Introduction: Guilt is an issue we all experience and need to learn
how to deal
with.
Webster’s
1828 Dictionary
gives us a very
long and
detailed
definition of
genuine guilt.
It
describes
genuine guilt like this,
and I quote:
GUILT,
n. gilt.
1.Criminality;
that state of a
moral agent,
which results
from his actual
commission of a
crime or
offense, knowing
it to be a
crime, or
violation of
law. To
constitute guilt
there must be a
moral agent
enjoying freedom
of will, and
capable of
distinguishing
between right
and wrong, and a
willful or
intentional
violation of a
known law, or
rule of duty.
The guilt of a
person exists,
as soon as the
crime is
committed; but
to evince
[prove, confirm]
it to others, it
must be proved
by confession,
or conviction in
due course of
law. Guilt
renders a person
a debtor to the
law, as it binds
him to pay a
penalty in money
or suffering.
Guilt therefore
implies both
criminality and
liableness to
punishment.
Guilt may
proceed either
from a positive
act or breach of
law, or from
voluntary
neglect of known
duty.
This is a very
detailed and
accurate
definition of
genuine guilt.
But, sometimes
we experience
false guilt. Either
type, genuine or
false guilt, can
paralyze us and
hold us in
bondage until we
learn how to
respond to it in
a way that will
eliminate it
from our lives.
When we
experience guilt
it brings our
lives to a
screeching halt.
We are
unable to make
any significant
forward progress
until we deal
with the problem
that is
producing the
guilt and clear
ourselves of its
constraints.
Some people will
carry the guilt
of something
that has
occurred in
their lives at
an early age,
until they are
old; not
understanding
how to get rid
of that guilt.
Example – As told by the preacher with Life Action Ministries – An
84 year old lady
who had had an
affair on her
husband who was
now deceased,
and had had an
abortion when
she was young,
was still
paralyzed by her
guilt.
There are two
things we must
learn if we are
to conquer the
bondage of guilt
and be set free
from it:
(1)
We
must learn how
to distinguish
between
genuine guilt
and
false guilt.
(2)
We
must learn how
to respond in
the proper way
to the type of
guilt we are
experiencing.
-
Genuine
Guilt
A.
In
Deuteronomy,
chapter 19
we learn to
identify genuine
guilt.
B.
In
verse 4 it
says, “And this
is the case of
the slayer,
which shall flee
thither, that he
may live: Whoso
killeth his
neighbour
ignorantly, whom
he hated not in
time past.”
C.
In
other words,
this is what we
would call
manslaughter, or
the accidental
killing of
another person.
D.
But,
Verses 11-13
say this, “But
if any man hate
his neighbour,
and lie in wait
for him, and
rise up against
him, and smite
him mortally
that he die, and
fleeth into one
of these cities:
Then the elders
of his city
shall send and
fetch him
thence, and
deliver him into
the hand of the
avenger of
blood, that he
may die. Thine
eye shall not
pity him but
thou shalt put
away the guilt
of innocent
blood from
Israel, that it
may go well with
thee.”
E.
The difference
in this slaying
is that it was
premeditated.
F.
So, the
definition of
Webster was
absolutely
correct.
G.
Genuine guilt
results from a
free moral agent
acting in
intentional
violation of the
known will and
Word of God.
H.
When you or I
knowingly
violate the will
of God, we have
committed sin,
and the
resulting
consequence of
that sin is that
we experience an
immediate sense
of guilt.
I.
This guilt
informs us we
are lawbreakers;
and, that we
stand indebted
to the law to
pay the penalty
required for our
crime.
J.
But, we also
experience
genuine guilt when we know the right thing to do and just refuse
or neglect to do
it.
K.
James 4:17
says, “Therefore
to him that
knoweth to do
good, and doeth
it not, to him
it is sin.”
L.
So, refusing or
neglecting to do
what we know we
should do is
also knowingly
committing sin
against the will
of God, and will
also produce an
immediate
sensation of
genuine guilt.
M.
Again, Webster
is right; guilt
not only
proceeds from a
positive act or
breach of law,
but also from
voluntary
neglect of known
duty.
N.
