The Important Truth You Need to Know About Guilt
Guilt.
Everyone has it.
We all have something, maybe multiple somethings, that makes us cringe and want to hide.
I thought about putting a list of examples here but that then I decided it would be a distraction because all that really matters is … what’s on your list.
I know what’s on my list. Some of the items on my list only haunt me occasionally. Others — well, the enemy likes to bring them to mind all the time.
My worst guilt is about something that for years I didn’t even think was a sin. But when the Holy Spirit convicted me with the truth … I was flattened.
And you know what?
The enemy immediately started taunting me with labels working to defeat me with despair.
I hate that, don’t you?
Satan tempts us, entices us to sin and then calls us by the label of the very thing he made seem so appealing earlier.
Liar. Thief. Murderer. Adulterer. Fool. Or something else.
And you and I wear our label like it’s branded on our foreheads. We hate it, but still … we wear it.
Guilt!
It’s nothing new. We’re not the first to experience it.
In fact, let’s go back to where it all started. …
The Garden of Eden. Picture yourself there with me. (Not as an observer but as a participant.)
Visualize the snake hissing and telling you, “God is holding out on you. If He really loved you, He would…”
You know you should walk away, fight him with the truth of God’s Word. You should resist him…
Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
But this time, you don’t. You listen.
He knows exactly what to say . . . every word you want to hear. He nudges you to take charge of your life and do it your way, to go after what you want even though you know God said “no” or at least “not now.”
You look at the fruit. It looks awesome and you go for it.
She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Genesis 3:6
In those first moments, it feels good. You got what you wanted. It’s sweet and it tastes great.
But then, it starts to sour in your mouth and you feel … guilty.
You try to hide as the enemy sneers and snarls shaming you from the background.
But God…
God loves you so much … He immediately comes looking for you. And when He finds you, He shows you the truth.
He’s right. He’s always been right! You should have trusted Him! You should have obeyed Him.
And you know…
You deserve His punishment. You are guilty!
The Important Truth You Need to Know About Guilt
Then in an instant . . . in a heartbeat, God changes the scene for you.
You’re transported to the foot of the cross.
Now you cry out to Jesus, “Lord, forgive me!”
And… it’s done!
All is forgiven.
Your guilt is gone.
God in His grace and mercy removed your guilt and ‘sin’ label and replaced it with words like…
Chosen. Child. Friend. Masterpiece. Treasure. Beloved.
Through Jesus, God calls you His own.
Why? Because you’re good. Because you deserve it. No!
Because He is good!
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him! Psalm 34:8
And because God is good, He wants good things for you.
Things like:
Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Hope. Contentment. And Life with Him Forever.
David wrote in Psalm 32:
Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes! What joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt. v. 1–2
Because of His amazing grace and perfect love God wants to replace your guilt with His the blessings of His better truth!
That through Jesus, you are…
Blameless.
Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault. Colossians 1:22
Fought for.
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Romans 8:31
Friend.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you will eat with me. Revelation 3:20
Blessed.
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
Strengthened.
I begged the Lord three times to take this problem away from me. But He said to me, “My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you.” 2 Corinthians 12:8–9
His forever.
There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. John 14:2–3
Through Jesus, your guilt is gone!
Why should you and I imagine ourselves in the Garden and at the Cross?
Because it’s easy to blame this sinful world for our failures. Or blame Eve and then Adam for messing things up in the first place.
The truth is … you and I don’t sin because we live in a sinful world. We sin because we are sinners who can never be free of the label of guilt and shame on our own.
But God…
God loves so much He wants to take us from the shame of the Garden to the healing of the Cross.
There we stand we are — humble, broken, and in need of forgiveness.
David also wrote in Psalm 32:
I confessed all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide my guilt … And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. v. 5
The truth about guilt is … you don’t have to carry it one minute longer. You can stand with David and countless other forgiven sinners who joyfully shout, “ALL MY GUILT IS GONE!”
And the next time Satan tries to taunt and shame you, remind him of God’s promises…
I’m forgiven. I belong to Jesus.
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1–2
I’m clean.
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
My sin is gone . . . as far as the east is from the west!
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12
My guilt is replaced with joy!
Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Psalm 32:1 and Romans 4:7
So, what do you think?
Are you ready to embrace the truth about guilt?
Stand in the Garden. Fall before the cross. Ask Jesus to forgive you.
Then…
Celebrate! You are guilt-free! You are forgiven.
Through the death of Christ on the cross making atonement for sin, we get a perfect standing before God. That is justification, and it puts us, in God’s sight, back in Eden before sin entered. God looks upon us and treats us as if we had never sinned. ~ A.C. Dixon
That is Good News!
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I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi’ and share your thoughts in the comments below.
And if this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Maybe a friend, family member, coworker, or through the links below…
The next time I feel guilt about anything creeping into my mind, I will immediately recall the wisdom you’ve imparted in this post, Deb. Yes, only the devil wants us to feel guilty; God absolves all of it when we confess our sins to Him.
Blessings!
Thanks, Martha! I think guilt is the number one way the devil works on my heart and mind. If you had only done this or you hadn’t done that. I need these promises every day to combat his incessant attacks. God’s blessings on your week!
Great thoughts! I like the Eden to the cross exercise. I wrote on the cross in my post “Flippantly” that I’ve posted in the Blessing Bloggers thread.
I really needed to read some of these verses today, especially 2 Cor. 12:8,9. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed more by stress, although the ole’ devil throws a little guilt in the mix just to make it more overwhelming. Thanks for this post and the Blessing Bloggers thread. Have a great week! 🙂
Thank you, Ruth! I grew up working so hard to be “good” that I failed to admit much of my “not so good.” The Lord allowed me to see my Eden moment and by His grace, I had my first Eden to cross experience. What a blessing to realize that as followers of Jesus, when we deserve to be banished from the Garden forever … God has made a way for us to join Him there forever.
I’m praying that God will speak sweet peace and joy over your heart today. God bless you!
Have struggled with guilt for a long time… thank you for these precious reminders that we are forgiven and loved by Jesus <3
Iz, I’m so glad this blessed you! I can so easily go down the path of if only’s and what if’s. I need to go to these verses often and celebrate the amazing gift of being declared guiltless by my Father. Amazing Grace!!! God bless you!
It seems so much easier to hide our flaws, but those hidden ones are precisely the ones Satan uses against us. What’s left at the cross can’t cause us guilt any longer. Thanks for this encouraging read! Blessings!
So true, Liz! Oh, the freedom of being completely forgiven all our guilt removed! Praise God!!
So powerful! Thank you for giving us that visual and example. Even as believers we get caught up in our guilt from time to time and forget we are forgiven and serve a perfect God. This was a refreshing reminder. Thanks for sharing your wisdom! 🙂
Thank you, Brooke! You’re right! I’m so thankful for the promises in God’s Word and the blessed encouragement of those who have gone before us. Your kind encouragement made my day! God bless you!
God’s amazing love and forgiveness still boggles my mind!
Some fantastic Scriptures here to really help set people free. A friend of mine, Joanna May Chee, recently released a new book called Forever Loved. A creative retelling of Eve’s Story and it really delves into this topic and brings out some beautiful truths. Dropping by from Salt and Light Link up
Thank you, Lizzy! Your friend’s book sounds really interesting. It was a life-changing moment for me the first time I actually pictured myself taking that piece of fruit from the tree. It’s so easy to blame others for my sin. Seeing myself in Eve’s place has made me appreciate not only God’s promise of the Savior in the Garden, but being able to see myself redeemed at the foot of the cross. His grace truly is amazing. God bless you! I will have to check out Joanna’s book, Forever Loved! God bless you!