Some thoughts on Guilt
(from BJ)

LM's ideas concerning Guilt stimulated some thoughts. This feeling of guilt tends to pervade our whole thinking not just that which pertains to religion. Certainly for us from an evangelical background it has loomed large in our history. The basic aim of an evangelistic preacher is to create guilt in his hearers so that he can then present 'The Gospel' in order to produce repentance. Whatever the validity of this approach maybe, having come through this stage, ideally the believer should be introduced to 'God's outrageous grace' totally liberating him from all guilt so that the only valid motivation then is love i.e. we do things not because we ought to but because we want to. Unfortunately instead of this the new believer is told he ought to read the Bible, pray, witness, join a Church in which he ought to attend meetings regularly, support financially … So in a short time he is totally dominated by Law. Guilt stems from the inability to attain standards - external or self-imposed.

Many of us spent years in this state so it is no wonder that it is extremely difficult to get rid of guilt. The good news must be that there are no standards to attain or live up to. Jesus has fulfilled all the Law on our behalf and has wedded his spirit with our spirit so that if we respond naturally from inner conviction rather than guilt we shall inevitably 'walk in the spirit'. As some Old Duffer from Herts is constantly exhorting us - 'Live from the inside'. Not from the Bible, Tradition, or Reason but by the inner prompting.

But Guilt does not raise its ugly head only in the 'religious' realm. It constantly seeks to prompt action. We are constantly bombarded through the post, in the streets, by the Media that we should support this or that or do something to help. I feel terribly guilty every time I put the latest plea from the Sally Army or the Association for the Blind in the bin. I am not sure I have mastered this one yet!

It is so easy to get someone to do something which they do not wish to do by instilling a sense of guilt. We so often use it in our personal relationships. Take the Case of the Garden Broom. It usually resides in the garden shed where it is handy for Chris to sweep the paths and patio. But sometimes I use it to sweep out the garage which is in a block around a hundred yards away. Of course when finished I invariably leave it there. So the next time Chris wants to use it she asks me to fetch it from the garage in a tone that leaves me in doubt that the broom should be in the shed and thus I ought to go and get it for her. So I go and fetch it, not because I want to please her, but because I feel guilty in having left it in the garage. So I seek to be sensitive to what is motivating me to respond or that which is prompting me to take some action. If it is guilt then I try to ignore it. The problem is that guilt can never be appeased - its standards are unobtainable.

Brian