The Goodness of Guilt

What is one of the greatest causes of suicide, emotional disturbances,
broken lives, unhappiness, misery, and grief?  As terrible as it is,
when it is properly used, it is actually good and essential for proper
living.  What could be so destructive, yet good?  GUILT! Many condemn it
because it is unpleasant, (it is very unpleasant) but we must experience
it if we are to be justified before God. Robert Schuller expressed the
attitude too many people in and out of the church have towards guilt. He
is against anything that might cause discomfort or unpleasant feelings.
(This is why he and others like him are so popular - Luke 6:26)   In an
interview found in the March 18, 1985 issue of Time magazine, he said:
"I don't think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under
the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive of human
personality and hence, counter productive for the evangelism enterprise
than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to
make people aware of their lost and sinful condition." Your tax dollars
helped the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services print a 800 page
report entitled "Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide"
in January 1989.  After two years of research, it was determined that
religion is to blame for some teen-age homosexual suicides. According to
this study, "fundamentalist" religion portrays homosexuality as sinful,
therefore creating "unresolvable internal conflicts for youth who adhere
to their faith but believe they will not change their sexual
orientation." Since homosexuality is taught as being sinful, the youth
"may feel wicked and condemned to hell and attempt suicide in despair of
ever obtaining redemption".  The report then  recommended that churches
should begin to "reassess homosexuality in a positive context" to avoid
risking guilt feelings among homosexuals.  What the researchers noticed
in this study is that when someone does something they believe is wrong,
they feel guilty and it hurts. The pain of guilt can be so intense that
some people will kill themselves in an attempt to escape the agony.
What has been forgotten is that the proper way to escape guilt is not to
try to convince ourselves that our evil is really good (Isaiah 5:20),
instead, we ought to change our behavior! Those who have drunk deeply of
the self-love and self-esteem philosophy that is so prevalent today
believe we must feel good about ourselves no matter how we choose to
live. God created us so that this does not work. He made us as moral
beings with a conscience to help us live as we should.  We feel good
when we do right. This is to help us continue doing what is right.
However, when we do what we know is wrong, guilt makes us feel
miserable. (Psalms 32:3-5, 38:1f) This pain should motivate us to stop
doing what is wrong. In the same way physical pain warns our body of
harm, guilt warns us of spiritual danger.   We need to pay attention to
our guilt feelings and quit doing the actions that gave rise to them.
Just as a child without a sense of touch would be in constant danger,
one without guilt would be in great danger.  If one ignores the danger
signals over a period of time, the conscience becomes seared. When this
happens, there is no more hope. It is only the one who has a conscience
ten der enough to experience the pain of guilt that has any hope of
correcting any wrong behavior. Since guilt is so unpleasant and men want
to continue in sin, there have been several methods devised to help rid
one of guilt.  One popular way is to deny there are absolute moral
standards. If nothing is really wrong, you don't have to feel guilty
about it.  If you still experience the pain of guilt after this, the
next step is to go to a psychiatrist or take sedatives to help ease the
pain that comes because you are not living as you know you should. It
also helps to find someone who will sympathize with your actions or
avoid thinking about it by immersing yourself in T.V., loud music,
pleasure or anything else that helps you forget the pain. Anything is
acceptable except to change the behavior that is causing the pain to
begin with! We need to recognize that we are responsible for our
actions.  Each will give account for his own deeds at the Judgment,
whether good or bad. It will not be a time of giving excuses or
rationalizations, but a giving an account of what we have chosen to do.
Any serious thought of standing before God unprepared is unpleasant.
