Bible Verses About Conviction

What does the Bible say about conviction?

There are many scriptures that deal with conviction. We think of conviction as something bad when in actuality it’s good and it shows man his need for forgiveness. Here are 25 awesome scriptures to help you to learn more about conviction.

Christian quotes about conviction

“Having convictions can be defined as being so thoroughly convinced that Christ and His Word are both objectively true and relationally meaningful that you act on your beliefs regardless of the consequences.” – Josh McDowell

“What gives us conviction of sin is not the number of sins we have committed; it is the sight of the holiness of God.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“When Holy God draws near in true revival, people come under terrible conviction of sin. The outstanding feature of spiritual awakening has been the profound consciousness of the Presence and holiness of God” – Henry Blackaby

“Conviction of sin is God’s way of inviting you to restore fellowship with Him.”

“Conviction is not repentance; conviction leads to repentance. But you can be convicted without repentance.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“When Holy God draws near in true revival, people come under terrible conviction of sin. The outstanding feature of spiritual awakening has been the profound consciousness of the Presence and holiness of God” – Henry Blackaby

What is conviction according to the Bible?

Scripture speaks heavily on conviction. All throughout the Word, we read about examples of conviction, of individuals who, because of conviction were radically transformed. And we all have felt convicted at some points in our lives. But what exactly does it mean to be convicted and how much does it entail?

Conviction is more than the mere feeling of guilt for something we have done wrong. It’s normal to feel guilty after doing something that we know we shouldn’t have done. Conviction goes above and beyond having a “feeling.” Convict in Greek is translated as elencho which means, “to convince someone of the truth; to reprove, accuse.” So we see that conviction brings out the truth; it accuses us of our wrongs and rebukes us of our sins.

1. John 8:8 “And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.”

2. John 8:45-46 “Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Who among you can convict me of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?”

3. Titus 1:9 “Holding to the faithful word according to the teaching, that he may be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to convict those contradicting it.”

Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit

The Bible makes it clear that conviction comes from the Holy Spirit. A good preacher wants said, “as believers we should be professional repenters.” The Lord is continually refining us and tugging on our hearts. Pray that the Holy Spirit shows you areas in your life He finds displeasing. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you so that you can have a clear conscience before the Lord.

4. John 16:8 “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.”

5. Acts 24:16 “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.”

6. Hebrews 13:18 “Pray for us; we are convinced that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.”

Conviction produces true repentance

But conviction doesn’t do us any good if we ignore it and do nothing about it. We must repent and sin no more! Jesus left His Holy Spirit with us to be our guide. He guides us through conviction which leads to repentance. There can be no reconciliation without repentance and there’s no repentance without conviction. Repentance is not just confessing our sin, but also turning away from that sin. 

The Holy Spirit exposes the evil of our sins. So conviction is good! It saves our souls on a daily basis, it steers us in the right direction. Conviction teaches us the heart and mind of Christ and makes us right with Him! Because of conviction, we are conformed into the image of God through repentance and obedience. If you pray, pray for conviction!

7. 2 Corinthians 7:9-10 “Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

8. 1 John 1:8-10 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

9. John 8:10-12 “When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

10. Hosea 6:1 “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.”

11. Acts 11:18 “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”

12. 2 Kings 22:19 “Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.”

13. Psalms 51:1-4 “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”

14. 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

When we have godly sorrow

In order to repent, we must first be broken up for our sins. A deep inner sorrow for the offenses committed against God-this is what we must endure to get right with the Most High. If you’ve ever felt this gut-wrenching anguish, anxiety, and desperation for all of your wrongs, knowing that sin has separated you from God, then you have experienced the conviction of the Holy Spirit. We need this Godly sorrow because it produces true repentance which without, we could never be right with God.

15. Psalm 25:16-18 “Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses. Look upon mine affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins.”

16. Psalm 51:8-9 “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.”

Restoration through repentance

The beautiful thing about the brokenness conceived from conviction is that it restores our relationship with God and the joy of our salvation. He heals the wounds left by our sins. We are reconciled with our Father and this brings us joy and peace that surpasses all understanding. Conviction is God’s way of gathering us back to Him because of His great love for us.

17. Psalm 51:10-13 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.”

18. Psalm 23:3 “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

19. Jeremiah 30:17 “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.”

Zacchaeus and the Prodigal Son

Writing this post on conviction has reminded me of the story of Zacchaeus and the prodigal son. These two stories are great examples of conviction at work in the hearts of unbelievers and backsliding Christians.

Zacchaeus was a wealthy tax collector known for cheating and stealing from the people. For this reason, he was not well-liked. One day, as Jesus was preaching, Zacchaeus climbed a tree in order to see and listen to Jesus. When Jesus saw him, He told Zacchaeus that He would dine with him. But the Lord already perceived his heart. Zacchaeus had a spiritual encounter with conviction and as a result, decided to return the money he had stolen and went a step further by returning four times the amount he had stolen from each person. He was saved and became part of God’s family. His life was radically changed!

The prodigal son, after wasting his inheritance returned home because of the conviction and realization of his sins. The consequences of his foolishness convicted him of all the wrong he had done to his soul and his family. In the same way, we backslide every day, but the Father is always there to bring us back, whatever it may take.

20. Luke 19:8-10 “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

21. Luke 15:18-20; 32 “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him…It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”

Conviction is good!

As we have seen through the verses we have discussed, conviction is good! Brokenness is good, it draws us closer to God. If you find yourself in deep conviction for something, don’t ignore it! Go to your prayer closet and get right with God today. Today is your day of reconciliation. Our Lord wants to be with You, He wants to manifest Himself through you and He cannot do that if you’re not right with Him. Yes, brokenness is painful, but it’s necessary and it is beautiful. Thank God for conviction!

22. Proverbs 3:12 “For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”

23. Ephesians 2:1-5 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”

Conviction vs condemnation

There is a clear difference between conviction and condemnation. Conviction comes from the Lord and it leads to life and joy. However, condemnation comes from Satan and it leads to despair. Conviction is intended to lead us to the Lord, but condemnation drives us away from Him. Condemnation causes us to look to self. Conviction causes us to look to Christ. When someone is experiencing condemnation, there is no solution to their problem. When we are experiencing the conviction of the Lord it is meant to draw us to Him to receive His love, grace, and forgiveness. In conviction there is hope because on the cross Jesus Christ died for our all of our sins. When we look to the cross we find freedom and hope! 

24. John 12:47 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

25. Revelation 12:10 “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”