overcoming GUILT

GUILT: Everyone falls short of God's standards and their own standards and guilt is the emotion we feel when we know we have fallen short. The Bible says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The only way to find relief from genuine guilt is through forgiveness through Jesus. The world does not offer a solution to this problem other than minimizing and rationalizing it away. But, Jesus is able to forgive you for all of your sins and failures so that you are clean in God's eyes.

the difference between guilt and shame

GENUINE GUILT:  Guilt is how we feel when we know that we have failed and done wrong. If we lie to someone, if we steal something, if we commit adultery or fornication, or do something that we know is wrong, we should feel guilty. Guilt is a fact-based emotion that result when we do wrong and we violate God's laws or even our own moral standards.  Those who believe in God and in the Bible know that God has righteous standard, such as the ten commandments, and they know that God will judge us one day for our sins.  Romans 6:23 says, "The wages (penalty) of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life (and forgiveness) in Christ Jesus our Lord."  The only genuine solution to genuine guilt is a spiritual solution, forgiveness through the death of Jesus who died to pay for our sins.


SHAME:  Shame will be discussed in the next section of this website. Shame is false guilt, or guilt about something for which you have already been forgiven. If you confess your sins to God, He promises to forgive you.  In 1 John 1:9 the Bible says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." If you have sincerely confessed your sins to the Lord, but you still feel guilty, you probably have feelings of shame. Go to the next section of this website to learn how to overcome feelings of shame and to be "cleansed from all unrighteousness."

overcoming genuine guilt

Can You Be Sure that You are Forgiven?

Many people believe that it is not possible to be certain about their eternal destiny, but the Bible says “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 Jn. 5:13).The reason it is possible to know if we have eternal life is that it is not based upon our works. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “By grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not as the result of works so that no one can boast.” This means that our salvation is not based upon baptism or any other good works. There are four things you need to know to be sure of your relationship with God.


1) God Loves You

The Bible says that “When the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done” (Titus 3:4). This means that He personally loves each of us and offers salvation that is not based on our deeds or our good works. The Bible also says, “He desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth,” and “He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (1 Tim. 2:9, 2 Peter 3:9). This means that He wants you to spend eternity with Him in heaven.

This is good news, but there is something that prevents God from just allowing you into heaven.

and offers salvation that is not based on our deeds or our good works. The Bible also says, “He desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth,” and “He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (1 Tim. 2:9, 2 Peter 3:9). This means that He wants you to spend eternity with Him in heaven.


2) You Have Sinned and Fallen Short

In Romans 3:23 the Bible says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” and in Romans 6:23 it says, “The wages [penalty] of sin is death.”

The Bible says that our sins separate us from God and “all our acts of righteousness are as filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6). So, even our attempts to do good are tainted by sin.

Jesus taught that it is not only sin to murder but to have anger toward someone and to call them a fool (Matt. 5:22). He also said that lusting after a woman is the same as committing adultery with her (Matt. 5:28) and that you should “love your enemies” (Matt. 5:44).

The fact is that no one but Jesus is good enough to go to heaven.


3) Jesus Died for You

Jesus was sinless and proved He was God’s Son by doing miracles such as healing the blind and raising the dead. Because he was perfect and sinless He rose from the dead and He died in our place so that we could be forgiven. The Bible says,“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish [in hell], but have everlasting Life” John 3:16

It is only through Jesus’ death that we can be forgiven and go to heaven. The penalty of sin is death (eternal separation from God) but Jesus died for us to pay that penalty. There is only one thing that we must do to be forgiven and have eternal life.


4) You Must Receive Him

According to the Bible we can never be good enough or earn our way to heaven, but we must believe in Jesus and accept the gift of forgiveness that He offers through His death for us. John 1:12 says, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.”

In Revelation 3: 20 Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.”


You can do that right now by saying a simple prayer such as follows:

“Lord Jesus. Thank you for loving me and dying for my sins. I confess that I am a sinner and have fallen short. I ask You to please forgive me through your blood and I invite You to come into my life. Amen.”


Have you ever sincerely prayed a prayer like this? If so you can be 100% sure that you are forgiven for all of your sins and you will go to heaven when you die! If not, pray right now and invite Jesus in. Once He comes into your heart He says, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).


OVERCOMING GUILT AFTER SALVATION: 

When you sin He will just discipline you as a son (Hebrews 12:7) but He will never reject you. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”


Now that you are forgiven and saved the Lord also wants to set you free! To learn how to be set free from feelings that rob you of joy and peace continue going through this website and give God all of your negative feelings and allow Him to replace it with His peace.  Then thank Him for setting you free and begin following Him by praying, reading the Bible, and attending church so that you can grow.