This can cause even a man like Felix to tremble. (Acts 24:25)  In spite
of this, men still love darkness so much they will try to deny they are
responsible for their actions. By doing this, they are attempting to rid
themselves of the pain of guilt.  There are two common ways this is
attempted: 1. Those who follow the teaching of Freud claim we are
victims of our early childhood experiences. These experiences shaped our
subconsciousness to make us what we are so we are merely helpless
victims of our environment. Everything that happens to us from birth to
age five makes us what we are. 2. B.F. Skinner and others have taught
that our problems come from biological disease.  All you need to do is
take the right kind of medicine and be cured. Both methods alleviate the
immediate suffering of one feeling guilty by placing the blame
elsewhere, but they both leave you helpless and dependent on the experts
to cure you through either psychoanalysis or medicine.  You cannot help
yourself, you are a victim of circumstances and are dependent on the
help of others. If disease or society turns people into drunks,
murderers, homosexuals, etc., then what makes the exceptionally good
person?  Why should anyone be praised for doing anything good if we are
merely victims of our circumstances?  After all, if our circumstances
are to be blamed for what is bad within us, then to be consistent, they
must also be blamed for the good within us! The Bible teaches that we
are responsible for our actions. Our physical health and past
experiences can influence us, but the bottom line is that we are good
because we choose to do good and we are bad because we choose to do
evil.  Instead of trying to find an easy way out of our situation, we
must face the difficult truth, i.e., I am responsible for what I have
done and cannot blame it on anyone or anything else.  We must not try to
rationalize sin in our lives or try to blame it on others, but admit it
and change our behavior. Anytime there is something wrong in our lives,
the only way we will overcome it is by facing it and work on it.
Problems do not disappear by denying their reality. We can choose to
pretend problems don't exist or we can face reality as it is and
overcome the difficulties that are before us. It is only by overcoming
them can we become transformed closer into the image of God. The
promises given to the seven churches of Asia were given to "He that
overcomes".   Overcomes what?  Their problems! They had to admit they
had done wrong and then do something about it.  The Ephesians could
blame no one but themselves for the loss of their first love. No one
could overcome their problem except themselves. The Christians at
Pergamum were the ones who allowed the teaching of Balaam. The church in
Thyatira could blame no one except themselves for "Jezebel" being
tolerated in their midst.  Those in Sardis could blame no one except
themselves for their deadness. It was the Laodiceans' fault that they
were lukewarm.  Which would be easier for these Christians, to deny they
have problems or face their guilt and repent?  Which choice pleases God?
The answers are obvious. None of them could continue in their sin and be
acceptable to God. They had to con front their problems and deal with
them. There was no blaming their problems on soci ety, parents, or even
other Christians. They were guilty and had to accept that fact and
repent. There could be no denial or ignoring their guilt if they wanted
to be saved. The painful feeling of guilt brought on by the Lord
rebuking them of their sin would help them be motivated to change.  No
one in these churches would be able to assemble with true joy until
their problems were corrected. As congregations and individuals, we need
to recognize why we have problems. They come because we choose to reject
the Word of God, either out of ignorance or rebellion. This is not a
pleasant thought, but we must face the truth.  If we are striving to be
close to God, we need that which makes us feel guilty, not because guilt
is good by itself, but so we can know what we need to change in our
lives. The misery of guilt is one of the great motivators that leads us
to repentance. Guilt is good only when it causes us to experience godly
sorrow. It is a misery that leads to joy. The sorrow of the world that
does not produce a changed life only leads to death. (2 Cor 7:8-10)
Sermons need to be delivered on sins such as homosexuality and praying
to Mary.  This is good because we need to be able to teach others.
