Sin? Don’t lay that guilt trip on me!

I need to start, by admitting that the church at times, rather than it being the intended hospital for the sin sick, has laid guilt trips on us. And the fact of the matter is, that many of us suffer from debilitating guilt, guilt that trips us up. And because of the abuse of the church (and it is abuse, it is spiritual abuse), society had tended to throw the baby out with the bath water. Part of what I am saying here, is that there is true and false guilt. King David, after he had committed adultery and murder and was confronted with it, was suffering from true guilt. He was feeling so bad it was as if his very bones were broken (Psalm 51:8). In this same Psalm he says to God “Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight (verse 4). So is there a cure for true guilt, and if there is, what is it?

When I googled ”Cure for guilt, psychology,” I came across an article in Psychology Today entitled “8 Empowering Ways to Stop Feeling Guilty.” The article talked a lot about making amends, which is a good thing, the rest seemed to be about minimizing guilt. That’s okay if it’s false guilt, but what if it is true guilt, the gult of realizing what we did was truly evil? The Bible tells us of course that the cure for real guilt is to be forgiven. And being forgiven starts with admitting that we have done something wrong. In fact “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Note that He is faithful and just (because of hat Christ did on the Cross) not only to forgive us, He is faithful and just to cleanse us from the pollution of our sin!

The Bible tells us “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And in fact the verse contains a definition of sin, it has to do with falling short of the glory of God, of falling short of His perfection. And we see His perfection most closely mirrored in the life of Jesus. I am not like Him! As they drove cruel spikes through His hands and His feet, He prayed “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). No, I am not like Him, but I want to be!

Father, thank You for Your promise that if I steadfastly keep my eyes on Jesus, then you will transform me into His image from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Thank You that at the end when I see You, You will complete the transformation in the blinking of an eye, and I will be like You (1 John 3:2). Hallelujah Amen