Read: Ephesians 2: 1-10
Guilt can be like a poison working insidiously on the inside to create havoc in our thoughts and emotions. The antidote is to understand why we feel guilty and to know how to apply scripture teachings on the subject.
Misunderstanding grace results in guilty feelings which make us think that in order to be a “good” Christian, we must clean up our act ourselves. In contrast, the message of grace is this: At the cross, Jesus paid our
sin debt in full and declared us righteous in His sight. We do not have to measure up; through Christ, we have been made acceptable exactly as we are.
Another thing that can make us feel guilty is confusion about confession
and forgiveness. Some believers are concerned about hidden sins that
they haven’t yet identified; others worry about whether they’ve confessed
enough to be forgiven. It is true that 1 John 1:9 tells us to confess our
wrongdoings, but doing so is not what makes us forgiven. It is what
Jesus did at Calvary that provides forgiveness of all our sins.
Refusing to let go of the past can also produce guilty emotions, because
some of us feel undeserving of forgiveness – knowing what sins we
have committed can lead to an ongoing sense of shame. Jesus Christ
died on the cross so that all our sins – past, present, and future – could
be forgiven. This is part of the miracle of grace.
The truth of God’s Word frees us from the prison of guilt and allows
us to live life His way. Are you walking in freedom?
