September 17, 2022

Psalm 32: 3-5 (NIV)

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 sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” – and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Unconfessed sin hinders the work of the Holy Spirit.*

Unconfessed sin can lead to some pretty severe symptoms. Bones wasting away; groaning all day; strength sapped. We might think that David was exaggerating for the sake of poetry but those who know the suffering caused by a guilty conscience can attest to David’s accuracy. The struggle is real!

But we should be thankful for a conscience that convicts us of sin. If a disease doesn’t have symptoms, we aren’t alerted to the need to seek treatment; just so, if our conscience fails to prod us when we sin, we become oblivious to our need to repent. The psalmist describes the proper treatment for the disease of guilt: acknowledge the sin; don’t try to cover it up; confess it to the Lord. And the treatment works – God forgave David, and he will forgive us.

Strange as it may seem, many people are addicted to a guilty conscience. They cannot accept that forgiveness is so easily obtained, therefore they feel they must continue to suffer for their sins. Essentially, they are declaring that Jesus’ suffering wasn’t enough to cover their sins. So they hang on to their guilt in hopes that their suffering will appease their idea of God’s need for justice.

At the other extreme is the person who is no longer burdened by a guilty conscience because he has ignored its nagging until it no longer speaks to him. This is doubly alarming because for Christians, the Holy Spirit is the voice – the driving force – of our conscience. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to be our Counselor - to teach us, to remind us of what Jesus said, and to convict us of guilt. He is the Spirit of truth who testifies about Jesus and guides us into truth.

We must be diligent not to put out (quench) the Spirit’s fire. After all, who are we – what have we become – if we prevent the Holy Spirit from performing his duties? Listen to your conscience. Repent of your sin. Accept forgiveness and leave guilt behind.

Grace confounds people.*