Christians often struggle discerning between guilt and conviction. Sometimes church goers say they feel guilty if they are not doing what those across the pew may be doing. Whether it be a particular type of Bible Study, a particular type of mission project, listening to a particular type of music, spending money in a particular way, or more, obsessing on feelings related to what other Christians are doing is less than helpful.
Guilt and conviction are close cousins. “Guilt” is defined as “a feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong, etc., whether real or imagined.” “Conviction” is the act of convicting which may be defined “to prove or declare guilty of an offense” or “to impress with a sense of guilt.”
While guilt and conviction may have family ties, there is a fine line between the two. We will grow spiritually, experience Christian freedom and enjoy our lives more when we know the difference.
All Christians should be engaged in prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, and ministry. If a believer is not actively involved in these four activities, there are serious concerns.
Do you see Christians living out their faith in particularly different ways than you are seeking to live? Do the good and different actions of others sometimes cause you to feel “guilty,” or to feel as though you are not “doing enough?” While each of us is called to “work out our own salvation” (Philippians 2:12), the way we individual believers collectively “work out” our own salvation should in fact be a shining example of Christian diversity.
God has made his body to be just that—a body. All are not hands and all are not feet. In the same manner, all are not knees, and all are not tongues. Among God’s people, there is beautiful variety. God has designed it to be so.
The Bible does in fact prescribe certain actions. God’s people are commanded to sing, love, seek the things that are above, grow, assemble together, have no other gods before them, and more. These are nonnegotiable commands which Scripture places before us. However, applying our Christianity in moment-by-moment living involves making decisions which are both a matter of obedience to God and personal preference.
Well-meaning orthodox Christians will not differ on matters of murder or adultery or stealing or lying. All believe Christians should read their Bibles, care for one another and love God. Related to matters of particularly fleshing out the Christian faith, there are and should be differences among God’s people.
Some English speakers say to“may”to, and some say tom“ah”to. In the same way, some Christians physically serve the poor in a “hands on” way while others influence policy makers and write legislation to benefit the poor. Some Christians like to do missions by getting in an airplane and flying to another country while other Christians like to do missions by going to another other state. Some Christians get up to pray at 4:00 A.M. while others of us do not. Some Christians choose of have big families while other Christians choose to have smaller families. Some Christians refuse to watch rated-R movies. Some do not.
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Such differences of application among God’s people are good and right. How boring the world would be if all God’s people were the same. How imbalanced and drab the world would be if we all applied the Christian faith in precisely the same ways.
So, how do we discern between guilt and conviction when good, well-meaning, godly people around us are doing so many different good and God-honoring things?
Looking to one another for cues as to how to flesh out our faith can be unhelpful. Let us look to God.
Guilt and conviction among Christians seems to me to be not so much a matter of who is doing what, but Who is serving as Judge.
Speaking to believers in his day, James said “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:12)
When someone looks to another person as his Judge, there will undoubtedly be feelings of guilt. Not only is pleasing another person impossible, we will never know all others might be thinking about us or expecting of us. Christians looking to others for the leading that only God’s Spirit can provide will often end up feeling frustrated and eventually guilty. It’s not God’s design, and it’s a bad thing.
When Christians look only to God as Judge, his leading may in fact be conviction, and the conviction of God is never a bad thing. It is a work of sanctification in our lives. It's a good thing.
Someone who is rarely convicted by God is probably not walking with God. Someone who does not welcome God’s conviction probably does not want to walk with God.
All believers must obey God.
All believers must make their own decisions before God about the particular applications of Christian faith.
All believers must continuously be about finding the fine line between guilt and conviction.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
Pastor Todd Brady
