I love my parents so much. One of the things I am so thankful for about them, is their hospitable spirit. If they are not the most hospitable people I know, they are at the very least some of the most hospitable people I know. One of the blessings of hospitality is being able to hear other peoples' life stories. I always get excited when my parents ask a couple, "How did you meet?" or anyone, "How did you get saved?"
One particular man was sharing his life story with us one night. He was the classic prodigal son, and it was amazing to hear how God had brought him home. Although a wonderful Christian man now, he shared that he is learning to deal with the guilt from his past.
That's all I could think about for the rest of the night. Dealing with guilt. I reckoned that since everyone has sinned, everyone must have guilt. It's not a matter of if we have it, but when we have it, what we should do with it. We all need to do something about it, and we all do, actually, do something. And is it correct?
Guilt is something I feel almost daily. This corrupted flesh's desires are still often stronger than the spirit's, but the conscience just keeps on getting sharper and sharper. THAT is a very good thing, but the result is guilt. "Ugh. I can't do anything right! I'll never learn! Why can't I just be perfect?" can be frequent thoughts in my head. I realize that something's not right about these thoughts, but I entertain them anyway. Guilt piles away in the closet, and my mind wanders to it in the quiet or when I am alone. What am I going to do with it? Though I see progress and the fruit of the Spirit in my life, why can't much progress be so much more quick?
This is a problem!
Hey, I know what to do with problems!
Take a guess! Where should I go to find the answer to this problem?
Right, God's Word. But first, in order to show the beauty of the truth found there, let's look at some common ways of dealing with guilt. I am guilty of using every single one:
JUSTIFY / DEFEND IT:
She was angry at me, so I was just being angry right back! If she feels my anger toward her, maybe she'll realize how wrong it was to be angry at me in the first place, once she feels what it's like.
"Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing."
~ 1 Peter 3:9
God's standards are high (see also James 4:17) and each sin is an utter abomination, disgust, and horror to God. It ought to be to us as well.
IGNORE IT:
Just let it slide. Hide it under the rug and shrug your shoulders. Some people are masters of this tactic, but it can only make them feel better for awhile.
When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me. My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
~ Psalm 32:4
The truth is that if we do this, it will only eat away at us. It's like shoving an alligator in our heart's closet, and opening it up to discover that it's eaten all of our clothes, the door, the boxes, and the walls... and is poised to eat US. Guilt doesn't go away when ignored. It will fester, grow, and multiply, and make us utterly miserable.
HIDE IT:
If I rearrange the cookies in the box, no one will see the empty spot.
"He who covers his sins will not prosper..."
~ Proverbs 28:13
"Be sure your sin will find you out..."
~ Numbers 32:23
"For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil."
~ Ecclesiastes 12:14.
Useless.
TRY TO GET RID OF IT OUR WAY:
I'll tell my teddy bear and get it off my chest.
I'll write it out on a piece of paper and burn it.
I'll take a walk in the woods and whisper it out loud.
"Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven..."
~ Psalm 32:1
This doesn't take care of it either! It may make us feel like we got rid of it, and help us forget about it, but nothing toward its depletion was actually accomplished. All we did is admit our guilt.
OUTWEIGH IT:
I just yelled at my little brother. Maybe if I read him a story, we'll be good again.
I just had a terrible thought toward someone, but I will write an encouraging note to my friend and make it right.
I was disrespectful to my mom, but I'll do the dishes and make her happy again.
The wages of sin is death...
~ Romans 6:23
The wages, the penalty, for a sin, is eternal death, not x amount of hours doing community service, or x amount of kind words spoken to someone. If someone is born and they sin once, even if they spend the rest of their life being good and doing good things, it will not even begin to come close to paying God for it.
Our iniquities, like the wind, have carried us away... ~ Isaiah 64:6
My iniquities have gone over my head... ~ Psalm 38:4
WHAT IS SIN, AND WHAT IS GUILT?
Sin is lawlessness. Whenever someone does or doesn't do something, that is contrary to God's laws, it is called sin.
"All have sinned..."
"They have together become corrupt."
"There is none who is righteous, no not one."
"They have all turned aside."
God says that all of us have sinned. (He's omniscient, and He knows every single one of them, as well!)
Guilt is a feeling that accompanies sin. It makes us feel bad about what we have done. Is it good or bad?
Guilt can be a good thing, because it means our conscience is working, and if properly used, will bring us to God. However, Satan often uses it, if we don't resist, to make and keep us useless Christians, not victorious in our walk with Christ.
SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. ~ Proverbs 28:13
It's counter-cultural, counter-intuitive, and counter-desires (lol) to bring our sins out from under the rug, call it what it is, sin, and own that we are the ones responsible for its existence. But that's what this verse tells us to do. It also tells us to 'forsake' it.
