Am I Guilty

Is guilt a feeling or a condition? Often have I heard folks say, “I’ve done nothing to be forgiven for.” “Why do I need a Savior?” “I don’t feel guilty.” I’ve heard more than once of the inherent goodness that all people think is in us. I have to ask a question. Does anyone believe in the inherent goodness of a screaming two-year-old in the middle of a tantrum? Before a child is old enough to have been taught, what is their natural tendency? Do children have to be trained to obey or do they get training in disobedience? Ask a disobedient child if they feel guilty for hitting their sister, and unless they have been punished previously for it they will tell you no they don’t feel bad about it at all. Where is that inherent goodness? Sin comes naturally, with no feelings of guilt.

The Bible tells us that this is a fallen world, fallen from the presence of God because of disobedience, and that we all are born into a sinful world, whether we feel sinful (guilty) or not. Romans 3:10-18

Just as a small child needs to be trained to good behavior we all have the “sin” nature in us at birth. No one can claim that in order for a child to disobey he/she has to be trained to disobey. It comes natural. Whether we “feel” it or not, we are born guilty. We are born in sin.

The next question. Is there evil in the world? I have heard that certain members of congress and even the president are evil. I have heard those that believe in the basic goodness of humanity declare that former President Bush is evil. That could be debated endlessly. Would someone who looked into the eyes of four teenagers who brutally hacked a mother to death with a machete and stabbed and hacked her daughter nearly to death, be able to say that there is no such thing as evil? I looked at the photos, into the eyes of these four teens, and read the news reports that stated that there was no remorse in their behavior. It would seem to be true then, they feel no guilt. Think on that for a moment. With murder, lawlessness, drug abuse, and wars and killing, you are left with no other conclusion than there is indeed, evil in this world we live in.

“I have not done anything illegal or wrong since I was old enough to understand right and wrong” Really? What were your thoughts the last time someone barreled through a stop sign and you had to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision? I know what mine were the last time that happened to me. “If I could get my hands on you right this minute……..” you finish the thought. Been there done that. Or perhaps a man who has never committed an act of unfaithfulness against his wife, yet how often has he turned to look at a short skirt and thought of what he would like to do? Jesus said in Matthew 5:28 that the thought is all that is needed to be guilty of the sin. So again, is guilt a feeling or a condition? It would seem that, especially in the case of this murder that happened a few short months ago, that guilt is a condition regardless of any feelings. Or the lack thereof. It would also seem that there is the ability for evil or sin in even the very young, or innocent.

“O K. So maybe I do need some kind of forgiveness, maybe. But what kind of loving God, would allow all this evil in the world?”

Let me ask this? What kind of loving parent allows their children to make mistakes? Do parents not use the mistakes of a toddler to train children toward good behavior as they grow older. Or do they chain them down so they can never do wrong? Would a loving parent lock up their children to never experience the fullness of life or allow them the opportunity to make their own decisions? It has been said that if you love someone let them go, if they come back to you, then they are yours. If they never come back they never were yours.

God the father, our Creator, wants our love. Not because He commands it, but freely given, He desires it. Just as any parent, He warned of the result of disobedience, yet mankind disobeyed. The result is the sinful nature we are all born into. The evidence is beyond dispute. It is an evil world we live in. Otherwise good people have sinful thoughts that put them at odds with a Holy God. Throughout time mankind has proven that they could not be “good enough” to build a relationship with Almighty God. In our fallen state, we would be incinerated to be in the presence of God. It is the very nature of God that requires His separation from us to protect us. It would be the same as walking on the surface of the sun to try to be in the presence of Holy God. The very nature of God requires a covering of sin, a payment for sin.

A loving God, who desires His creation to love Him and be with Him, has provided a way for us to come to Him.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”John 3:16 & 17.

God doesn’t send people to Hell. Jesus died a horrendous death on a cross to pay the whole price for all the world’s sin. The debt is paid. The choice is ours. It is an evil world. There is sin in each of us. Forgiveness is offered to all. Jesus has it covered with His perfect sacrifice. The choice is yours to make. The Bible promises eternity for all. It is our choice where we spend it. Accept Jesus Christ as Savior, and choose life.

Simply walking in faith,
Ray