A State of Being: Guilt and Shame
From the Bible’s point of view, guilt, real guilt, is first and foremost not a feeling. It’s a state of being. It's the position of being out of line with our God by virtue of our sin. It can be fixed only by being placed into a right relationship with him, a solution that’s brought about only by God himself, not by us. It is his specialty to fix this problem. Resorting to our own measures only makes things worse. In
How to Move Away from Guilt, Shame, and Regrets
Have you ever heard someone, or yourself, say, How can I be happy when I’m so ashamed of the things I’ve done? Regret is one of the spoilers that plays such a vital role in our lives. It is also based on a misunderstanding of a compassionate God and Father. There are people for whom happiness is a virtual impossibility because their lives are filled with regret and shame. For such a person, much of their inner life is occupied with rehearsing
What About the Cross?
The cross of Jesus as the centerpiece of the atonement and our reconciliation with God has never been an easy matter to understand. “If God required all that torture, blood, and pain for his beloved son, how does it square with a loving God? If you’re seeking clarity and meaning of Jesus’ crucifixion, just follow the historical events as they are reported, and then ask some basic questions about human behavior, the circumstances of Jesus’ death, and God’s involvement in it:
