“The soul who sins shall die. The
son shall not bear the guilt of the
father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the
righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon
himself.”—Ezekiel 18:20
Guilt
is the emotion that we feel when we think that we have cone something we are
not supposed to do, or have not done something we should have. It is an emotion we have experienced since
early in our lives. If you have ever
seen the look on a child’s face when he or she feels guilty, you can understand
what a basic and natural emotion that it is.
The child’s eyes are downcast and avoid you. The child feels bad. These tips will help you to understand what
guilt is, why it is useful in some situations and why habitual guilt can be
destructive.
Guilt over doing
something that violates the conscience is a normal emotion. However, living under a cloud of remorse for
no discernible reason is not, as demonstrated in the following account. “But
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now
early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to
Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then
the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they
had set her in the midst, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in
adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in
the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?’ This they said, testing Him, that they
might have something of which
to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not
hear. So when they continued asking Him,
He raised Himself up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let
him throw a stone at her first.’ And again He stooped down and wrote on the
ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by
one, beginning with the oldest even
to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no
one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours?
Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No
one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither
do I condemn you; go and sin no more’” (John 8:1-11).
Guilt is a bad
feeling and an effective teacher. As
children, most of us felt guilty when we misbehaved. We wanted to avoid that bad feeling, so most
of us learned to follow the rules set out for us. That is one of the ways our behavior was
shaped. In this way guilt plays a part in learning right from wrong. The Lord designed feelings of guilt and regrets to serve as a reminder
that a person has done wrong and needs to repent. But Satan twists those emotions to imprison
men and women; those living in shame are uncertain of God’s love and often lack
self-confidence.
Good guilt—the Lord’s
effective tool for prompting repentance—is
a gift that helps us find the right path.
However, the Devil encourages false guilt, which involves taking and
then suffering self-condemnation for not changing the outcome. This unhealthy type of guilt is also a
widespread problem for those in legalistic churches or lifestyles—certain behaviors
or thoughts are labeled as wrong, and then people feel ashamed for doing or
thinking those things.
Self-condemnation stunts a relationship with Jesus. Instead of enjoying the peace of God, people
who are trapped by shame fear His rejection and feel driven to prove their
worth. Trust is nearly impossible
because they are waiting for God’s judgment to rain down. Their guilt even colors how they see
themselves; rather than saying, “My action is wrong,” they say, “I am bad.”
Many times guilt experienced
in childhood has shaped the habit of feeling guilt. For example, if as a child you were scolded
for breaking or spilling something, as an adult, you may feel guilty when
something is spilled or broken. The
enemy uses hurtful memories as an arrow against us and to keep us in
bondage. Jesus did not come to accuse or
condemn us, “For God did no send His Son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be
saved.” Christ restored our souls
and made us righteous before God so that our guilt is removed. If our
Savior forgave the woman caught in an adulterous relationship, just imagine how
ready He is to take your shame away too.
Prayer—Father I thank
You that You are not condemning me. I
repent of developing the habit of feeling guilty over actions that I cannot
control and I ask You to remove the feelings of guilt for_______, in Jesus
Name. Amen.
