Freedom from Real and False Guilt

 Psychologists warn us about the toxic effects of guilt. But many preachers condemn psychologists because they want to explain away feelings of guilt as neuroses, instead of recognising our guilt in God's eyes.

In reality, all people are guilty because we disrespect God and treat our fellow human beings unjustly.
 
When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they immediately became guilty because they disobeyed God.

But their feelings of guilt were also partly neurotic and false. They were ashamed to be naked, even though it was not a sin to be naked together as man and wife.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.

And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;

but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” Ge 2:15–17 NRSV

Then Eve was deceived by the devil's lies.

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die;

for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Ge 3:4–5 NRSV

That was a lie. Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, and immediately they became unable to properly discern good from evil, because it was not a sin to be naked.

We still see this confusion. There are women in Africa who walk around with bare breasts without feeling guilty, and there are women in the Middle East who feel guilty if they don't wear a headscarf.

Jesus died on the cross to free us from our sin and guilt.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Is 53:6 NRSV

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn 1:8–9 NRSV

But many Christians confess their sins and still remain burdened by feelings of guilt. They still feel guilty, even though God promises that their sins are forgiven.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Ro 8:1 NRSV

They are plagued by shame, unworthiness and self-loathing.

A woman sins or is raped and has an unwanted child. The child always feels unwanted and rejected. Children like this often feel responsible for their mother's suffering

The child feels guilty about his or her own existence. If the child then really does sin, there is never any forgiveness in his own eyes.

It is well known that women who have been abused or raped are often rejected and judged by others. They then feel guilty, even though they were actually victims.

When Adam and Eve sinned, they broke off their close relationship with God. Without a loving relationship with God, they could not clearly distinguish between good and evil.

Are you burdened by guilt and shame? Jesus wants to invite you to come to him so that he can forgive you completely and heal your deeply wounded soul.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28 NRSV

Why are we here?

So many people consider themselves wise because they are sceptical. They believe in a scientifically confirmed reality.

The achievements of modern science and technology are truly amazing. 

We know so much now that was completely unknown a hundred or two hundred years ago.
But there are still many mysteries that the best scientists do not understand.

What is dark matter? There is a lot of matter in space that no instrument can identify, but scientists tell us that this invisible matter must be there because otherwise many gravitational phenomena are inexplicable.

We know that matter is made of atoms, that atoms are composed of protons, neutrons and electrons, and many other things that I don't understand because I'm not a scientist. 

We fly from Europe to Australia in 20 hours and use laptops on the plane.

The achievements of scientists have seduced us into thinking we are amazingly intelligent, even though we understand so little.

Educated scientists and technicians can explain a lot. They understand how things work, but when confronted with existential fears, we are in the dark. In the end, even scientists are only mortal human beings.

What happens when we die? Doctors can explain how our bodies shut down when we die, but what comes after that?

We imagine that we understand things that we don't understand at all, but we have a kind of religious faith in the supposed omniscience of scientists.

For many people, science is the new religion. Even if we don't understand this alleged reality, we trust our high priests, the scientists.

Why does anything exist at all? The best scientists have no better answers than toddlers.

Albert Einstein was led to believe in God through his studies. Without God, everything makes no sense.

But if we understand everything as God's creation, how can we explain the existence of evil?

How can God be good if he is the creator and allows so much evil? I can find the answer only in the Bible.

Have you read the Bible with an open heart? I find that the Bible is the only remedy that can save us from hopelessness.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV84

Knowing Good from Evil

We must know the difference between good and evil, otherwise we will be lost. But how are we to learn this?

Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognise the difference between right and wrong. Hebrews 5:14 NLT

but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:17 NIV84

“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.
“For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4–5 NIV84

God created Adam and Eve. He made them in God's image, innocent and without defects of any kind. God placed them in a beautiful garden where nothing was tainted, nothing could be sick. 

Adam and Eve were designed to be happy and immortal.

But there was a problem. Lucifer, the highest archangel, had already become evil by abusing his freewill, and he had recruited a host of rebellious angels to his demonic army.

Because Adam and Eve were to rule the new earth, they needed knowledge of this battle against evil spirits, but God had not explained everything to them in the beginning.

God's first priority for the first humans was different. Their first priority was to get to know God Himself better. They needed to learn everything step by step from God Himself.

The fruit of the forbidden tree would instantly give the same knowledge of good and evil that God Himself had, according to Satan.

Did Eve understand this? The concept of ``evil'' would be completely incomprehensible to Eve if God had not explained some of it to her beforehand, but God had only taught the basic steps.

We are not called to know everything at once and always be right. We are called to know God Himself better and better as our Father, Friend and Guide.

There are police experts who are trained to identify counterfeit money. Do you think they study many specimens of forged currency? No. They study real banknotes in the finest detail.

We have only one way to recognise and reject everything that is against God. We can find this way only in close communion with God Himself.

And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:3 NRSV

… we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3 NRSV

If we do not cultivate this close personal fellowship with God from the beginning, we will lose our way in life.

We can rely on our own Bible knowledge. Bible knowledge is indispensable, but without fellowship with God and the leading of the Holy Spirit, you will only become dry and religious like the Pharisees who persecuted Jesus.

This is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

... but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:17 NIV84

During his earthly lifetime, Jesus challenged his disciples to follow him. This often literally meant going around with Jesus himself.

We can no longer walk with Jesus physically, but He has offered us His Holy Spirit to be our companion and guide.

If you want to hold fast to God's Word without being daily acquainted with the guidance and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, you will gradually become dry, lifeless and merely religious.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Romans 8:14 ESV

If you are a woman, you can also hold on to this promise.

This letter from Paul was written for the church in Rome. According to Roman law, sons were the heirs of the father but not daughters. When Paul implicitly includes Christian women here, we are to understand that women are equal in God's eyes.