Many years ago, over 40, I read an article in a secular magazine and a statement in the article from a psychiatric hospital doctor said something close to this – “If we could find a way to get rid of the guilt from these patients, we would reduce our patient load by over 70%.” I wish I had saved that article and am sorry I didn’t. But I have never forgotten that statement. Over the decades of dealing with people I have found that guilt is one of the major things that weigh on the soul, especially for the people of God. David experienced this and it is easy for us to read and feel the weight he’s bearing. Psalm 32:3-4, “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.” Guilt affects us spiritually, mentally, and physically.
It is Springtime which means Easter is just around the corner. During this time each year, I spend quite a bit of time reading the gospels, especially the last few days of Jesus’ life, his death, and of course his resurrection. This morning, reading in the gospel of John 18 & 19, Pilate has been on my mind. A truth I’m sure you have experienced is that the more you read the Bible, the more you see things you haven’t seen before. I have always known that Pilate said, “I find no fault in him.” But this morning, I found that he said that three times, not just once. He said it in John 18:38; 19:4; and 19:6. The prefect, the governor, of Judea found no evidence after questioning Jesus on which to execute him. Yet, he still had him scourged with a whip and ultimately had Christ crucified. How did that work out for him?
His wife had a dream and she told him don’t you have anything to do with Jesus, leave that just man alone (Matthew 27:19). His conscience told him Jesus was innocent, yet he was fearful of a rebellion led by the Sanhedrin which would cost him politically with Rome. Philo declared him to be “selfish, merciless and obstinate.” He would be removed by Vitellus who was the legate of Syria having more authority from Rome. Pilate would travel, taking almost a year, to personally appeal to Tiberius the Emperor of Rome. Tiberius would die before Pilate arrived.
What about the weight of guilt I began with in this article? As a young man, I heard a preacher say that Pilate would never regain his position and would be relegated to a remote part of Switzerland to live the remainder of his life. Legends abound about how he died and one early church father, Eusebius, made the claim that Pilate became a Christian. But as I was sitting in that service listening to the sermon about Pilate, the preacher said the following – “The story goes that in Switzerland, on clear nights, around Lake Geneva a silhouette of a man can be seen at the water’s edge. He’s stooped down washing his hands. He washes them and then holds them up. Over and over, he washes his hands and then looks at them. Then his sorrowful words can be heard as he speaks to them many times over. “I can’t get it off, I can’t get it off. I can’t get his blood off my hands.” No matter how hard he tried, the guilt would not go away. So, how do we deal with the guilt on our soul?
- Confess our sin. We acknowledge we have done wrong. We agree with God when He says something is sinful, wrong, evil or we have transgressed. 1 John 1:9 is a marvelous place for us to start. We confess the sins we remember and ask the Lord to bring to mind sinful things we have forgotten. We confess it all to the Lord and ask for forgiveness.
- Accept the forgiveness the Bible promises. This step can be hard for some to accept. They think as bad as they have been no one, even God, could forgive them. I John 1:7 makes the blanket statement that the “blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from ALL sin.” I know we live in days when society seeks to change definitions of words but biblically “all” means “all, every single thing or one of something”. In this case it is sin. Accept what the scriptures tell you about forgiveness.
- Know that Satan will constantly accuse you. Revelation 12:10 calls him the “accuser of the brethren.” You have an attorney that is defending you every single time Satan seeks to accuse you before God. I John 2:1 declares to us that “we have an advocate (a defender, a go between) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” When the devil sits on your shoulder telling you how awful a sinner you are, tell him “Go talk to my attorney.” Let Jesus deal with this harasser.
- Forget it and move on. The ability to forget is a wonderful ability. Earlier, I referenced Psalm 32. The psalm begins with a beautiful verse. “Blessed (happy) is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” If the sin is forgiven by God it is forgotten by God. The Lord has an ability to forget which we should seek to learn. I can still remember many sins I have committed during my sixty plus years but I also don’t worry about them because they have been forgiven and covered by the blood of Christ. If you are a believer yours have been forgiven and covered as well.
How do you deal with a guilty soul? Be honest with the Lord about it, don’t try to justify it or hide it, just acknowledge it and get on with serving the Lord with your whole heart, mind and soul.