Grace, not Guilt
I imagine there are plenty of Christians who rarely feel the sting of conscience or the pangs of regret. But I also know many, many Christians (including the one I see in the mirror every morning) who easily feel bad for all the things they are not doing or are doing less than perfectly. In fact, I’m convinced most serious Christians live their lives with an almost constant low-level sense of guilt.
What do we do with all this behind the scenes guilt? We don’t feel stop-dead-in-our-tracks kind of remorse for these things. But these shortcomings can have a cumulative effect whereby even the mature Christian can feel like he’s rather disappointing to God, maybe just barely even a Christian.
Here’s the tricky part: we should feel guilty sometimes because sometimes we are guilty of sin. Moreover, complacency as Christians is a real danger, especially here at home in America.
But yet, I don’t believe God redeemed us through the blood of his Son that we might feel like constant failures. Do Peter and John post-Pentecost seemed racked with self-loathing and introspective fear? Does Paul seem constantly concerned that he could be doing more? Amazingly enough, Paul actually says at one point in 1 Corintians 4:4, “I am not aware of anything against myself.” He’s quick to add, “I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.”
It sure seems like Paul put his head on the pillow at night with a clean conscience. So why do so many Christian feel, like me, guilty all the time?
I've come up with four possibilities:
Beware of constant guilt: With it we tend to learn to ignore our conscience. If we are truly sinning, we need to repent and implore the Lord to help us change.
But if we aren’t sinning, if we are perhaps not as mature as we could be, or are not as disciplined as some believers, or we are making different choices that may be acceptable but not extraordinary, then we should not be made to feel guilty. Challenged, stirred, inspired, but not guilty.
As a fellow Christian brother I don’t expect that everyone in my circle of Christian friends should feel awful about everything I talk or write about. It is ok, after all, for people to actually be obedient to God’s commands. Not perfectly, not without some mixed motives, not as fully as they could be, but still faithfully, God-pleasingly obedient.
Faithful daily lives do not require that sincere Christians feel miserable all the time. In fact, the best behaviors ought to make sincere Christians see more of Christ and reflect His light to others so everyone can experience more of His grace.
Deeper grace will produce better gratitude, which means less guilt. And that’s a good thing all the way around.
Let us pray -
Help us, Father, because, like all the children of men. We need your daily grace. Yesterday’s blessings can encourage but if forgotten will not take care of the burdens we'll face today.
May we know You as the Shepherd of our lives and eternal souls. May our fears be dissolved by faith in Your Son and through the power of His love.
Help your men to love and manifest the spirit of love in all circumstances and to all people we meet. May our lives be a glory to You Father, a help to my fellow-man, and rewarding to ourselves in the Glory of Your Greatness.
In Your Son's most holy name we pray,
Amen Jesus! Amen. Amen!
Scripture -
John 1:14
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
What do we do with all this behind the scenes guilt? We don’t feel stop-dead-in-our-tracks kind of remorse for these things. But these shortcomings can have a cumulative effect whereby even the mature Christian can feel like he’s rather disappointing to God, maybe just barely even a Christian.
Here’s the tricky part: we should feel guilty sometimes because sometimes we are guilty of sin. Moreover, complacency as Christians is a real danger, especially here at home in America.
But yet, I don’t believe God redeemed us through the blood of his Son that we might feel like constant failures. Do Peter and John post-Pentecost seemed racked with self-loathing and introspective fear? Does Paul seem constantly concerned that he could be doing more? Amazingly enough, Paul actually says at one point in 1 Corintians 4:4, “I am not aware of anything against myself.” He’s quick to add, “I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.”
It sure seems like Paul put his head on the pillow at night with a clean conscience. So why do so many Christian feel, like me, guilty all the time?
I've come up with four possibilities:
- We don’t fully embrace the good news of the Gospel.
- Some Christians tend to motivate each other by guilt rather than the gift of Grace.
- Most of our low-level guilt falls under the ambiguous category of “not doing enough.”
- When we are truly guilty of sin we do not repent to receive God’s mercy.
Beware of constant guilt: With it we tend to learn to ignore our conscience. If we are truly sinning, we need to repent and implore the Lord to help us change.
But if we aren’t sinning, if we are perhaps not as mature as we could be, or are not as disciplined as some believers, or we are making different choices that may be acceptable but not extraordinary, then we should not be made to feel guilty. Challenged, stirred, inspired, but not guilty.
As a fellow Christian brother I don’t expect that everyone in my circle of Christian friends should feel awful about everything I talk or write about. It is ok, after all, for people to actually be obedient to God’s commands. Not perfectly, not without some mixed motives, not as fully as they could be, but still faithfully, God-pleasingly obedient.
Faithful daily lives do not require that sincere Christians feel miserable all the time. In fact, the best behaviors ought to make sincere Christians see more of Christ and reflect His light to others so everyone can experience more of His grace.
Deeper grace will produce better gratitude, which means less guilt. And that’s a good thing all the way around.
Let us pray -
Help us, Father, because, like all the children of men. We need your daily grace. Yesterday’s blessings can encourage but if forgotten will not take care of the burdens we'll face today.
May we know You as the Shepherd of our lives and eternal souls. May our fears be dissolved by faith in Your Son and through the power of His love.
Help your men to love and manifest the spirit of love in all circumstances and to all people we meet. May our lives be a glory to You Father, a help to my fellow-man, and rewarding to ourselves in the Glory of Your Greatness.
In Your Son's most holy name we pray,
Amen Jesus! Amen. Amen!
Scripture -
John 1:14
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
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