Why is guilt bad? It is a simple question, and most children in Sunday school know to say that guilt is from the devil and conviction is from God. This is true, but it does not answer why guilt is bad, it only explains that it exists and where it comes from. There is something in the very nature of guilt that can explain its opposition to conviction, its good counterpart, in a way that goes beyond a simple lesson of origin. So, what is the true difference between guilt and conviction? Is guilt bad because it makes us feel bad? No, that cannot be true because conviction also come with the feeling and/or act of contrition (which is not necessarily bad, but one does not enjoy contrition in the same way one would enjoy a warm bath or a candy bar). I would like to argue that it is because of they why (why do we feel guilt, and why do we feel conviction?), and also the subsequent action (which cannot be divorced, especially in the case of guilt, from its cause).
Repentance is the act of turning away from something, presumably sin, and this is the natural successor of conviction; the heart is made aware of its rebellion, the mind defines this, and the will carries out a definite change. Out of such an act comes freedom. We believe that the mandates of our God serve first to give Him glory, but, through His grace, they also benefit us by freeing us from our fallen nature, which always proves to be binding. The difference between conviction and guilt is that guilt is produced through a lack of repentance. I realize that this idea is very simple, but for some reason or another I find in myself the need to write it down. Perhaps it is because through this revelation one can cease to blame God for guilt. He produces within us the distinction between right and wrong because He wants us to be set free, rebellion against what is known sets a person off balance, an unwillingness to conform to righteousness causes a disagreement within a person between what is known and what is practiced.
Therefore, it is not a mean, imposing, or joyless God who causes people to feel guilty, but rather it is a person’s unwillingness to be set free, his or her inconsistency, that causes confusion and subsequent depression. May our hearts remember that it is for freedom that we are set free, that guilt was never God’s desire for humanity, and that we will be satisfied when He is glorified.
3 comments:
You should check out "No Condemnation" by Bruce Narramore. I read most of it like 2 weeks ago. Very much in line with this post, but more application to pastoring, counseling, and parenting.
I think guilt is never good. It is not necessarily due to a lack of repentence, but to self-loathing, fear of punishment, and definitely attached to shame. (Shame being seen as bad/sinful.) I dont think god places guilt feelings in us, but i think attachment styles with our early caregivers, and especially religious teachers, contribute greatly to our experience (past and present) with guilt. It is possible that we often feel guilt feelings because in our deepest hearts, we dont understand a god who has already forgiven us and still loves us the same as before, therefore we inflict guilt on ourselves as a sort of punishment to somehow atone for our own sins. Guilt is based in self-hatred and even in our lack of belief whereas conviction is based in freedom and love for we believe our sins have already been resolved.
mark, my boy. i just found your blog. weehoo!
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