The Guilt that Was Ours

Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. I will therefore punish and release him” (Luke 23:13-16).

The two highest political leaders of the region examined Jesus Christ and declared… “nothing deserving death has been done by him”. Pilate and Herod vigorously questioned and humiliated Jesus but found no death-deserving guilt in Him. That should have been the end of the matter, case closed! But this case was not to be settled by compromise, beating, and release. There was tremendous guilt involved here. Jesus Christ was not on trial for His own sin. He had no sin of His own… “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). God was at work here, judging the sin of the whole world. God was dealing with our sin… “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). In truth, Jesus Christ was on trial and willing to assume the guilt that was ours.

Guilt is an after-effect of sin. Sin is disobeying God’s law… “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Sin disables us from fulfilling our chief purpose, glorifying God… “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). When we are consumed by guilt caused by our sin, we are not free to reflect the glory of the One who created us to project His image into the world. As part of His handiwork, our primary purpose is to glorify God… “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). We have added responsibility to glorify God because we’re created in His image… “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:3-5). For born-again disciples of Christ, the immediate consequence of disobedient sin is debilitating guilt.

Guilt is an abhorrence to God. Guilt disrupts our fellowship with God… “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer” (Psalm 32:3-4). David’s guilt provoked a powerful plea to restore his fellowship with God… “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit” (Psalm 51:10-12). Guilt is what we feel when we become aware of our sin and of our broken fellowship with God… “Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, “We see,” your guilt remains’” (John 9:41). God does not want us to live with guilt. Although our relationship with God is secure, sensitivity to the distance guilt creates in our fellowship with God is evidence that we are truly born again.

Guilt provokes atonement from God. Forgiveness destroys the distance between us and God… “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). Because of the finished, atoning work of Christ on the cross, truly repentant disciples have the assurance of victory over the debilitating and distancing effects of guilt whenever we humbly approach Christ… “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Because He bore and paid for our sin at Calvary, Christ promises to remove its guilt and to preserve and promote a growing, intimate fellowship between us and His Father.

As we grow up into Christ, we are ever more thankful that He took upon Himself…

The Guilt that Was Ours.