All honest and uncalloused people know what it is to feel guilt for past wrongs, mistakes, and missteps. We’re familiar with the haunting questions that often accompany our transgressions: Can I make this right? Is it possible to fix what I’ve now broken? What does my error say about me? Am I beyond redemption? Will I ever feel bad enough to make up for the damage I’ve done?
While many try to buffer against feelings of guilt by avoiding, normalizing, or justifying wrongdoings, those who believe in the God of the Bible cannot because he has said that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). Christians know that we are guilty before our Creator. But what do we do with that guilt? Are God’s children to let it burden us, muting our worship and stifling our usefulness? Must our iniquities weigh us down, robbing joy and stealing freedom? How can guilty people can live with a Christ-cleansed conscience?
