Guilt: a word that may or\nmay not figure too much in your thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018An awareness of having done wrong or committed a crime, accompanied by feelings of shame and regret\u2019<\/em> (Thanks to Encarta Dictionary: UK)<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we think of guilt we may\nthink of law courts. Recently a fire officer, distraught and devastated at not\nrescuing those trapped in a burning building, used the word \u2018guilt\u2019. He \u2018felt\nguilty\u2019. It is possible to feel guilty\nfor a number of reasons, as guilt carries with it a set of feelings that are\nassociated with shame, regret, sorrow, pain and injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a small minority\nof people who commit acts and they have no remorse, no feelings of wrong and have\nno regret. I wonder if with the decision to condemn Jesus to death Pilate had\nany remorse, regrets; or even negative thoughts? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of us will be\nfamiliar with the word, Sin. A very powerful word. I\u2019m not going to try and explain it, look it\nup and fix it in your mind, When I became a Christian the word sin came into my\nvocabulary, until then the word was a religious word and meant nothing to me.\nBut guilt was a friend that I knew, it revealed itself when I did something\nthat was wrong or felt wrong; like nicking a mars bar from the sweetie shop!\nYes, I confess and live in hope that the police have lost the trail\u2026 But I\ncouldn\u2019t say I was committing a sin, I just felt guilty. And I think that this\nis the point, guilt brings out feelings. Guilt and feelings are bedfellows. In\nmy history of being aware of right and wrong there is buried from sight those\nmoments when, (and only if I dare to look) there are still feelings attached to\nthings that I have done that make me feel guilty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No I didn\u2019t murder anyone,\nbecome a slave trader, smuggle drugs or any other major crime. I know there are\npeople who do these things and worse. And there are those who having met with\nthe saving power of Jesus and having renounced act\u2019s that generate the bedfellows\nof guilt and feelings, still feel the shadow of guilt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For some reason guilt\ncontinues to be a shadow from the past even though I am forgiven and have been\nborn again through the death and resurrection of Jesus. I am a new creation.\nThe shadow persists and when it reveals itself it can remind me that I am\nguilty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a shadow from\nthe past that brings on feelings of guilt I believe I have the answer. Well not\nliterally me; as you might expect when we turn to Gods word He has the answer, the\nantidote to cure the shadow that rears its head and plagues us, the shadow of\nguilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the bible the book\ncalled Psalms, Chapter 32 second part of verse 5 we read this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI said, \u2018I will confess my transgressions to the Lord \u2013 and\nyou forgave the guilt of my sin.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wow! That\u2019s just the best\ngood news; \u2018You forgive the guilt of my\nsin<\/em>.\u2019 I don\u2019t need to carry the shadow of feeling guilty. So not only do I\nknow the love of Jesus and his salvation, Jesus forgives the guilt of my sin.\nThe burden has been lifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter whether it\u2019s caused by a stolen mars bar or something much more horrendous, the guilt I felt and its associated feelings have been forgiven. It\u2019s a great verse; \u2018You forgave the guilt of my sin.\u2019 Thank you Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image Credit: Jason Betz<\/p>\n