Several years ago, there was...
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Several years ago, there was a newspaper article about a group of businessmen in Bellingham, Washington, who were marketing a new product called "Guilt Away." "Guilt Away" was supposed to remove guilt. Part of the advertising ran, "Hounded by nagging guilt? Get rid of it the modern way, the same way you eliminate limp curls, bad breath, or underarm wetness. Spray (guilt) away with (new) 'Guilt Away.' "
What they were selling was an eight-ounce bottle of rose water that you could spray on yourself when you were feeling guilty, at four bucks a bottle! It's doubtful that new "Guilt Away" worked. But if it did, it could have made its producers billions of dollars. Most of us can hardly get through a day without feeling at least a little bit guilty about something. As psychiatrist Paul Tournier once put it, "A guilty conscience is the seasoning of our daily life."
The author of 1 John addresses the theme of guilt: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." We can't avoid feeling guilty. Our feelings point to our failures. But the good news is, "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Especially if and when we are bothered by guilt, we need to turn, not to new Guilt Away, or to any other remedy, but to God.
What they were selling was an eight-ounce bottle of rose water that you could spray on yourself when you were feeling guilty, at four bucks a bottle! It's doubtful that new "Guilt Away" worked. But if it did, it could have made its producers billions of dollars. Most of us can hardly get through a day without feeling at least a little bit guilty about something. As psychiatrist Paul Tournier once put it, "A guilty conscience is the seasoning of our daily life."
The author of 1 John addresses the theme of guilt: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." We can't avoid feeling guilty. Our feelings point to our failures. But the good news is, "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Especially if and when we are bothered by guilt, we need to turn, not to new Guilt Away, or to any other remedy, but to God.
