Life’s trials
Some guilt fades by morning. Some does not. There are things we have done, or failed to do, that come back to us for years, and no amount of keeping busy makes them go away. What can be done with a guilty conscience?
“let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience” (Hebrews 10:22)
Why do I feel so guilty?
Because God has made you a moral being, with a conscience. Paul says that people show “the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness” (Romans 2:15). Conscience is like an alarm. It tells us when we have done wrong, towards other people and, above all, towards God.
It is not a perfect alarm. It can ring over things that are not sins, and it can fall silent over things that are. That is why it needs to be taught by the Bible. But when your conscience accuses you of what God’s word calls sin, it is telling you the truth.
What effect is guilt having on me?
Guilt that is not dealt with does not stay still. It makes us hide: from God, from church, from anyone who reminds us of Him. It can make us hard, as we learn to silence the alarm. And it wears us down. David wrote of the time when he would not own up to his sin: “When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long” (Psalm 32:3).
What practical use is a conscience?
A guilty conscience can do us the greatest good, if it drives us to Christ as pain drives us to a doctor.
Luke tells of “a sinful woman” who came to Jesus while He was at a meal. “As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears” (Luke 7:37–38). The respectable host was shocked that Jesus let her near. But Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven”, and, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:48, 50). She came with nothing but her guilt and her trust in Him, and she went away forgiven.
Can a bad conscience find comfort?
Yes, and only in one place. Our conscience cannot be quietened by trying harder, or by time, or by comparing ourselves with others. It can only be cleansed.
That is what Hebrews 10:22 is speaking of. The picture is of blood sprinkled, and it means the death of Jesus applied to us. On the cross He bore the guilt of everyone who trusts in Him. Because the penalty has been paid, God forgives justly, and completely. David found it so: “I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).
So do what he did. Stop hiding. Confess your sin to God, turn from it, and trust in Christ alone. You will be forgiven at once, whether or not you feel it at once. Forgiveness rests on what Christ has done, and not on how we feel.
If you belong to Christ
Christians sin, and Christians feel guilty. When you do, do not run from God. Run to Him. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
And when an old sin, long confessed, rises up to accuse you again, answer it with God’s word: “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
If you have wronged someone, and it is in your power to put it right, do so. That is the fruit of forgiveness. It is not the price of it.
Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which is in the public domain. They keep its American spelling.