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Coping with Life 15: Guilt
Coping with Life 15: Guilt
By Mike Willis
The word “guilt” is a Bible word appearing in both the Old and New Testaments. It refers to the sense of having done something wrong. It can be used to describe one who is guilty before God as well as being guilty or ashamed before a community of people. Feelings of guilt are the reactions of a tender heart that recognizes it has offended God and/or someone else.
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they hid themselves from the presence of God (Gen. 3:8). Joseph’s brothers who sold him into Egyptian slavery said, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us” (Gen. 42:21). When the prophet Nathan rebuked David for his sin with Bathsheba and against her husband Uriah, David’s reaction was, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13). In his penitent psalm, David wrote, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment” (Psa. 51:3-4).
Frequently, men refuse to repent of their sins and allow the tender pricking of the conscience to become hardened. Paul described sinful man hardening his heart in these words: “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity” (Eph. 4:18-19).
The keys to dealing with one’s feelings of guilt involve these steps: (1) Determining whether or not one’s action is a violation of the word of God (sometimes a person is unjustly condemned for righteous behavior, such as those who scorn someone because he rejects their “woke” agenda on gender being fluid); (2) When one realizes he has sinned against God and/or a brother, he should repent and seek God and the brother’s forgiveness (for God’s forgiveness, see Acts 2:21-42; for a brother’s forgiveness, see Matt. 18:15-17).
Sometimes a person allows his feelings of guilt to overwhelm him, making him feel like he is carrying the heavy burden of sin all by himself. To such a person, Jesus lovingly said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30). Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost (Luke 19:10). Why should one suffer under the guilt of his sin, which can harden one’s heart, dulling his sensitivity toward sin? Jesus sacrificed Himself on Calvary so that sinners like you and me can be cleansed from our sin and restored to a right relationship with God.