When I was very young, I heard someone say once that we need to confess all of our sins of the day to God at night before we go to sleep, and name them one by one. Looking back on it, I think this was taken out of context, and I think the man was saying it is a good thing, if we remember what we have done, to tell it to God and repent of it, but my little self thought that this mean that if I forgot to mention any sins, I wouldn't be forgiven of them, and would go to hell. I thought that for several years, and can you imagine how worried it made me?! I tried several times to count up the sins of the day and tell them to God, but I was always sure that I was missing some, and I finally stopped doing it because I realized that it was useless. I eventually learned that this idea is very, very false, by reading God's Word.
When Jesus died on the cross, the last words He said were, "It is finished!" or in other words, "the debt is paid!" which means that God's wrath is completely fulfilled. When Jesus died on the cross, everything that God required for my salvation was fulfilled. Not only will God wipe away all the sins I had committed before my repentance and faith, but also all the sins I WILL commit are wiped away in that 'legal transaction,' that occurred on the cross. This means that out of gratitude, I am compelled to live my life in obedience to how God wants me to, but that if I sin, I have "an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." In addition to that, as a 'new creature,' and a 'new man' with a 'new heart,' I am given new desires. I WANT to obey God, and do NOT want to obey sin. My master is no longer sin, it is Jesus Christ, the Righteous, and He helps me to be "an imitator of God."
A criminal is on death row, and today is his execution day. He hears the door open and is ushered outside. To his surprise, his father is standing there, and with extreme joy written on his face, embraces his criminal son and tells him he has just been able to buy his life back. The son is free. At first the son is very grateful, but soon he dishonors his father by stealing something, because it is so second-nature to him that he hardly even thought about it. But what a way to show his gratitude! His father is greatly disappointed, but with unconditional love, starts helping his son by providing accountability and reminding him whenever possible, about the right way to live. Moved by his father's love, the son gets angry at himself for this habit of his, and starts looking away whenever he sees something he wants. Occasionally the desire is stronger than his love for his father, and he gives in to the temptation, but gradually, he starts forming a new habit.
The beginning of this story is what has happened to each redeemed sinner. The end is the way that He wants us to grow in Him - not giving in to each temptation, but out of love for Him because of His love for us, learning to turn away from what He hates so much and pursuing what He loves.
GRACE:
Undeserved enabling to do God's will.
That's something else about the gospel. When we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Then, His grace is sufficient for us, for His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses, so that when we are weak, He is strong. His grace is sufficient to forsake our sin. And "His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting."
Confess, Forsake, Mercy.
This is the three-fold death blow we ought to deal to sin. Let's take a look at each word individually.
CONFESS:
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. Selah.
~ Psalm 32:5
Confess your trespasses to one another...
~ James 5:16
Who was the sin committed against? If it was against someone, confess it to them as soon as possible, but only if they know about it. For example, if you said something mean to a sibling, it would be very appropriate to apologize to them, but if you thought something inappropriate about someone, and they don't know about it, it might not be the best idea to tell them "I thought such - and - such about you."
When the Holy Spirit convicts you of something, confess it to God, but don't worry about forgetting a sin. Confession doesn't save you or forgive you, but it is rather an act that shows that the Holy Spirit is in you, convicting you of sin. It's not about binding yourself in chains ("Oh no! I have to remember and confess every single sin I've ever committed!") but is rather a freeing and appropriate reaction to sin. In fact, confessing and asking for forgiveness brings great joy and freedom. Although often extremely difficult and humiliating, knowing that you are forgiven is one of the best feelings in the world.
FORSAKE:
Likewise, you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey in its lusts. And do not present yourselves instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
~ Romans 6:11-16
The sinner is not only set free from punishment when they are saved, they are also set free from their sin. Sin is no longer their master. Christ Jesus won victory over it by His death, and gives us the strength to resist its temptations. This doesn't mean that we will never sin after we are saved, but it does mean that we are separated from it. It doesn't define us or rule over us anymore. WE, through Christ, rule over IT, and by God's grace, we strive to resist it, knowing how abhorrable it is in God's sight, and obey God. Our will starts to become more and more like His will as He graciously sanctifies us and conforms us to the image of His Son.
This doesn't come very easily. It's not like some dial that God turns on our hearts that gradually makes us 'more better,' as my sister would say. We can't expect to defeat our temptations and be victorious if we are spiritually sitting on the couch eating potato chips. God has "shown us what is good," (Micah 6:8) and in His Word. In order to understand what the will of the Lord is, we need to know what His Word says, because His will is revealed in His Word. We ought to be memorizing His words so that we might not sin against Him. If we meditate on it, we will better be able to understand His will and carry it out, and our thoughts will be filled in case Satan wants to put something in there that is not good. It's interesting how many verses there are about memorizing + meditating in the Bible! Check these out: Ps. 40:8, Ps. 119:97. Ps. 1:2. Psalm 119:11, 48, 78, 99, 176.
