Guilt Scripture
Guilt Scriptures and Article
Suggested Scriptures:
John 1:9 "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world."
Romans 8:1-4 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
Psalm 32:5 "I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin."
Romans 10:9-13 "Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Introduction:
When inquirers tell you that they are dealing with guilt, it can be difficult to know how to respond. It might be they feel needless guilt, but it could be that they feel guilt for good reason. Either way, they need resolution from the helplessness that guilt feelings bring.
What to Share:
God's Word has a lot to say about guilt. In the Old Testament, God directed His people to offer sacrifices for forgiveness from the offences they committed. He called their sacrifices "guilt offerings."
David sang in Psalm 32:5: "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the guilt of my sin."(ESV)
We should emphasize the importance of confession to the inquirer Our approach as 1-2-1 Connectors should be to help inquirers find relief from guilt through confessing their sins to God. That might be more difficult than it sounds since some people do not understand the reality of sin. That's why we encourage 1-2-1 Connectors to avoid using religious sounding words like "iniquity" and" transgressions" when describing what they should do.
So, if you are encouraging your inquirer to confess their sins, simply say, "I have great news for you! You can talk to God and ask Him to forgive you for any wrongs you have done. When you do, He will remove the pain of those things and take away the guilt you feel." The author of Hebrews states: "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water."
When we share this with our inquirer, we might begin by providing them with some background that explains the sacrificial system of the Old Testament.Here is one example: "In the Old Testament (written before Jesus Christ came as our Savior) God commanded people to offer sacrifices to find relief from their guilt. Because of Christ, we find that same relief simply by asking God for it." "God honors the prayer you pray because of what Jesus did for you when He settled the problem between God and mankind. When a Christian prays, our guilt is gone because Christ paid the price for our wrong actions." One Bible writer told us that we can come boldly to God without guilt because He already cleansed our hearts to remove our guilt." (Heb.10:22)(ESV)
Without going into too much detail, it may be helpful to refer to the relief you felt when God forgave your sins. Remind the inquirer that "when we confess our sin, God is faithful and just and will forgive sin and purify us from all unrighteousness."(I John 1:9)(ESV) It rests on His efforts, not ours.
Conclusion:
Unresolved guilt hurts people. As 1-2-1 Connectors, we cannot offer forgiveness ourselves, but we can direct people toward forgiveness. God removes guilt by allowing people to confess their wrongdoing and giving them access to the forgiveness provided by Jesus Christ.