During these lessons, not many get upset. Why? No one is feeling guilty
of these sins.  It is easy to listen to sins being mentioned that we are
not involved in. However, what if I had some sin in my life, not
repented of, and I go home unjustified before God?  I may die with sin
in my life. If the sermon had been about my sin and I had a good and
honest heart seeking to please God and was convicted of that sin and
repented, then all would be well. The short term pain and sorrow would
bring the best long term benefit. If we are in adultery, what do we need
to hear?  If we are not bearing fruit, what do we need to hear?  If we
are worldly, filled with pride, covetous or apathetic, what do we need
to hear?  We don't need to hear the "smooth things" and the "pleasant
words"! (Isaiah 30:10)  How do we hear "smooth things"?  "Smooth things"
may be the absolute truth but they do not apply to our lives and help us
be closer to God.  There are far too many brethren who heap unto
themselves teachers desiring their ears to be tickled and there are too
many hirelings willing to do the tickling.  They will cry out "we stand
for the truth!", "we are sound in the faith!". They will blast away at
the "liberals" and the denominationalists with full force.  Anything can
be taught as long as it is the truth and does not expose anyone's sins
who happens to be an accepted member there! If heaven is our goal, we
will want to know our faults and come to Christ for cleansing no matter
how much we may hurt in the cleansing process. The pain may be intense,
like the pain of someone who goes in an emergency room covered with
abrasions from a motorcycle accident. The brushes used to scrub out the
sand and dirt may cause more pain than the accident did, but it is for
their long-term benefit. In Matt 21:31, Jesus said the tax-collectors
and prostitutes would enter heaven before the Pharisees.  Why?  Both
groups were guilty sinners under the wrath of God.  The differ ence was
that one group knew they were guilty while the others denied it.  The
group that felt the pain of guilt were the ones who would seek
forgiveness.  In Luke 18, Jesus told the story of a Pharisee and
publican praying.  One went away justified while the other did not. What
made the difference? Both were sinners praying to God in the Temple.
The difference was that one realized he was a sinner and the other did
not. The pain of guilt caused the publican to seek forgiveness. Not only
is guilt good in order to help us live as we ought, when properly used,
it helps us love God more. The story Jesus told in Luke 7:40f teaches
that the more one is forgiven, the more he loves and the less he is
forgiven, the less he loves.  Here is one answer to why some seem to
love little. It is not unusual to hear that those not raised "in the
church" tend to be more dedicated than those who were.  Why is this so?
Is being raised "in the church" a bad thing?  If growing up in the world
produced stronger Christians, then why would God instruct us to bring up
our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?  What is the
difference in being raised in the church and in the world? One of the
great differences is that those in the world usually do not have any
problem understanding their guilt. They understand how much they have
been forgiven and as a result, have a great love for God.  Sometimes
those never involved in the "big" sins have not come to realize just how
wicked and lost before God they are without the cleansing of the blood
of the Lamb. As a result, they fail to p roperly appreciate such a great
salvation that our Lord has provided.
 
It is when I have experienced the agony of guilt and understand the
seriousness of being condemned before God and know that God has
completely forgiven me that I can know the great joy in salvation. We
have to know we are lost before we can realize what it means to be
found. The greater the guilt we have experienced, the greater the joy we
experience when we are forgiven. Every one of us has sinned more than
enough to enable us to experience great joy in our salvation. The
difference among us is that some of us have come to realize this and,
unfortunately, some have never seen themselves as the unclean sinners
that they are before the Holy One of Israel. We love God because He
first loved us. The more we understand the greatness of His love for us
the more we love in return. The only way we can begin to fully
appreciate the greatness of the love of God is through guilt. It is
through the experience of guilt that we begin to understand just how
undeserving we are of His love. Those who are apathetic and debate
whether Christians "have to" come to every service have not yet
understood both their guilt before God and the love and forgiveness
offered in such a great salva tion. The difference is not in sin, but in
realizing our sin and responding in the proper man ner.  When we
understand how guilty we are, we know we do not just need a little ad
justing in our lives and straighten a few things out. Instead, we know
we must die to self, bury the body dead in sin and raise up as a new
creature.  This may not be a pleasant thought to those who are lovers of
self, (2 Tim 3:1-2), but those who love the truth will respond to the
pain of guilt and come to God for cleansing. How do you react when you
know you stand guilty before God?  (Romans 3:9-23)

There are three reactions we can have.
 1. Be like the Pharisees: try to destroy the ones
exposing your sin.         (Acts 5:28)
2. Be like Judas: destroy ourself.
3. Be like Peter: repent and serve God. (Psalms 51:10-14)



Wayne Wells wayneliz@twave.net http://users.twave.net/ncc