I thought about Your ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies.
~ Psalm 119:59
The entrance of His Word gives light...
~ Psalm 119:130
Consider what it would would be like taking a driving test without knowing anything about driving rules except that there's a steering wheel, gas pedal, and a brake pedal, and some how they all work together, and you should always stop at red lights and stop signs. Many Christians don't do any better when it comes to God's law - their knowledge may or may not contain some or all of the 10 commandments, but they have don't have much more knowledge of God's will.
WE HAVE THE DRIVER'S MANUAL!!
MERCY:
Proverbs 28:13.He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
It's a promise!
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit... I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
~ Psalm 32:1,2,&5
Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
~ Psalm 36:5
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
~ 1 John 1:9
God's mercy never expires. (1 Chron. 16:34.) Thank the Lord for that! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8.)
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
~ Psalm 86:5
What a precious promise! There's not a a sin too big that His love and mercy is not bigger, or a person He will not accept. He does not despise a broken and contrite heart. (Psalm 51:17.)
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament, and mourn, and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
~ James 4:8-10
True repentance is turning around all the way and going in the opposite direction... and it ends in a wonderful place.
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
~ Acts 3:19
CORRECTION:
Sometimes we feel guilty because we realize that what we did was wrong, ourselves. But often, people will tell us about our wrong-doing. In whatever stage of life we are in, people will be correcting us. If we’re honest with ourselves, most if not all of us will admit that we don’t like being corrected, because it is a clear statement that we aren’t perfect. (Idol alert!!) But something I am starting to learn is that correction is a golden opportunity to learn, grow, and become more Christ-like, wrapped in the unappealing packaging of humility.
Saul and David are classic examples of people who responded to correction in both ways. I think it will be helpful if we think about their stories for a bit.
HOW SAUL RESPONDED TO CORRECTION:
When Israel, God's chosen people, was traveling to the promised land, the Amalekites attacked them and did battle with them. When God made Saul king, He wanted him to destroy them - all of them - and to leave nothing behind, not even their possessions. Saul did a lot of that. He destroyed the Amalekites, but he took the spoil for himself. When the prophet Samuel rebuked him for disobeying, this is what Saul said:
“But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
~ 1 Samuel 15:20-21.
I was extremely convicted one day while reading this, because it sounded a lot like responses I would give all the time when I was corrected on something.
"But I did most of it! And here is my explanation for why I didn't do the rest."
I realized that no matter how good my explanation or excuse is, if I didn't do exactly what I was supposed to do, correction is good and just, and an opportunity for me to grow. It takes humility to listen to, receive, and respond well to correction, and I realized that my pride was the reason I hated to be corrected.
One day, while reading Proverbs 26 to the family at breakfast, I glanced over at the next page and read these words:
He who is often rebuked and hardens his neck will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. ~ Proverbs 29:1
I was thunderstruck. That is exactly what I was doing. Suddenly this sin issue in my life became a big priority, and I asked God to help me to overcome it. I hoped He would just simply erase it out of my life once I gave it to Him, but instead He has been showing me that I need to 'endure temptation.'
Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him.
~ James 1:12
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
~ 1 Corinthians 10:13.
A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again...
~ Proverbs 24:16
Instead of giving up when I fail like I am prone to, now I am pulling out the Sword of the Spirit to resist over and over and over again. Honestly, I'm still not where I want to be, but I am...
...confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you {me} will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ
~ Philippians 1:6
I am leaning heavily on His power, for
...it is God who works in you {me} both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
~ Philippians 2:13
Well, we're all going to fall.
For we all stumble in many things...
~ James 3:2
That's why I think we should study the way that David responded to correction.
HOW DAVID RESPONDED TO CORRECTION:
David, while resisting his conscience I am sure, had a good man killed on purpose so that he could marry his wife. When the prophet Nathan rebuked him for his sin, this is what he said:
"I have sinned against the Lord."
~ 2 Samuel 12:13
He probably couldn't say anything else at the moment because of his remorse!
In the chronological Bible, the next passage of Scripture is Psalm 51, a psalm of repentance. I highly encourage you to read it and possibly memorize or meditate on it. It has taught me so much.
David pleas for mercy and the removal of his sin. He "acknowledges" his "transgressions," and his "sin" is "always before him." But in the midst of his grief over his sin, he says this:
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."
~ Psalm 51:7
God's cleansing power through Jesus Christ is greater than our sin. If, because of His love for us, we abhor our sin against Him, we will confess it. We will call it what it is, and admit that we are responsible for its existence. Then, because of our love for Him, we will use the Sword He has given us to forsake its temptations in the future. He promises to have mercy.
Confess. Forsake. Mercy.
~ To The Utmost Glory Of God ~