The apostle Paul was a man who believed his actions were simply the wishes and desires of God. This was until the Lord met him on the road to Damascus. Paul’s warfare with the Lord was likened to Paul kicking against pricks. Though Paul thought he was doing the right thing, he was, in reality, hurting himself by putting himself at odds with the Lord. Some men in Paul’s position would testify to the Lord concerning their own good when directly confronted by the Lord. Paul, however, responded by submitting himself to the Lord’s conviction and seeking out the necessary means for proper restitution. He did not accuse the Lord or justify himself. Instead, the apostle asked the question, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”
Man’s conviction is a work of God that begins within a man, hidden from the view of others. Yet, that work ultimately manifests itself on the outside. As the apostle Paul reasoned with Felix concerning righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, the Spirit of God took the sword of the Spirit (the word of God) and worked within Felix. Though Felix’s conviction did not lead to his immediate conversion, it visibly affected him by causing him to outwardly tremble. The book of Daniel tells us that the Lord interrupted king Belshazzar’s party and caused his knees to smite against each other (Daniel 5:1-6). The Second Book of the Kings tells of Josiah’s conviction that was manifested through his weeping and the rending of his clothes (2 Kings 22:19).
Most men’s attention focuses upon the outward appearance of conviction. Yet, the Bible is clear that conviction’s initial work does not exhibit itself outwardly. According to Psalm 73:21, Asaph was grieved in his heart and pricked in his reins. No doubt, this work eventually manifested itself outwardly. Yet, conviction began in the heart where only God and the troubled individual could be aware of its work. Unfortunately, men have focused so much attention upon the outward signs of conviction that they fail to recognize the inner working of conviction. Because of this misplaced emphasis, Christianity continues to produce temporary, carnal, and fake conviction, ultimately producing another hypocrite. If the work does not originate within the heart, it is not of God and it is not conviction.
Without the truth, there can be no true biblical conviction. By definition, conviction is the work of God that convinces an individual concerning the validity of truth and accountability for truth. The Spirit of God takes the law of God and writes it upon men’s hearts. That truth works upon a man’s conscience to accuse or excuse one’s thoughts. Either way, this work is very much the work of conviction. On one hand, a man develops the conviction that Jesus is the only way to get his sins forgiven. On the other hand, a man sees himself as sinful with no hope. In the end, conviction demands a holy God and a holy truth in order to forgive sin. Both elements working together bring true biblical heartfelt conviction.
Believing that one man can cause true biblical conviction upon another man serves as one of the greatest misconceptions concerning conviction. Obviously, one man can proclaim the truth to another, but only the Spirit of God can open that other man’s heart to convince him of the truth being conveyed (Acts 16:14). Even when the scriptures reveal that Apollos convinced the people that Jesus was Christ, the Bible student understands that he did so only through the help of the Holy Ghost (Acts 18:28). Apollos was merely the instrument. Thus, man is only responsible for giving the truth and doing so in a scriptural fashion. God then takes that word and makes it effectual in the hearers’ hearts.
Many Bible passages connect watchfulness and prayer. While preaching sounds the trumpet of alarm in the ears of men, prayer sounds the alarm in the ears of God. As a watchman, each believer has a responsibility to his brother or sister in Christ. While some believers are spiritually sleeping, unaware of their present danger, other believers ought to be standing upon the tower of watchfulness and calling upon the Lord. This was the point of Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 6:18 when he said, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
If ever there was a man in the early church that qualified as a watchman, it would have been the apostle Paul. Paul includes “in watchings often” in his testimony about the trials he endured. He also mentioned that these watchings approved him as a minister of God (2 Corinthians 6:4-5). We know from the biblical accounts that when many believers were unaware of danger, the apostle Paul stood upon the tower and sounded the trumpet of alarm. While others were spiritually sleeping, the apostle Paul was sober and alert to the needs of the church. No doubt Paul endured sleepless nights, fasted, and went without even the necessities of life because he was watching for the church.
