Guilt And The Place Of Forgiveness
Category : Lent Devotions
John 16:7-13
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
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Hebrews 13:5
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
In the moments of our lives when we are faced with guilt, there is a place where refuge can be found. This place is God’s love where forgiveness lies. Guilt is the aftermath of every act of disobedience or wrongdoing. It is our conscience’s way of letting us know we have acted outside of God’s will. It serves an important role because we cannot desire change if we do not recognize that we are wrong, and there is a way out to correct our actions. Hence, guilt has two possible outcomes:
- Remorse, which leads us to repentance.
- Shame, which leads us into hiding, but not out of God’s reach.
Remorse or shame is determined by how much power we believe the cleansing blood of Jesus has. Scripture says, there is no sin which the blood of Jesus cannot cleanse us from. If we believe this truth, then we are able to request forgiveness, repent and walk in the freedom procured to us by Christ Jesus on the cross which makes us free from the yoke of sin. This, however, requires faith to know that freedom is indeed possible and made available for us in Christ i.e. we have the ability to walk in righteousness by the power of the Holy Spirit living within every believer which enables us to live right. It is pointless to believe that Christ died if you do not accept that His blood has made you justified (judicial absolution from guilt) and that you have received his Spirit to make you sanctified (actual growth in holiness) as you journey with this helper towards becoming more like Christ.
The Holy Spirit is there to remind you, as such you must first acquire the knowledge of which you shall be reminded by studying God’s word.
The Holy Spirit is there to teach you, as such you must submit yourself to be taught, ignoring your own understanding and embracing the new.
The Holy Spirit is a helper, but we must be willing to be helped, having grown restless from the pain that is created by old patterns of behavior, such that we desperately desire to step away from them and move towards the paths of holiness as the Spirit will lead.
The Holy Spirit is a comforter, who will be with us forever, in fulfillment of Christ’s promise to never leave or forsake us, journeying with us through the valleys and mountains of life and enabling us to finish our race well.
May the Lord remind us of the power of the cross in times of shortcomings and help us consistently yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit who enables us to walk in victory. Amen.