One of the Bible’s greatest attributes is that the characters it describes are presented realistically — that is, you see them as they are – warts and all. Take David, king of ancient Israel, for example, who spied Bathsheba, a married woman, bathing on a nearby rooftop. Lust consumed him so totally that he committed adultery with her, arranged for her husband to be killed in battle, and took her for himself.
The account of this notorious sin has one central theme: a broken relationship with God. He successfully hid the guilt he felt from others – that is, until the prophet Nathan exposed his sin to him. Psalm 51 tells us that David dealt with his guilt constructively by confessing his sin to God: “Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4 NIV).
Guilt is an early warning sign of danger, the first hint that something is wrong. “Man is the only animal that blushes — or needs to,” observed Mark Twain. A guilty conscience presents itself as an inner voice that clamors for our attention, and it can have a powerful effect on both our body and our emotions.
Some psychologists believe that guilt is a bad thing. They believe religion is the culprit that causes their clients to feel guilty. They suggest that we would all be better off if we could learn to overcome our feelings of guilt. They see the pain produced by guilt as a bad thing. The truth is that pain can be a very positive thing. It lets us know that something needs our immediate attention.
Guilt reminds us that we are moral beings who are accountable to God. Like everything else in our disordered world, guilt is subject to misuse. Instead of serving as a prod to deal with a problem, it can sometimes become the problem. False guilt occurs when a person punishes himself or herself for not measuring up to somebody else’s standards – perhaps a parent’s or the church’s or society’s standard. True guilt occurs when a person becomes aware of not measuring up to God’s standards.
A fourteenth century mystic, Dorothy of Montau, wept for hours after realizing she had committed the “sin” of wanting to eat a piece of spiced fish. Martin Luther, in his early days as a monk, would literally tire his confessors out by confessing the most miniscule sins and unhealthy thoughts. “My son,” his exasperated advisor said, “God is not angry with you: it is you who is angry with God. Eventually, Luther came to see that his constant fear of sinning actually showed a lack of faith.
Just as our physical bodies speak loudly through pain so that we will attend to an injury site, our conscience speaks through the language of guilt so that we will take the necessary steps for healing. The goal of both is to restore health. When we feel the twinge of conscience, we should ask ourselves, “Have I sinned against God or against others?” If the answer is yes – we should not ignore or repress the guilt it has caused. We should admit it, confess it, and experience God’s forgiveness.
Those who feel no guilt cannot ever find healing. The same is true for those who wallow in guilt. The designed purpose of guilt is to push us in the direction of finding a cure. Fortunately, a cure for the guilt that sin produces is available. “If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9) NIV).
Notice the word “ALL” in that verse. Sins that are confessed to God are forgiven – ALL of them, not just SOME of them. They have become nonexistent in His eyes. Sins that God has forgiven have been totally erased, cancelled, expunged, wiped out – in other words, gone. When sin disappears joy arrives on the scene.
The Paper Pulpit 
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