Conviction versus Guilt

One of Satan’s greatest victories has been the mythology of objective truth.

Do you know that the root cause of crippling false guilt is the imagination that you have transgressed some objective standard? That you will have to deal with that grouchy Norse deity that Satan has given us as the replacement for the God of the Bible? And that said Norse deity is implacable, legalistic and nit-picking, always seeking an excuse to crush us?

I’m in no position to rebuild your mind. I can’t reach inside and readjust your consciousness and your unexamined sense of reality. All I can do is tell you what I’ve experienced of God’s truth.

When we sin, it is personal. It is a personal affront to God, not failure of some objective standard. His Laws are not like that. They are personal and vivid and highly contextual in many ways. False guilt leads you to seek a path to pay, to recompense for loss, as if you were someone’s insurance company or lawyer for tort claims. That’s the wrong approach. Real guilt and a sense of conviction for sin is a matter of broken communion. What you must do is develop a sense of personal loyalty, not legalistic compliance.

When God said, “Come, let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18) about transgressions, it was all about you and God face to face, a personal relationship. We have those words in song, but still the image of an implacable God persists in our culture. It’s wrong. False guilt is imposed by far lesser beings seeking to control you for their own ends. Learn to reject it. It’s not about turning around to follow the rules, but it’s about restoring a broken heart. The proper context is Ancient Near Eastern feudalism; you are accountable personally to your Lord.

The Law of Moses was loaded with exemptions and various means of offering a token sacrifice, not an offering of some imaginary equal value, but a token of sorrow, a mere symbol. Sin costs; blood is the price because it violates the fundamental moral character of God woven into Creation. Now, since Christ, the final and ultimate price in His blood has been paid. All it needs is genuine love for God, a moral desire to be faithful to Him. He knows what temptations you face and is willing to look past your weakness, but it means facing Him, not hiding somewhere.

Boldly come before the Throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16).