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Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection III
Understanding Guilty Feelings
James 2:10
When you do something you know you shouldn’t do, how do you feel? Most likely, your conscience stings a little, and you realize that you feel guilty.
What is guilt? Perhaps you think of it as a nagging sense that God is out to get you. Or, you might feel isolated from God or others because of some dark cloud of regret. Since there are numerous interpretations, we need to identify exactly what guilt is, in order to move past it on the road to spiritual maturity.
When our behavior is in conflict with the Spirit of God residing in us, we feel an emotional response. That’s all guilt is: emotional pain caused by something we have done. Simply put, guilt is taking responsibility for doing wrong, whether it be an action, thought, careless word, or something else.
While it is good to have this inner alarm, we have to guard against the inclination to wallow in guilt. Sometimes, we behave so badly that we are completely overcome with remorse, and we refuse to let those waves of guilt pass by. Instead, we might punish ourselves by wading in those troubled waters for a while.
When these times come, we must remember that Jesus Christ has already paid the debt for our sin. This means that He has removed the burden of guilt. We have been found not guilty! As our sin lies dead at the cross, so does our guilt. While we must always take responsibility for our actions, we have the freedom in Christ to do so without the burden of unhealthy regret.
Understanding Guilty Feelings
James 2:10
When you do something you know you shouldn’t do, how do you feel? Most likely, your conscience stings a little, and you realize that you feel guilty.
What is guilt? Perhaps you think of it as a nagging sense that God is out to get you. Or, you might feel isolated from God or others because of some dark cloud of regret. Since there are numerous interpretations, we need to identify exactly what guilt is, in order to move past it on the road to spiritual maturity.
When our behavior is in conflict with the Spirit of God residing in us, we feel an emotional response. That’s all guilt is: emotional pain caused by something we have done. Simply put, guilt is taking responsibility for doing wrong, whether it be an action, thought, careless word, or something else.
While it is good to have this inner alarm, we have to guard against the inclination to wallow in guilt. Sometimes, we behave so badly that we are completely overcome with remorse, and we refuse to let those waves of guilt pass by. Instead, we might punish ourselves by wading in those troubled waters for a while.
When these times come, we must remember that Jesus Christ has already paid the debt for our sin. This means that He has removed the burden of guilt. We have been found not guilty! As our sin lies dead at the cross, so does our guilt. While we must always take responsibility for our actions, we have the freedom in Christ to do so without the burden of unhealthy regret.
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