I am not sure where I heard it said that guilt is a useless emotion. It could have been the always brilliant and insightful daytime talk show hosts. Maybe it was a talk radio interview. It also could have been a TV drama or a blockbuster movie. All I know is it seemed to make sense at the time. I am follower of Christ. I’m sure it wasn’t a Christian source but still I am forgiven and my sins are as far as the east is from the west ( Psalm 103:12NIV)so guilt must be a useless emotion, right?

Pop psychology aside…

…this is much more complex than a one liner that addresses a situation in the vacuum of scripted presentations or real-life problems addressed by articulate and attractive self-help radio and TV presenters. While guilt can become a spiral into a bottomless pit paralyzing what has now become its prey, guilt also has a place, a productive place in our lives.

As followers of Christ, we can come from one of two camps.

I come from what I consider the old way of presenting Christianity. Guilt was the focus. You were guilty and because of that Jesus had to die. Not only were you guilty but you are and always will be guilty. You cannot measure up. Just be happy that Jesus forgives you but don’t get too cozy in your faith. You are a sinner, and you need to stop sinning, but you can’t.

There seems to be a new camp that has taken over. Lack of guilt is the focus. You are not guilty because Jesus loves you no matter what and died for you because you are so special. You don’t need to think of yourself as guilty. You don’t need to think about measuring up. You are fine just the way you are. Just be happy because your buddy Jesus loves you. You were a sinner but now you are okay. You don’t need to do anything, Jesus loves you just the way you are.

Both camps are not wrong.

We are sinners who keep on sinning. We are declared free of guilt because Jesus took on our sin, the reason for our guilt and paid the price we should have paid. We cannot measure up nor can we, through what we do, remove any of the guilt we have. Jesus is our friend, and He loved us before we loved Him, so it is right to say He loves us just the way we are.

I guess based on that, guilt is a useless emotion.

First let’s get something straight. Everything I have said so far lacks emotion. While I have been talking about guilt as a response to our actions, I have not been talking about guilt as an emotional state. I believe that everyone messes up. This is a matter of indisputable truth. I am not amoral or a moral nihilist which means I believe there is a transcendent set of morals that regardless of faith or upbringing appear to exist in what I can best describe as a feeling; this is or is not the way one should act. I am a follower of Christ so I believe that the ways in which I should and should not act are defined by the Creator of the universe. I love God. I love Him with all my heart (being). This means I feel an emotional attachment to Him and experience joy when I act in the way God wants me to act and guilt when I do what is not pleasing to Him.

Guilt is a very useful emotion.

My understanding of how much God loves me comes from the guilt I feel when I do something that does not please Him. It is guilt that brings me to the foot of the cross in repentance. To not feel guilt is to misunderstand God’s grace and miss out on the joy of salvation. Paul made it clear that he never lost sight of his guilt. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 1 Timothy 1:15 (NIV)

Guilt becomes a useless emotion when it’s all we have.

Unaddressed guilt will kill you, at least figuratively if not literally. The emotion of guilt if left to fester, is the tool of Satan. Here’s the thing; Satan is the father of lies but a good liar always uses truth. When Satan accuses us, he is only pointing out how far we have fallen short of God’s standards, and he is right! If your guilt is the driver of your repentance, then God’s grace will define your state of mind. If your guilt is the driver of your guilt (you spiral) then Satan’s evil will define your state of mind. Stuck in your guilt, guilt becomes a useless even destructive emotion unless you are Satan, then it becomes a very useful tool in bringing destruction.

Those who never want to feel guilt will never feel God’s love in its fullest.

Guilt should not define who we are in Christ but rather remind us why we need to be in Christ. I am guilty and it breaks my heart that I continue to do things that require that word to be used in reference to me. At the same time I am not only forgiven but I am striving to live the way God wants me to live because I do not want to let guilt define me until it becomes a useless or even destructive emotion. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 (NIV)