LETTING GO OF OUR GUILT

Romans 8:1 (NIV)
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

               This past Sunday, the worship leader at our church began the service by reminding us of Romans 8:1. He invited us to enter worship as forgiven sinners who are welcomed into God’s presence with open arms. His words hit home for me, because I am one who tends to hold onto guilt.

               Guilt is a real thing. It is not something to be denied or ignored. Many people today claim that feelings of guilt are inappropriate and that we should never allow guilt to enter our minds. Yet, we all feel it from time to time. Even the person with a hardened heart, in the dark hours of the night, when they cannot sleep, feels nagging guilt.

               Guilt is actually a gift from God. Guilt alerts us that something is wrong. In fact, applying guilt to our lives is one of the roles of the Holy Spirit.  When he comes, (referring to the Holy Spirit) he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: John 16:8 (NIV) One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to awaken us to our sin and to all of the ways that we have failed to live up to God’s standards. To deny our guilt is to live in a false reality. As it says in 1 John 1:8 (NIV), If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Those who want to deny the reality of guilt or hide from it are deceiving themselves.

               Making us aware of our sin is the positive side of guilt. It motivates us to do something about it. It challenges us to see things as they really are and not as we wish they were. Guilt serves a very important role in our lives.

               But here is where things can get out of balance. We can allow guilt to immobilize us. We can wallow in our guilt and become introspective in an unhealthy way. That was the case for Martin Luther before he embraced the reality of God’s grace. But guilt can also harder our hearts. If we rationalize our guilt or try to bury our guilt, our hearts will become hard and unresponsive to God’s grace.

               The healthy way to deal with guilt is to recognize it, own it, and then take it to God. I John 1 continues with the good news for all of us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NIV) God’s purpose for guilt is to lead us to repentance and restoration. God does not want our guilt to be a burden we carry throughout our lives. He wants it to be a catalyst for spiritual renewal. We can escape the burden of guilt by honestly bringing it to God by faith. God’s promise is that He will replace our guilt with His forgiveness and restoration.

               We can see this illustrated in our human relationships. If I have offended another person, I can choose to ignore it or rationalize it away, but that only keeps me separated from that person. But if in humility I confess my wrong and ask for forgiveness, my relationship with the other person can be restored. That is exactly what God is offering to us.

               But with God, He takes it one step farther. When Christ died on the cross, He died for the sins of the world, past, present and future. When a person puts their faith in Christ, what He did on the cross is applied to that person’s life. So, as it says in Romans 8:1, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Ultimately, all of our sin and failures have been covered by the blood of Christ. When we stand before His throne in eternity, we will be declared not guilty. Not because of anything we have done, but because of what Christ Jesus did for us on the cross.

               As follows of Christ, we still need to deal with our guilt. But we can do it from a place of confidence. Another person may or may not forgive us, but God, in Christ Jesus, always will. When we fail, and we will, we can come back to God in faith, knowing that He will accept us with open arms. We do not have to live with guilt hanging over our heads. We do not have to carry that burden. We can experience the release that only Jesus can give.

               So when you experience the feelings of guilt, don’t deny them, don’t wallow in them, confess them to God and allow Him to embrace you with His love and grace.

Romans 8:1-4 (NIV)
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.