Hal West Blogs

The way of Christ is a journey from a place of Guilt to a place of Grace.Guilt is not a real place, geographically. It is a real place, spiritually. Guilt is not a bad place to be temporarily, but it is a terrible place to live permanently.

Guilt is a place of condition. We’re all born and raised in Guilt because we’re all born in sin and raised under the law of sin and death. That’s our condition.

Guilt is a place of condemnation. It is the feeling of condemnation, but it is more than a mere feeling. It is a fact. We all stand in condemnation before we ever stand in Grace, justified through our faith in Jesus. Under the law of sin, we are condemned to die. In fact, before we put our faith in Jesus we are “dead in trespasses and sins.” Guilt is a fact first and a feeling second. For that reason, Guilt is not a bad place to be. It is the conviction of sin – the feeling of guilt –  that drives us to seek God our Savior who draws us to himself and bids us to access Grace by faith in his Son who gave his life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Once we become Christ followers, we are on a journey to the fullness of God’s grace. We no longer live in Guilt and its condemnation. However, the feeling of guilt remains with us because we still sin. This feeling of guilt is a part of the gift of grace. It means that the Holy Spirit yet has the ear of our consciences as we listen to the Spirit of Truth and confess our sins, admitting our guilt, and repent so that our journey to Grace may continue in joy.

(Adapted from Jake’s Journey: From Guilt to Grace)