2 Cor. 5:17-18
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: If you’ve confessed your sin to God, why would you drag it out when God has already forgiven and forgotten it?
Every one of us has a good reason to feel guilt. No one does everything right! We hurt other people. We act selfishly. Often the worst things we say are to the people we love the most.
Isaiah 53:5-6
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Just like you can’t hide your sins from God, you can’t hide your guilt over your sins from him either. Not only that, but when you try to cover up your guilty feelings, they start to eat at you on the inside. Only one thing works to get rid of guilt. Confess your sins, and trust in God’s forgiveness.
The word confession in the Bible in Greek is homologeo. Homo means the same. Logeo means to speak. So, confession means to agree with God. He gives you his goodness, also called righteousness. Your broken soul becomes whole again in him.
Romans 8:1-2
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
If we don’t feel forgiven, it means we don’t fully understand God’s love and goodness. For the believer, guilt leads us to repentance, which leads to forgiveness, which leads to freedom in Christ.
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through these scriptures?