I once read a book by IVP about guilt. Apparently, guilt is something that underlies a mental breakdown. Guilt is an emotion of low self-identity, as it is an emotion that is evoked when you or those around you influence you to think that you are not important. If this emotion grows, then you end up thinking about whether there is a reason to live, and ultimately saps your desire to keep living. Perfectionists or gentle people tend to feel guilt the most, but even ordinary people who unfortunately bear emotional scars from their past feel it as well.

Guilt is one of the biggest obstacles to going to God. However, God showed us through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice no the cross of how much He loves us, and therefore how precious we are. He helped us escape from the feeling of guilt. However, as we continue to experience failures and our own weakness, and are criticised by those around us, we wind up consumed by guilt once again.

This causes us to view the world negatively, fills us with rage, and turns us into nihilists. As a result, we struggle to find the luxury to serve and love others. The biggest problem is that we also do not have the desire to go to God either. “Will God love somebody like me?” “God says He loves me but nothing happens when I pray”, are common thoughts, and without any hope or passion, you end up giving up and staying where you are.

If the prodigal son who had spent all his inheritance and was not even permitted to eat the animal feed, falling into despair and only regretting his decisions, that would have been guilt. However, he believed and trusted in his father who was wealthy, and so returned to his father. That was the first step to recovery. No matter how bad of a situation you are in, if you go to God, then your problem will be resolved. In order to do this, you must first resolve the problem of guilt, and this requires continuous listening of God’s kindness, and you must accept this. You must continue to listen to the gospel. The gospel must be shared with the world as well, but we must continue to share Jesus Christ to those within the church as well. In truth, the New Testament were messages aimed at the church.

Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

In English, we use “guilty conscience” to describe things that prevent us from going to God. In contrast, the desire to go to Jesus Christ arises from a true heart. By sharing God’s love and grace to those around who are suffering from guilt, we can encourage them to continue to go towards God.