So
genuine guilt
results from the
sin of
commission and
from the sin of
omission.
O.
Genuine guilt
then, makes us
indebted to pay
the penalty the
law demands for
our having
broken that law.
P.
Now that we have
established the
source of
genuine guilt,
how can we get
rid of it?
Q.
We
have already
said that the
breaking of the
law demands that
a penalty be
paid.
R.
Romans 6:23
states that the
penalty of sin
is death.
S.
The good news
is, Jesus has
paid that debt
for you and me,
so that we can
be forgiven and
released from
the penalty of
death we owe.
T.
We
now just need to
have His payment
applied to our
sin and when we
do, the sin is
cleansed and the
guilt we are
experiencing
that has
resulted from
that sin
disappears.
U.
How then, do we
have His payment
applied to our
sin?
V.
Proverbs 16:6a
informs us
that two things
are required for
our iniquity to
be purged:
mercy and
truth.
W.
Here’s what it
says: “By mercy
and truth
iniquity is
purged…”
X.
Truth on our
part; and mercy
on God’s part.
Y.
For us, genuine
repentance is
required which
consists of 2
things:
Z.
Proverbs 28:13
says, “He
that covereth
his sins shall
not prosper: but
whoso confesseth
and forsaketh
them shall have
mercy.”
AA.
We
must confess
(admit to) our
sin; and we must
forsake our sin.
BB.
This
demonstrates
genuine
repentance.
CC.
So, confessing,
or admitting the
truth about
your sin, and
forsaking it
according to
Proverbs 28:13b
is entering into
a truthful
position before
God.
DD.
This allows Him
to apply Jesus’
payment of death
to your sin and
by His
mercy, purge
your iniquity
away.
EE.
Once you have
done this,
genuine guilt has been
eliminated.
FF.
1 John
1:9 says,
“If we confess
our sins, he is
faithful and
just to forgive
us our sins, and
to cleanse us
from all
unrighteousness.”
GG.
Remember,
guilt is the
resulting
consequence of
sin; and when
sin is gone, so
is the guilt
that accompanied
it.
HH.
If
you are lost,
similarly, you
must admit the
awful truth that
you are a
sinner, and
invite Jesus
Christ into your
life.
II.
When
He comes in, He
removes your
sinful
condition, which
eliminates your
guilt.
You have
been set free
from your guilt
and fear!
JJ.
Romans
8:1 says,
“There is
therefore now no
condemnation to
them which are
in Christ Jesus,
who walk not
after the flesh,
but after the
Spirit.”
KK.
So,
genuine guilt
results from
sin, and
disappears only
when your sin
has been
forgiven and
removed.
-
False Guilt
A.
If
after you have
followed the
biblical
guidelines to
have your sin
forgiven, you
are still
experiencing
guilt, perhaps
you are
experiencing
false guilt.
B.
False guilt
occurs for three
reasons:
(1)
You fail to
believe God’s
Word concerning
the forgiveness
He offers you.
(2)
You believe God
has forgiven
you, but falsely
think you have
not forgiven
yourself.
(3)
You believe you
have committed a
sin, but in
reality you have
not.
C.
Let’s examine
each reason and
how to deal with
it in light of
Scripture.
D.
First, You fail
to believe God’s
Word – Numbers
23:19 says:
“God is not a
man, that he
should lie;
neither the son
of man, that he
should repent:
hath he spoken,
and shall he not
do it? Or hath
he spoken, and
shall he not
make it good?”
E.
When God gives
you the
prescription for
having your sins
forgiven, He is
not a man that
He would lie
about it, or
repent (in other
words, change
His mind).
F.
He
will do exactly
what He says, if
you will do what
He asks of you.
G.
It’s not
complicated, or
obscure.
H.
He
does not make it
hard to
understand or to
do.
I.
If
you confess
(admit, own up
to, tell the
truth about)
your sin, and
forsake it, He
will forgive it!
J.
This is not hard
to understand;
neither is it a
trick that
really demands
some hidden
qualification in
addition to what
He has said.
K.
If
you will do
this,
confess and
forsake your
sin, He will do
what He said,
forgive and
remove your
sin from you.
L.
When God
forgives your
sin, He removes
your sin.
