Guilt or Conviction? (pt.2 Hearing the Word)

I told you yesterday that I want to add to Steve's encouragement to mothers of young children as they seek to hear God's voice. Before I do that I am going to spend a couple of days with you discussing some of the things that trip us up in our pursuit of God. Though the application for these posts is directed to moms, I don't think anyone will find it difficult to relate to these hindrances and helps and bring application in their season of life.

The first stumbling block is a guilty conscience. Recently Tim and I were enjoying fellowship with another couple. In our conversation it was mentioned how some people do not read God's Word because of guilt and shame. This grieved all of our hearts. If what people mean by this is that they have known, willful, and unconfessed sin in their lives for which they feel very hypocritical trying to read God's Word, then they have reason to hesitate. How can they hear God when they've got known and unresolved sin going on? They need to confess that sin to God and to others affected by it so that the way is clear to hear God again and afresh.

But as Tim and I sat with this couple and talked about people's struggles, it made us wonder how many live in that spiritually deadening place of condemnation. Today I'd like to share with you some thoughts that I hope and pray will be used by God to move you from a place of condemnation to the place of richly enjoying God's grace.

Steve very pointedly addressed this problem yesterday. Steve told us that when we feel conviction it is our loving heavenly Father speaking to us through the Holy Spirit. When we feel conviction from our sin it is the voice of the Holy Spirit!! This conviction is not meant to drive us away from God, but rather toward our God. This conviction is meant to be a "sign-post" directing us to the cross where we can find forgiveness and restored fellowship with our God.

It is our accuser - Satan- who is speaking condemnation. Satan says, "You are not worthy," or "You hypocrite, how can you say you are a Christian when you do..." or "Don't bother reading your Bible, there is nothing there that can help you with this..." or "Don't read the Bible, you'll only feel worse if you do." On and on he goes. Sadly, as a result, we too often allow ourselves to stay just where Satan wants us: far from God and the sound of His voice.

But God says:

"Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." (1 John 4 15-18)

Elsewhere in this book, John tell us that if we have sin, God is "faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Also in this book we learn about how this is possible: through the propitiating work of Jesus on the cross (1 John 2:1, 2). When Jesus died on the cross, His body was bearing the punishment for the sins of His people. He took my place. He bore my sin. He experienced God's wrath so that I do not experience God's wrath in eternal damnation and in daily guilt over sin. The conviction the believer feels from sin is not the wrath of God. It is the love of God showing us a better way.

So, if we are in Christ, we can approach God with confidence, boldness, and without fear because of what Christ has done for us. Always, always, keep that in mind. Always, always, begin there when you begin to read God's word or listen to God's word in preaching.

Steve also showed us that when we do not listen to God's voice of conviction for the sins committed, when we choose to ignore the Holy Spirit, when we put our fingers in our ears and make believe we can't hear, we are in danger of hardening our hearts, grieving the Holy Spirit, and as a result, not being able to hear from God (Hebrews 3:7-15; 4:11-16). The writer of Hebrews presents the problem - the hardening of hearts due to the deceitfulness of sin. The writer of Hebrews also gives us the answer to the problem - "the Word of God that is sharper than a two-edged sword... discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." The Word of God is the instrument God uses to bring us back to Jesus our Great High Priest.

When guilt comes and tells us we cannot approach God that is from Satan.
When conviction comes from the reading and hearing of God's word, that is the Holy Spirit given to us to bring us once again to our Great High Priest where we can find mercy and grace to help in time of need.

When guilt comes it paralyzes us into non-action.
When conviction comes it moves us toward action. We confess our sins to God. When we have sinned against others we move toward those individuals and confess our sins against them.

When guilt comes we hide (as did Adam and Eve).
When conviction comes we confidently run to the cross with our sin fully exposed.

When guilt comes relationship with God seems broken.
When conviction comes relationship with God can be deepened.

When guilt comes relationships with others is broken.
When conviction comes relationships with others is pursued.

I hope and pray this helps you so that when you see your Bible on your table you will not walk past it with a guilty heart, but rather you will walk towards it, open it, and expect your loving Father to bring His loving conviction that leads to deeper joy and appreciation for Jesus our Savior. And may I suggest you begin today? Why not spend the next several days reading and meditating in the book of 1 John? I'll also suggest when you get to 1 John 1:9 you stop and consider what sins you've kept hidden from God and from others. Is there an offense against your husband, child, brother or sister in Christ that has been left unresolved? Write them down. Then humbly go to God and find forgiveness, and humbly go to others to find their forgiveness. And when you get to 1 John 2:1, 2, stop and worship!! Glory in your Redeemer!! And enjoy hearing from God again!!