Guilt or Conviction?
?I?ve confessed my sin to the Lord, but why do I still feel so guilty?? Have you ever felt like this, believer? Emotions are like fire, they can be a great blessing or extremely destructive. God intends to use our emotions constructively, while Satan?s intentions are only destructive. But know this, our emotions play a significant role in how we function as individuals. Feelings of guilt can come as a nagging thought or, for some, it can be crippling at times.
Guilt in and of itself is not a feeling but a state of being. Without Christ, one is in a state of guilt before Holy God because of sin against others and sin against God. There is a need for justification, which comes only through Jesus Christ, the propitiation of our sins. When a person puts their trust in Jesus to be saved, they are declared justified, or innocent, as if they had never sinned at all. Hallelujah! The believer?s sin, past, present and future is transferred to the cross of Jesus, and His perfect righteousness is transferred to our spiritual ?account.? ?For God hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him? (2 Cor. 5:21). In other words, as far as salvation is concerned, God sees us as if we are as spotless as His own Son, Jesus. Guilt is a thing of the past. ?There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus? (Romans 8:1).
If guilt is a thing of the past, then why do you sometimes feel so guilty? Several things could be true. Perhaps you have never placed your trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord. If this is the case, then your guilt feelings are based upon true guilt. You need Jesus. Or, if you are a Christian, it could be that what you are experiencing is not guilt but conviction.
The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 7:9 and 10 speaks of ?godly sorrow? and ?worldly sorrow.? Paul had written to the Corinthians once rebuking them for their open sin. ?Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner.? Our society seems to run from sorrow in any form, through medication, entertainment, and other addictions, but Paul was glad they were sorry because their sorrow was godly, having led to repentance. Godly sorrow is not guilt (for we are righteous in Christ) but is in reality conviction and leads us to repentance. Conviction is not an angry God beating us over the head for our sin; conviction is a loving God wooing a straying soul back to Himself. It is a form of God?s loving discipline: ?But He disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not joyful, but sorrowful, yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness.? (Heb. 12:10b-11).
The Apostle says that while conviction leads to repentance, worldly sorrow, feelings of false guilt leads to death (v.10). Feelings of guilt for the believer are often a nebulous sense of guilt and regret with no real source, leading nowhere but to a deep feeling of condemnation. Though the emotions may be similar, there is a stark contrast between conviction and guilt. Conviction is from the Lord, but guilt is from the Devil. Conviction is over present sin, guilt is over sins of the past already confessed. Conviction is constructive, guilt is destructive. Conviction is gentle and persistent, but guilt ebbs and flows with circumstances and moods. Conviction is founded in God?s Word, guilt has no foundation other than it?s own emotions. Conviction is administered by the Holy Spirit, guilt is administered by feelings of low self-worth, personal failure, condemnation from others, and/or a lack of understanding of one?s position in Christ.
If you suffer from conviction, confess and repent of every known sin and be cleansed (1 John 1:9). If you are a believer who suffers from feelings of guilt, arm yourself with the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, your offensive weapon against the lies of the enemy. God never intended his children to walk in defeat over things which He has graciously forgiven in Christ, for those who the Son has set free are free indeed!
