-sis)
Definition: correction, reformation, setting straight (right) again.
Another usage, full assurance is used in scriptures such as
I Thessalonians 1:5 NAS
for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
Hebrews 10:22
let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
This is the Strong’s Greek Concordance Number 4136
Transliteration: plérophoria
Phonetic Spelling: (play-rof-or-ee’-ah)
Definition: full assurance, conviction, confidence.
But the one thing it is not used for is when thinking or talking about guilt. Many times we have interchanged the word conviction for guilt. Maybe you have not done this knowingly, but I’m sure you have in your mind.
When we have failed in some way, maybe slipped into an old habit or sin and we feel guilty, we interpret that as conviction from the Holy Spirit. It is not!
The word conviction is used as instruct only once and that is when Paul is telling Timothy to use the Word as instruction/conviction to stay on the right path. And it does not mention that the Holy Spirit will convict us in this way, but the Word.
The other times conviction is used is when talking about the full assurance we have of faith. That is how the Holy Spirit will convict us! It is to encourage us that we can draw near to the Father because we are fully assured (convicted) that our hearts are sprinkled and clean from evil.
Today when you use the word convicted, stop and think, are you really referring to feeling guilty? If so, be fully assured (convicted) that you are free from guilt and can draw near to the Father because you are cleansed by the blood and have received the grace provided by Jesus Christ!
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i·den·ti·ty 
I love the “fully assured” reference. I love to feel fully assured with my Father. I do have to fight off those guilt feelings sometimes but I can rest fully assured in my Daddy’s love 🙂
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I have been learning to fight off the guilt feeling this past year. I have found the quickest way to fight them off is to defy them and rebel against them. For instance if I started to feel guilty about eating something I previously was told was ‘wrong’, I would defy the guilt by taking the tought captive and then going ahead and eating it anyway. All foods are lawful for us to eat.
No after doing this for sometime, by eating desires have changed and I no longer every feel guilty for anything I eat, ever!
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