8 "And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgement, because the ruler of this world is judged."
John 16:8-11
The next phrase, 'Of righteousness, because I go to the Father', is rather difficult. The meaning may be as follows: having been convinced of sin, man's need is for righteousness with which to appear before God. The Spirit convinces men that the only righteousness is Christ's righteousness, that Christ is our righteousness. It is the exclusive work of the Spirit to convince men that nothing they can do can make them acceptable to God. Others think Jesus means that the Spirit convinces men that all He said and did was right because He will have been vindicated by returning to the Father. The words, 'because I go to my Father' surely have a reference to His finished work. It is because Christ ascended to the Father that righteousness became available for men; He was raised again for our justification, and He ascended to the right hand of the Father as a sign that He had been vindicated by God, and that His righteousness is acceptable to God on our behalf. Calvin says: 'Next to the conviction of sin, this is the second step, that the Spirit should convince the world what true righteousness is, viz, that Christ, by His ascension to heaven, has established the kingdom of life, and now sits at the right hand of the Father to confirm true righteousness.' What need there is today for such a work of the Spirit, to reveal the true and alone ground of salvation and justification! It is certainly true that when spiritual awakening has come to a community or a nation, this is the message that is seen to be of paramount importance.