Psalm 32:1-11 1 John 1:5-2:2 God’s Gift Of Guilt

Culture views all guilt as bad. Adam & Eve Felt Guilt- Genesis 3:7 Felt guilt as a result of their sin! Realized their close relationship with God was destroyed by their sin- Genesis 3:8 Attempted to hide from God- Genesis 3:9 Became fearful of God!

What is guilt ? Merriam-Webster : Guilt 1 - the fact of having committed a breach of conduct 3 - a feeling of deserving blame for offenses Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon : אָשָם iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity Guilt is to the soul what pain is to the body.

Guilt is essential to one’s spiritual survival. Without the pangs of guilt there would be little motivation to repent.

God uses guilt to bring us to the foot of the cross.

Miserable with guilt, David repented Psalm 32: 3,4 “When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.”

Psalm 32: 5 “I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” I John1: 9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God uses guilt to bring us to repentance. Acts 2: 36,37 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

Those outside of Christ in the worldly culture respond to guilt differently.

They try to ignore guilt. They try to hide from guilt. They try to make sin a disease. They try to substitute self-esteem.

Worldly people try to train their consciences not to respond to guilt.

23 times Paul references our conscience. For example : 1 Timothy 1: 5 “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,” Merriam-Webster: the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good.”

23 times Paul references our conscience. Strong’s Greek Lexicon: συνείδησις - Conscience {suneidesis} “the soul as distinguishing between what is morally good and bad, prompting to do the former and shun the latter, commending one, condemning the other.”

Common explanations: Moral intuition One’s innate sense of right and wrong The soul’s early warning system Puritans : God’s deputy to arrest us in sin * A 5 year old was asked, “What is your conscience?” Answered, “I’m not sure, but I think it has something to do with feeling bad when I kick other kids.”

Everyone is Born with a Conscience Romans 2: 14,15 “for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)”

Ephesians 4: 19 – who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” 1 Timothy 4: 2 – speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,” Acts 23: 1– Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day."

The Christian should live a guilt free life.

One can’t work off their sins. Romans 6: 23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Only the offended party can forgive the offense. All sin is against God. Psalm 51:4 “Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight-That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.” Only the offended party can forgive the offense.

God is willing to forgive His children if they will confess their sins. 1 John 1: 8,9 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The forgiveness of God removes all guilt. Forgiven sins are out of sight : Psalm 32: 1– How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! Forgiven sins are out of mind : Jeremiah 31: 34 – "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Forgiven sins are out of reach : Micah 7: 19 – Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Forgiven sins are out of existence : Isaiah 43: 25 – I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

The same God who can create something out of nothing can create nothing out of something.

2 Corinthians 7: 9,10 “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, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

Guilt should never be ignored. Charles Spurgeon once said : He is a fool who kills the watchdog for awakening him in the night when the thief approached.

In Jesus, God provided a way to totally eliminate guilt by eliminating sin. Are you free of guilt ?