By: Bro. Paul Sevilla

TALK 4: GUILT & REPENTANCE

CFC-SFC SINGLES WEEKEND RETREAT 2

What is Guilt?

- It is the state of being responsible for the commission of an offense.

What is Repentance?

- Greek word: Metanoia, Meta = Change, Noia = Mind/Taughts so as a compound, it means Change of Mind.

- It is a change of thought to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person(or God) who is wronged.

I. Introduction

A. It is the Lord’s will that we live righteously (Leviticus 19:1-2). It is His will that we keep His commandments.

Leviticus 19:1-2:1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the entire

assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

B. Since we are imperfect and we stumble, living righteously means repairing the wrongdoing when it occurs.

1. Admit that you have done wrong.

Wrong approaches on admitting misdeeds:

- the Blame-Excuse approach

- the Emphasis-on-Intention approach

2. Renounce the wrongdoing.

3. Ask for forgiveness.

4. Take responsibility for our wrongdoing. We must make restitution for our faults.

C. God wants us to be sorry for our sins, but not to be self-condemning.

SELF-CONDEMNATION

CONTRITION

II. Contrition and Self-Condemnation

A. There is a great difference between CONTRITION (sorrow for sin or repentance or being convicted of sin) and SELF-CONDEMNATION.

1. Godly grief and worldly grief

a. 2 Corinthians 7:8-11. “I rejoice now, not because you were saddened, but because you were saddened into repentance; for you were saddened in a Godly way ...” (NAB)

b. Matthew 26:69-27:5. Peter and Judas

2. CONTRITION produces repentance that leads to salvation. It leads to a change in behavior for the better. It is derived from a concern for others. It is directed towards the wrongdoing. Contrition is liberating.

3. On the other hand, SELF-CONDEMNATION leads to no positive change in behavior nor to turning away from sin. It is derived from self-concern; it is directed toward our person, not towards the wrong. It leads to self-hatred, self-rejection, discouragement, depression, or self-pity. Self-condemnation takes away the person’s ability to serve.

B. The Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin and genuine contrition. Satan brings condemnation (Job; John 8:1-11). Both point out wrong but for different reasons and with different objectives.

1. Picture the heavenly courtroom. There, God is the judge, we are the defendants, Satan the prosecutor, and Jesus/Holy Spirit, our defense councilors.

2. Satan wants to destroy us, and accusation is a favorite topic. The Holy Spirit will bring us to contrition but never to self-condemnation.

3. Failure to distinguish contrition from self-condemnation can cause us to accept it as a virtue which is in fact the devil’s tool.

C. The Lord wants us to repent for real wrongdoing, but not become overly scrupulous.

1. Wrongdoing is an act that we commit in either thought, word or deed which violates God’s standards of righteousness and for which He holds us accountable.

2. Wrongdoing does not include temptations of feeling or thought, small faults, idiosyncrasies, mistakes, failures in performance and weaknesses.

III. Right Approach to ProblemsA. There is no substitute to righteous living; no sin,

no guilt feeling.

B. But many will fall into wrongdoing. In a given situation, ask yourself: “Am I guilty or not?” If yes, repair the wrong.

1. Ask forgiveness. Grow in freedom to admit wrongdoing.

2. Don’t let feelings rule you.

3. Treat feelings of guilt like any other emotional problem.

C. Avoid being overscrupulous.

D. Expose self-condemnation for it is, the work of Satan. Refuse to let it masquerade as a Christian virtue or as objective self-evaluation.

E. If there are guilt feelings, go through your past and clear up wrong that may be there.

1. Start with biggest problem and work down.

2. General confession is a big help and is highly recommended.

F. In CFC Singles for Christ, we value greatly the way we treat each other as brothers and sisters. We must not, therefore, make anyone feel guilty.

1. We must be straightforward in dealing and talking with one another about our feelings, hurts and concerns.

2. We must learn to forgive and set one another free from guilt to experience peace, joy and love more fully.