M.
Psalm 103:12
says, “As far as
the east is from
the west, so far
hath he removed
our
transgressions
from us.”
N.
Did you know if
you are at the
South Pole and
go north that
you will
eventually meet
the North Pole?
O.
But, if you
travel east, you
will never get
to the “West
Pole.” You will
always,
forevermore, be
going east.
P.
The same is true
when going west;
you will never
meet the “East
Pole” but will
always,
forevermore, be
going west.
Q.
In
other words,
once your sin
has been
forgiven, it
will never again
resurface for
you to have to
face it anew.
R.
It
is gone forever!
S.
That is God’s
Word. Believe
it!
T.
Second, You
think you cannot
forgive yourself
– The truth
here, is that
the Bible never
mentions you
forgiving
yourself.
U.
Forgiving
yourself is
neither possible
nor required.
V.
If
you feel God has
forgiven you,
but you are just
not able to
forgive
yourself, you
are demanding
something of
yourself that is
impossible for
you to do.
W.
Forgiving
yourself is not
possible because
it is not a real
issue.
X.
This is an
imaginary
problem that
does not exist,
and therefore,
can never be
done.
Y.
If
after you have
followed God’s
prescription to
be forgiven, you
are still
experiencing
guilt, you have
never believed
God’s Word
concerning His
forgiveness.
Z.
Your guilt
exists, not
because you have
never forgiven
yourself, but
because you have
never truly
trusted God’s
forgiveness.
AA.
Hebrews 9:14
says, “How much
more shall the
blood of Christ,
who through the
eternal Spirit
offered himself
without spot to
God, purge your
conscience from
dead works to
serve the living
God?”
BB.
So, we see that
the blood of
Jesus is the
only cleansing
agent in the
universe that
can purge your
conscience.
CC.
Forgiving
yourself cannot
purge your
conscience; only
the payment of
Jesus’ blood can
purge your
conscience and
make it clean
again.
DD.
False guilt,
believing you
must forgive
yourself, is
Satan’s way of
keeping you
bound in guilt
by your unbelief
in the real
cleansing agent
that can
genuinely remove
your sin and
free you from
your guilt.
EE.
Third, You
falsely believe
you have
committed a sin
– Some
people
consistently
feel they are
sinning when in
fact they are
not.
FF.
This
problem can
arise from a
lack of
understanding of
what constitutes
sin:
(1)
Not
understanding
that temptation
is not sin; that
being enticed,
and submitting
to that
enticement are 2
different
things.
James 1:14 and 15a say, “But every man is
tempted, when he
is drawn away of
his own lust,
and enticed.”
“Then
when lust hath
conceived, it
bringeth forth
sin…”
(2)
A
background of
having been made
to feel guilty
by someone who
was always
placing blame on
you that you
didn’t deserve.
(3)
A
very sensitive,
over-active
conscience
causing you to
always fear that
you have
offended God in
some way when
you haven’t.
GG.
Remember, sin is
intentionally
breaking the law
of God.
HH.
1 John 3:4b
says, “Sin is
the
transgression of
the law.”
II.
If
you have not
broken God’s
law, your guilt
is imagined, and
will disappear
when you realize
the truth.
JJ.
False guilt
then, is the
result of:
you not
believing or
trusting the
forgiveness of
God,
misunderstanding
your role in
forgiveness, or,
misunderstanding
what constitutes
sin.
-
Let’s
evaluate.
How
do I
determine if
I am
experiencing
Genuine
Guilt or
False Guilt?
A.
First, you
must evaluate
the source of
your guilt and
determine if a
sin has
genuinely been
committed.
B.
If
you have never
received Jesus
Christ as your
personal Savior,
you are in a
sinful state;
your guilt is
genuine and will
not go away
until you
receive Him into
your life.
C.
If
you are saved,
and a sin has
genuinely been
committed, your
guilt at least
could be
genuine.
D.
If
you have not
genuinely
committed a sin,
and you are
saved, you can
automatically
realize your
guilt is false,
and can begin to
evaluate why you
are experiencing
false guilt.
E.
Second, if
you have
committed a sin,
you must
determine if you
have followed
God’s
prescription to
have your sin
forgiven which
would eliminate
any guilt for
that sin.
