Guilty not Guilty

 

Wake the Faith up Slayer… This is Garth Heckman with the David Alliance and you can reach me at

TDAgiantslayer@gmail.com 

 

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Lesbians at the Michaels Frozen Custard.. I don’t do guilt. 

 

The bible does not really have a word it uses for guilt as a feeling… and that is where we typically struggle- right? We feel guilty because of something we did, but the truth is we don’t feel guilt over the act of sinning… but rather the consequences… let me explain. 

 

 

“This word and its many derivatives focus our attention on the full impact of guilt, which always involves three distinct aspects: (1) there is an act that brings guilt, We did something (2) there is the condition of guilt that results from the act - we are now guilty, and (3) there is the punishment that is appropriate to the act.” We must not face the cause and effect of being guilty. (Encyclopedia of Bible Words, 322)

In the Old Testament the concept is quite relational. An action puts a breach within a relationship and amends must be made. This is the judicial component of guilt.  it is now our obligation to someone, as well as our being answerable for our wrongdoing and liable for punishment. 

 

So what???

The overarching concept of guilt, then, is that humanity has acted in such a way that brought a breach to relationship with God, self, and others, as well as transgressed a moral code which places us in debt to another. The feelings of guilt, then, are but one of the results of this breach. We feel guilty because we are guilty. 

Or we feel guilty because we feel the negative affects on the relationship. Guilt always is worse in a relationship… Now you might say… I felt guilty eating a piece of cake… I would argue that this is self guilt - between you and you, by breaking a promise or standard you held. And or, it is guilt by how you think others see you in relationships and you now feel like you have let them down in the relationship by eating cake… I mean really… they would like me and I would have a better relationship with them if I had not eaten the cake.

 

i know this is nit picky… but understand this as we look to David in Psalm 32 

In Psalm 32 David speaks of his experience of “keeping silent” and as a result his “bones wasted away.” But then he says “I acknowledged my sin to you and I did not cover my iniquity” and as a result he walked in forgiveness and it is implied that this “heaviness” was removed from his spirit. 

 

His actions caused guilt between he and God… that is the relationship effect right there. but what we sometimes miss is the beauty of guilt… right here in this verse. 

Guilt was like a beeping truck backing up… warning, warning… guilt is a gift in that is warns us of relationships what are starting to go off rail. So when feeling guilty, thank God for that feeling and then confess your guilt to God and ask him to restore your relationship with him or others… and he will! It is amazing the beauty of guilt when you see it that way.