By Ron Price
There are so many wonderful verses in the Bible. I particularly like Ephesians 2:10 which, in the New Living Translation, states that I am God’s masterpiece. So are you, by the way, so I gladly share that status with you. I also appreciate the very first verse I committed to memory as a brand-new Christian. I refer to John 10:10 which tells me that while the devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy, my Lord Jesus came that I may have life and have it to the full. That calls for a shout of “Hallelujah!” but I’ll settle for an “Amen!”
I could go on and on, as I’m certain you could, in listing favorite verses found in Scripture. Forgive me, please, as I now draw your attention to a verse that will likely never be on anyone’s top 100 favorites list. In the book of James, we read in chapter 4, verse 17: “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (NLT). Ouch, that one hurts.
I believe that verse might explain why so many Christians score high in the area of guilt. Christians with even a meager familiarity with the Bible have a clear sense of right and wrong. Knowing and doing, however, can often be entirely different activities.
I heard somewhere, but have not been able to verify it, that Seventh-day Adventist Christians score higher in guilt than those of other denominations. We Adventists like to say we have the truth, and I personally believe we do have more Scripture to back up our beliefs than other denominations with which I am familiar. Could this knowledge and aware- ness of God’s desires for us, and expectations from us, explain the high incidence of guilt we seem to have?
The apostle Paul knew a thing or two about struggling to do right when faced with temptations to do wrong. Spend some meaningful time reading Romans 7–8. (Chapters 5–8 are my favorite chapters to help explain our right standing with God in Christ.)
In Romans 7, we read of Paul’s agony as he apparently finds himself messing up on a regular basis. He freely admits that while he wants to do good, he does not, and while he does not want to do bad, he frequently does so anyway.
Does this situation sound familiar to you? If so, you will appreciate, as do I, the conclusion of Paul’s gut-and soul-wrenching encounter with God. He cries out in verse 24, “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” He goes on to joyfully write in verse 25: “Thank God! The answer is in
Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind, I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.” And then he concludes with the universal antidote to guilt for all believers: “So now there is, therefore, no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:1 NLT).
Brothers and sisters, that verse tells me that whenever we hear a caustic, derogatory or accusatory voice in our head, it is not coming from God. He loves us and would never berate us, put us down, or try to make us feel worth- less or guilty. The enemy sure would, and he has had much practice in doing so. God will, of course, correct and redirect us when necessary, but never in a harsh and unloving manner. That is just not who He is, nor how He treats His children.
Let me challenge you to always consider “OG” or “NOG.” Whenever you get a thought in your head about something you have done, or not done, and for which you might feel guilty, pause and ask yourself, “Is this of God (OG), or not of God (NOG)?” If the former, repent and claim the promise you’ll find in 1 John 1:9. If the latter, take the thought to the recycle bin of your mind and delete it immediately.
I’m told the mind cannot entertain two thoughts at the same time. So if you are having thoughts of guilt, form the habit of replacing them with thoughts of forgiveness, acceptance, grace, mercy, kindness, and love.
–Ron Price is a member of the RMC executive committee from Farmington, New Mexico. His new book is Play Nice in Your Sandbox at Work. Email him at: [email protected]