Finding Freedom from False Guilt

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." - 2 Corinthians 7:10

The biggest thing I want you to take away from this devotion is the difference between what the Bible calls godly sorrow and worldly sorrow, godly guilt and worldly guilt.

When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, what did they do? They hid themselves. There was a sense of guilt there. God called out, "Adam, where are you?" And Adam replied, "We hid ourselves." "Why?" "Because we are naked." "Who told you you were naked?"

It's like my dog Rocket who polished off an entire plate of bacon that Lydia had made. When I came downstairs, I couldn't find him anywhere. Why? Because he knew what he did. His tail was down, his ears were down, and he was hiding in his bed, trying to bide his time, hoping we would forget.

What Is True Guilt? [1] From earliest childhood, no one has escaped guilt. We experienced guilt when we stole a cookie or told a lie. The Old Testament Hebrew word asham, with its many derivatives, paints a three-dimensional picture of true guilt.

•  The word guilt refers to the fact of being at fault, deserving punishment and requiring a sacrificial offering.
•  True guilt is the result of sin.
•  When we sin we are guilty, and a penalty must be paid for our sin so that fellowship with God can be restored.
•  After David committed adultery with Bathsheba, he repented and cried out to God, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4).

 
 What Is False Guilt?[2] False guilt is based on self-condemning feelings that you have not lived up to your own expectations or those of someone else.

• False guilt arises when you blame yourself, even though you've committed no wrong, or when you continue to blame yourself after you've confessed and turned from your sin.
• False guilt keeps you in bondage to three destructive weapons... shame, fear and anger.
• Ironically, confession does not resolve false guilt. Revelation 12:10 says "The accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down." He loves to burden believers with false guilt and condemnation. Some of his favorite strategies are: bringing up the past, reminding you of your failures and making you feel unforgiven and unaccepted by God.

How do you know if the Holy Spirit is convicting you (vs. satan accusing you wrongfully)[3]:

• God will not convict you of something that has already been forgiven and cleansed. Satan loves to bring back up things in a Christian’s past that is already under the blood of Jesus.
• God will convict you of specific sins (1 John 1:9). A Christian can expect the Holy Spirit to be direct when it comes to unconfessed sins. Satan loves to make you feel sinful without really addressing a specific. Adrian Rogers states, “[The devil] wants you to feel absolutely miserable about nothing in particular.”
• God will convict you for the purpose of redeeming you (1 John 2:1-2). 

The truth is, sometimes we should feel guilty for things we have done against God's word. Oftentimes, the world's response to guilt is just to affirm yourself or try to disguise it. But some things you ought to feel a sense of guilt about. This is an emotion God has given us to show us that something's wrong.

True guilt is the result of sin. In our modern society, the only way to get rid of the guilt that plagues everyone's soul is to redefine sin, to redefine what God says is right and wrong. But if we have sinned against God, forgiving ourselves isn't enough. God alone can forgive us and cleanse our guilty conscience.

1 John 1:8-9 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Reflection Question: Is there an area in your life where you've been experiencing guilt? Is it godly sorrow leading to repentance, or worldly sorrow that just makes you feel bad without resolution?

Father, thank You for giving me a conscience that alerts me when I've sinned against You. Help me to recognize the difference between true godly sorrow and false guilt. When I've sinned, give me the courage to confess it specifically to You, knowing You are faithful to forgive and cleanse me completely. Thank You that You don't just forgive me but You cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I receive Your forgiveness today. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "God's Answer for Guilt": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/x8v77x7/5-god-s-answer-for-guilt

[1] June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Guilt: Living Guilt Free (Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008), 1.
[2] Hunt, 4.
[3] These points are adapted from Adrian Rogers, Mastering Your Emotions (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1988), 91-94.