Children of God

There are people today who say guilt is a horrible thing. But in reality, guilt is a design God has injected into our souls. It is similar to the pain we will feel in our bodies. When I am barefoot, and I begin to step on a piece of broken glass, a signal goes up and down my body saying, “Red alert! Don’t step any harder.” So I pull back, because I felt pain warning me that more pain is coming unless I cease and desist.

In the same way in my conscience, I experience something called guilt. Guilt tells me not to do something, so I will not experience more pain. Guilt is often the conviction of God’s Spirit. But when a person can live in sin without sensing God’s conviction, something is seriously wrong. The Bible tells us that if we are children of God, the Holy Spirit will tell us “No” when we begin to cross over the line of God’s will. That conviction of the Holy Spirit is simply the Lord being a father to us. This is the very principle we observe in Hebrews 12:5–8:

And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said, “My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.” As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children after all.

You see, the Holy Spirit’s conviction is a reminder that we are children of God. So rejoice when you feel guilt. Thank God for guilt.