Guilt, shame and conscience (III) Who says it’s wrong?

It grieves me to admit that the church has at times, laid guilt trips both on its adherents, and on those outside. And this is so very, very wrong! Our message needs to be that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses to them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). But guilt and shame are real, and they will not disappear by blame or by suppressing or by denying them. We cannot be whole when we are in denial. Guilt is the feeling that I did something wrong. Shame is the feeling that there is something wrong with me. The cure for guilt and shame is to be forgiven and cleansed, to increasingly to come to know who we are in Christ, and to be clothed in His righteousness (1 John 1:9; Isaiah 61:10). There is much to say about these things, as they are key to becoming whole.

We saw last day with the example of eating meat offered to idols, that our consciences can falsely accuse us of wrongdoing. But who is to say what is right, and what is wrong? This is a particularly relevant question in a world in denial about truth, right and wrong. The Bible of course claims to be Truth (i.e. John 17:17). But saying that the Bible is true because it says so, is something of a circular argument. Because of this, many have rejected the claim. But a bad argument does not imply a false conclusion (false implies true, is true ). I did not come to believe that the Bible is Truth by logic alone. In fact, the truth claims of the Bible can be tested. For example Jesus tells us that if we continue in His Word, meditating on it and obeying it, then we will know the truth and the truth will set us free (John 8:32,32). So part of how I know that the Bible is true, is because as I seek to continue in it its teachings, I am progressively set free.

Experiencing the truths of the Bible in this way is just one of many confirmations. But our focus is on its teachings in becoming whole. A further confirmation for me, is that every psychological concept that works seems to have a Biblical warrant. As an example, psychology tells us that bad choices have negative consequences. The Scripture puts it this way “We reap what we sow” (Galatians 6:7). And every time I have made choices that go against what the Scriptures teach, there have eventually been bad consequences. Spiritual laws are different from physical laws. If I try to break the law of gravity by stepping off the roof, the consequences are immediate. When I try to break spiritual laws, like plant growth, reaping what we sow takes time. But there also is a multiplication factor. If we sow to the wind, we reap the whirlwind! My conclusion is that when God says ‘no’ He does so for our protection, and when he says ‘yes’ He does so for our provision that we might have life in all its fullness (John 10:10).

Father, that the Bible is true is confirmed by reality of its spiritual laws and principles. In particular, the mind set on the flesh is death. When it’s all about me, my rights, my wants, my desires, my life does not go well. But when my mind is set on spiritual things, it is life and health and peace (Romans 8:6; Galatians 5:22, 23). Truly Lord You are not some celestial Scrooge wanting to take away our joy. No, You are a good and wise Father. I thank You this morning Lord for Your Word, for the principles, the promises, the power to live the Christian life, but most of all for Your precious presence. I worship You again this morning Lord, in Jesus Name Amen