Guilt is a strange thing.  It can be a highly motivating force or a paralyzing emotion.  Some people like to use guilt on others to manipulate them in order to get what they want.  Perhaps they see themselves as a kind of sad travel agent as they send those around them on guilt trip after guilt trip.  Parents use this tactic on their children as they say, “I think you should really stay in tonight, but you do whatever you want to do,” knowing that the guilt will hopefully set in and convince the child to obey without having to order them to obey. Kids try to use this on their parents as they say, “You went to Sarah’s game, so why won’t you go to mine?”  Bosses use this to motivate employees, teachers use this to motivate students, and pastors even use this to motivate their congregations.

Is this kind of guilt okay to feel?  Should a Christian ever feel guilt?  What about the deeper guilt that distracts us from everything that is around us?  What about the guilt that causes us to hang our heads in shame?  Can we find freedom from the unrelenting grip of guilt that has enslaved some of us?  I believe the scriptures are clear that there is freedom from guilt, and it is ultimately found in a true understanding of the Gospel and what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross.  This Sunday, we’ll look deeper at the idea of guilt and how we can deal with it Biblically and permanently.