DEVOTION//God's guilt strategy
Repentance isn’t an occasional guilt burst that cleans out our system like the city periodically flushes the water hydrants.
Girl Scout guilt
Thirteen-year-old Girl Scout, Elizabeth Brinton, explains how she sold 11,200 boxes of cookies: “You have to look people in the eye and make them feel guilty.”
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Martin Luther had a problem with this kind of marketing strategy. The church of his day was using it not to sell cookies, but indulgences – slips of paper promising heavenly rewards to those who purchased them, or to their loved ones. After all, the church rationalized, we don’t have what it takes to perfectly please God but purchasing indulgences will show a good faith effort and get God’s attention.
Guilt isn’t the way to God
This was a contributing factor to Luther’s posting of the ninety-five theses. He wanted to correct this misunderstanding of getting right with God. Thesis number one begins, “Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, in saying, ‘Repent’ (Matthew 4:17), wanted the entire life of believers to be a life of repentance .…”
Luther understood correctly that guilt isn’t the way to God. Grace is.
In theological terms, mournful contrition is only half of repentance. Judas was contrite. Peter was repentant, sorrowing over his sins yet also trusting completely in the forgiveness promised him by Jesus.
Repentance is a constant rain shower
Repentance isn’t an occasional guilt burst that cleans out our system like the city periodically flushes the water hydrants. Repentance is a constant rain shower from heaven that makes us aware of how void of life we are without God and how full of life we are with Him. Every second of every day, whether asleep or awake.
It’s not our amount of sorrow that makes everything right between us and God. It’s God’s amount of saving love. Luther later wrote: “Beware of placing confidence in your contrition or of ascribing the forgiveness of sins to your own sorrow. For God does not favorably regard you because of contrition or sorrow but because of the faith with which you have believed his threats and promises and which worked such sorrow in you. Therefore we owe whatever good there may be in our penitence not to the conscientious enumeration of sins but to the truth of God and to our faith.”
Embrace your guilt, but hold more tightly to grace
So don’t be afraid of sadness, of sorrow over sins, of repentance, and of mourning over losses in life. According to Jesus’ promise, “Blessed are those who mourn” (Matthew 5:3), this is not all there is to be right with God. God’s grace takes over.
Jesus wouldn’t have sold many Girl Scout cookies with that strategy. And we’re glad about that.
Prayer: I am sorry, God. Very sorry, very guilty, and my heart aches and mourns over my sins. So foolish. So many. So rebellious. Please take them away, as You promise. Bless my mourning and repentance with your grace and shower me with your merciful love. So refresh me that in newness of faith I may better fight temptation and live to your glory. Also, dear God, remember today a friend or family member trapped in trouble or sin: (name). Lord, have mercy. Amen.
Source: Pastor Joel Schulz at Divine Savior Savior in Delray Beach, FL.