Guilt is defined as “the fact of having committed a specified or implied offense or crime.” In the world, it refers to feelings that we experience of remorse, depression, or rejection because of an offense in the past. We are familiar with its uses in the courtroom, where an offender is found guilty of an action that is illegal. As believers, we understand that we are guilty before God. Romans 3:23 states we are all guilty before God. We have come short of the requirements to please God and enter Heaven. We inherit that sinful nature that has been passed down from Adam and Eve. We are guilty before God. We are His enemy. We all understand we are guilty when we do wrong, but how we deal with it makes the difference in our lives. The world is full of those who have unresolved guilt before God.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Guilt can cause us to lose sleep and feel hopeless, and it will cause us to avoid those we have done wrong. Thus, it will cause us to avoid the preacher, the church, or those who represent God to us. Guilt is a strong emotion that led Judas to commit suicide. In Matthew 27:3-5, Judas feels his awful guilt for what he did to his friend Jesus. Jesus had never done anything to Judas to warrant this behavior. Judas’ actions were done because he was full of himself. He wanted to benefit financially from his relationship with Jesus. He was out for himself, never considering the consequences of guilt. After his actions of leading the soldiers and those appointed by the chief priest to Jesus, he received his payment for his betrayal. Once the deed was done, he now had to live with the fact he had given the life of his friend to the enemy. He understood he had betrayed innocent blood. He goes back to return the money, proclaiming that he no longer wants it. Because of the guilt, he leaves the temple and hangs himself. He could not undo what he had done and felt he could not live with his betrayal.
Matthew 27:3-5 “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.”
Judas’ life could have been different if he had followed Christ with a pure heart. When the temptation came, he had a choice to reject it or give in. He crossed the line when he sold out Jesus. No longer would God deal with him to draw him to repentance. Verse 3 says he repented, but that is not repentance to salvation. It simply means he felt remorse for what he had done.
Psychiatrists blame unresolved guilt as the reason many sit in mental institutions now. People do things or feel responsible for a situation that they never forgive themselves for. Guilt is a powerful emotion that must be resolved if we are to be mentally healthy. Many spend hours in counseling and spend thousands of dollars trying to resolve guilt. In some situations, people are convinced they are not responsible for their actions, and they learn to blame their actions on others, or they blame their actions on a medical condition. While this may be the case for some individuals, I do not believe it is the case for all guilt. We feel guilty because we are guilty! The solution is not to mask it with drugs or accolades from others to prop up our ego. The answer is to deal with it.
We need to repent and ask God to help us. We need to believe that once he has forgiven us, our sins are gone. He remembers them no more. While the consequences of our actions remain, God does not hold those actions against us. If we have done someone wrong, we need to ask for their forgiveness. If they refuse to forgive it is on them, not us.
I John chapter 1 makes it very clear that we are all guilty before God as sinners. If we say we are not, we are a liar. He is writing this to Christians, those who have asked for forgiveness and placed their faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, they seemingly deny they are still sinners. His message says we still have that sinful nature that causes us to slip up and sin, but that Jesus will forgive, and when He forgives, He does it completely. To not feel forgiven is to deny the truth of I John 1:9. It is disbelief and a lack of faith in the one who has covered us with His blood so we can stand before the Father cleansed because we are forgiven.
I John 1:8-9 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
This powerful emotion of guilt can be a good one. Without it, we would not understand true forgiveness because we would not feel the need to repent. God placed a moral compass within us to help guide our decisions. When we don’t follow that, we feel genuine guilt, guilt because we are guilty, but it is not without remedy. It is that guilt that allows us to see our need for Jesus, repent of our sins and rise from our knees guiltless and free from the power of sin. The Son and the Son alone can free you from the guilt and penalty of sin. Resolve your guilt through Him.
John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
