Handling Guilt
Fri, May 28, 2010 at 4:25PM Guilt from previous sin, even confessed sin, causes a great deal of angst. It reveals much about the nature of sin, the fallenness of the mind, and the persistence of emotion. Wrestling with guilt requires a basic understanding of several universal truths, a filter for guilty feelings and a biblical plan for victory.
Point one: We are all guilty. Did you get that? Guilt isn’t reserved for the seedy, deceptive reprobates of our world. Humanity is guilty before God, and that includes you (Rom. 3:10-12). Every person is deviant. Every person is liable for their unholy behavior. Each one of us is without excuse. Therefore God will hold all of us accountable for our action. If you struggle to cover your guilt now, how well will it go for you when examined by the eternal, omniscient, righteous Judge? If you sense your guilt, be thankful because the overwhelming sense of guilt was created in us to search for a solution to escape the weight of our condemnation.
You will choose one of three ways
First, there are those who feel no guilt and offer no excuse for their sin because they have a seared conscience. 1 Timothy 4:2 speaks of lying, hypocritical, faith-deniers who de-activated their natural conscience. Don’t be fooled by their actions. They are guilty, but they have subverted guilty emotions by believing the doctrine of demons and listening to deceptive spirits (1 Tim. 4:1).
Second, there are believers who feel guilt for the right reasons. This person is devastated by a sense of remorse over sin and seeks relief from their burden. Their good conscience is accompanied by a pure heart and sincere faith. If this is you, be thankful for the Spirit’s work in your heart because you’re exhibiting a biblical conscience. However, guilt from a biblical conscience is a path, not a destination. It’s designed to lead you, not cure you.
Third, there are believers who suffer with a weak conscience (Rom. 14:1-2, 23). These individuals suffer from hyper-active, pharisaic self-mastication. In effort to produce righteousness in addition to the Gospel, they impose religious standards and fundamentalist regulations – all in an effort to overwhelm their guilty conscience by doing good works.
There is an answer
Please begin with the truth: We are not innocent, but guilty. Because of our guilt we are without hope. Our only hope outside of ourselves is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Gospel declares us righteous from our sin by faith in Jesus Christ. God himself assures of us of our “forgivenness.” But complete freedom from sin and its accompanying guilt is reserved for eternal life. So overcoming guilt is less about feeling better about our condition, and more about believing the faithfulness of God about the Gospel. Victory over guilt is a hopeful anticipation of future glorification. What God has declared us to be in the Gospel, he will ultimately make us. “We will be like him for we shall see him as he is” (1 Jn. 3:2).
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