F.
If
you have simply
tried to stop
committing your
sin and do
better, but have
not sought the
forgiveness of
God for your
sin, your guilt
is genuine
because you have
not followed
God’s
prescription for
cleansing.
G.
If
you have tried
some other way
to get rid of
your sin besides
God’s prescribed
way, your guilt
is genuine.
H.
Sometimes people
will try
medication for
anxiety,
distracting
themselves from
their guilt by
busying
themselves in
some activity,
and myriad other
ways to escape
their guilt
without dealing
with the source,
which is sin.
I.
When it comes to
sin and guilt,
we don’t need
medication; we
need
eradication,
which only comes
when God
forgives.
J.
Third, if
you have sinned,
and have
followed God’s
prescription to
have it
forgiven, and
your guilt
remains, you
must determine
if your
repentance and
faith was
genuine.
K.
How do I do
this?
L.
Repentance
– If your sin was habitual, meaning it was not just an isolated
incident but a
continuing
activity, when
you confessed
it, did you
abandon it?
Did you
stop doing it?
M.
Proverbs 28:13
which I have
already quoted
says, “He that
covereth his
sins shall not
prosper: but
whoso confesseth
and forsaketh
them shall have
mercy.”
N.
Confessing but
not forsaking,
or abandoning,
your sin, is
evidence that
your repentance
was not genuine;
and remember, it
is by
genuineness,
in other words,
truth, that
transgressions
are purged.
O.
If
your sin was an
isolated
incident,
forsaking it
means you yield
it up to God –
you let it go
when you repent
of it; you don’t
continue to hold
on to it as
though you
deserve the
guilt and
punishment you
are
experiencing.
P.
You must release
it to God when
you confess your
sin, so that He
can remove it
from you as far
as the east is
from the west.
Q.
Faith – If your repentance was genuine, and you followed God’s
prescription,
have you
believed His
Word that says
He will forgive
you if you will
genuinely
confess
(repent)?
R.
If
you have
followed God’s
prescription,
and your
repentance was
genuine, and
your guilt
remains, it is
because you have
not trusted the
forgiveness God
has extended to
you.
S.
Believe it!
Receive
it!
T.
Fourth, if
you have not
genuinely
sinned, or have
genuinely sinned
and have
genuinely
followed God’s
prescription for
forgiveness, and
you are still
experiencing
guilt, your
guilt is false,
and you need to
determine the
reason you are
experiencing
false guilt and
deal with that
problem, rather
than attempting
to deal with the
problem of sin
that does not
exist.
U.
To
distinguish
between
genuine guilt and
false guilt
you must
determine if
genuine sin has
been committed,
and if you have
genuinely
repented of that
sin.
V.
If
genuine sin has
been committed
and you have
genuinely
repented and
guilt remains,
it is
false guilt.
In Conclusion: Guilt is
God’s built-in
alarm system
that alerts you
that something
has occurred, or
is present, that
is interrupting
your peace with
God, and
therefore must
be dealt with
before you can
successfully
proceed with
your life.
Genuine guilt
is
experienced when
sin is present,
either as an
isolated act
that has not
been repented
of, or as an
ongoing sinful
behavior.
In order to
relieve our
selves of
genuine guilt
the sin must be
genuinely
repented of;
that means
confessed and
forsaken –
abandoned if it
is an ongoing
behavior; and
released if it
was an isolated
act – and God’s
forgiveness must
be received.
This is
the only
prescription
available that
can free us from
the bondage of
our
genuine guilt.
False Guilt is
experienced
when:
(1)
You fail to
believe God’s
Word concerning
His forgiveness;
(2)
When you falsely
believe you must
forgive
yourself;
(3)
Or
when you believe
you have sinned
but you really
have not.
Are you,
experiencing
guilt right now?
If you are, is
it
genuine guilt
or
false guilt?
Will you take
the necessary
steps to free
yourself of your
guilt?
Will you
do that right
now?
As preached
at:
Gethsemane
Baptist Church –
Berea, KY
First Baptist
Church – West
Liberty, KY
Linden Street
Baptist Church –
Richmond, KY