Accepting grace from God makes us always feel happy and humble. We have two options: running away from God and His grace or come to God with everything that makes us guilty and give all that to Him. This is because, without the opportunity to receive grace, we would be overrun with guilt.
“For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
We have grace even if we commit mistakes. This does not mean that we have an excuse to sin; we know we will be forgiven.
This means that grace is a gift from God. James 1:17 chapter 1, says that every good and perfect gift comes from above, which means from God. God gave us the perfect gift when He sent His Son to die for us so that we can be reconciled with our Creator.
We are in the state of grace always because we have Jesus Christ in our lives. Grace is above all a gratuitous gift from God. We have to be grateful for such a gift.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Our guilt can lead us to repentance if we let it, or we can sit and stew in our guilt and let it destroy us. In Ephesians 1:5-6, St. Paul says, “He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.”
The Bible also says, “We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding” (Ephesians 1:7-8).
Guilt may be just another word for sin. Thus, when we let that sin go in to our hearts, it becomes close to us and we declare we don’t deserve God’s grace.
Our feelings lie to us too. When that sin or guilt reaches your heart, it wants to stay in and take root there. The weeds take root when you are attempting to plant something useful. Guilt will attempt to ruin the good plants that you may have planted previously.
It is more important to be rooted in God’s Word because at any moment the enemy will try to intervene. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Even more so we are vulnerable in our own ungodly desires. James 1:14 says, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” So, when guilt produces more guilt, we are even more tempted to give into ungodly desires.
But when we understand grace and how we should view it, we can be saved from our cycle of guilt. Therefore, how should we view grace? We should view it as a gift and not of our own doing (Ephesians 2:8-9).
If you view God negatively then you’ll view grace as something undeserving, which is not the case because grace is a free gift given because God loves us and wants us back.
The Bible says in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Rather we run away from the grace and God, we can approach God together with everything that makes us guilty and offer up to Him. Because without such an opportunity to receive grace, we would be overrun with guilt. The sorrow that follows this guilt only leads to spiritual destruction.
So, if guilt is sin, then what is grief; and how do we distinguish between how the world perceives grief and how the Bible sees it? Well, worldly grief gives us a negative connotation that leads us to view grief with different meanings. But godly grief gives us only one meaning and that is it leads us to repentance.
We are to repent, to turn away from guilt or sin that has trapped us. In 2 Corinthians 7:10, it is said, “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death”.
Worldly grief can affect our emotions, our choices and decisions, and our relationships. It is no wonder that godly grief produces only repentance and enables to be in the right standing with God.
The Bible says there is no regret in the grief that you had because its results can produce godly things like fear of the Lord. Godly grief can lead you to salvation whereas worldly grief only produces spiritual death.
Grace is a gift that we do not deserve but is granted, but God has given this good and perfect gift because He loves us and wants us to be reconciled with Him (Romans 5:10). So, remember to humble yourself in all circumstances.
Trust God for what He has given you when you are in your negative mindset. Finally, don’t be swayed by this world and its negative impulses. Let God’s Word fill you and learn to rely on Him and not on this world.
Therefore, we are ambassadors of Christ; God makes His appeal through us. We implore on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).
A Prayer
God the Father, we love you and thank you for this reconciliation that you have given us through Christ Jesus. Father, I pray that even though our feelings and emotions tell us the opposite of what you say in your Word, that we trust you.
Father, I pray for all of us who are struggling in sin and guilt and that we give these things to you. I thank you Lord and give all praise, glory, and honor to you, God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.