Obtaining Victory Over Sin - NetBibleStudy.com

Victory Over Sin 21God’s Principles for Handling GuiltGod’s will for us is that we be free from all forms of guilt. He who is rich inmercy anticipated our moral and emotional entanglements. Fortunately, God is nevertaken by surprise. He offers us freedom from a nagging conscience. May I suggest threesteps toward finding this freedom?1. Identify the cause of our guilt feelings.Often this can be done easily – an immoral habit, cheating on income tax – (orother acts of dishonesty), harsh angry words to someone – these sources ofguilt are quite easy to identify. Some have found it helpful to list their causesof guilt on a sheet of paper and then deal with each one specifically to put itbehind them, once and for all.I should warn you that it is possible to experience “false guilt,” and bringtorment upon one’s self for matters that are beyond their control. For instance,a woman and her three-year-old daughter stood at a curb, waiting to cross thestreet. The child asked, “Mother, can I go now?” Absentmindedly, the motheranswered, “Yes.” Seconds later, she watch in horror as her three-year-olddaughter was crushed to death by on oncoming truck. The horror of that eventwill never be erased from this mother’s mind.She was plagued with guilt, an incredible feeling of regret and anger at herself.These feelings came because this mother could not forgive herself. God doesnot convict us for an error in judgment, but rather for consciously choosing tosin. This mother needed to forgive herself and to realize that self-incriminationis not what God desires.To deal with guilt feelings, we need to bring them into the open where we candeal with them. Then ask our self honestly, “Why do I feel guilty?”2. Realize that God’s remedy for sin is complete!In Christ, God anticipated all or our feelings, discouragements, and failures.Christ’s death on the cross included a sacrifice for all our sins – past, present,and future. Every sin we will ever commit has already been paid for. All of oursins were future when Christ died 2,000 years ago. There is no sin that we willever commit that has not already been included in Christ’s death (SeeColossians 2:13)God does not find it hard to forgive. It is not as though He regrets giving us asecond chance. The price for forgiveness has already been paid, and Godwants us to accept it freely.An atheist once asked Billy Graham, “If Hitler had received Christ on his deathbed,would he have gone to heaven, whereas someone who lived a good life but rejectedChrist would go to hell?” It was a trick question. It was asked in such a way as tomake the Gospel appear ridiculous. But the answer is “Yes!” If Hitler wouldhave accepted Christ, God could have forgiven him completely, because