Heart Surgery Part 1: Guilt
Focus on the shifting from behavior modification to heart transformation. focus on the first one: Guilt
Good Morning
Introduction:
Announcements:
Stand for Scripture
Stand for Scripture
Behavior Modification
Heart Transformation
Introduction
The Stark Actuality of Guilt
Understand This...
Back to the Courtroom
What is Guilt?
Now What?
The Satanic Accusation in Guilt
Satanic Accusation/Holy Spirit Conviction
The Savior’s Advocacy for Our Guilt
The Guilt Trap
By Adrian Rogers
Date Preached: September 22, 1991
Main Scripture Text: Zechariah 3:1–4
“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.”
ZECHARIAH 3:3
Outline
Introduction
I. The Stark Actuality of Guilt
II. The Satanic Accusation in Guilt
III. The Savior’s Advocacy for Our Guilt
Conclusion
Introduction
Would you take God’s Word now and look in Zechariah chapter 3—Zechariah chapter 3? Last week, we talked to you about the blame game. “Everything I do wrong is somebody else’s fault,” we like to say. And we don’t want to accept the responsibility for what we’ve done. But every road has two ditches. And the devil doesn’t care which ditch—on the right-hand or the left-hand—that you drive off into, as long as you stay off God’s highway of holiness. So on one side of that road is the blame game; on the other side of that road is the guilt trap. And that’s what I want to talk to you about today: “The Guilt Trap,” because there are certain individuals who don’t play the game, the blame game. They’re not shoving the blame off on other people. These people are caught in a trap that I want to call the guilt trap. They’re haunted by the ghost of guilt.
There’s a legend that says, after Pontius Pilate had adjudicated Jesus Christ worthy of crucifixion, he tried to wash his lily-white politician’s hands in a basin. Then, he went back to Rome to report to the Emperor what he had done. And then, he went to Switzerland—just outside of what is now called Lucerne—went up to a tall mountain; and there, filled with grief, and remorse, and guilt, he jumped from that mountain to his death. You go to Lucerne today, and you can visit that mountain—it’s called Mount Pilatus, named for Pilate. And the legend says that up there on that mountaintop, if you listen, you can hear the ghost of Pilate, moaning, and groaning, and trying to wash his hands from the guilt of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Now Mount Pilatus is a very real mountain, but that’s a legend. Whether he committed suicide there, I know not. I doubt, very seriously, that there is any ghost of Pilate that is there. But I’ll tell you this much: There are many in this congregation, today, and many of those of you who are listening to me wherever you may be, who are haunted by another ghost that I want to call the ghost of guilt. You’re caught in the guilt trap.
You know, we Americans are strange people. We’ve gotten rid of sin—that is, we’ve relabeled sin “psychological maladjustment,” or whatever. We’ve gotten rid of sin; but my friend, we have not gotten rid of guilt. With all of that in mind, look here, in Zechariah chapter 3, verse 1—here’s a vision that Zechariah had: “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.” Now here’s God’s high priest—and, by the way, all of us have been made a kingdom of priests—and Satan, whose name means “adversary,” is resisting Him: “And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment” (Zechariah 3:1–4).
Now there are many truths that are in these few verses that I’ve just read to you. But there are three that I really want to point out to you, this morning, and I pray God that He will etch them in your mind, and rivet them upon your consciousness, this morning.
I. The Stark Actuality of Guilt
First of all is what I want to call the stark actuality of guilt—the stark actuality of guilt. In verse 3, you’ll find Joshua, the high priest, and he’s clothed with a filthy garment (Zechariah 3:3). Now the entire picture here is that of a courtroom. God, in His holiness, the chief justice of the Supreme Court of the universe, is there, upon His throne. Before Him is Joshua, and Joshua is clothed in a filthy garment. Now there’s one thing about a priest’s garment: it was to be of linen, and spotlessly white. But here, it’s horribly filthy. And Satan is there. Joshua is in the prisoner’s dock; he is the accused. And Satan is there, and Satan is the prosecuting attorney. He is pointing out the filthiness of Joshua. He is the adversary, and He is saying to God, “On the basis of Your so-called holiness, God, You’ve got to judge this one, because of his filth.”
Now that’s the picture that we have there. And may I tell you, dear friend, it’s one of the many visions in the Old Testament that teach us what we have in the Lord Jesus Christ, and what we learned about in the music today, where Jesus nailed our sins to His cross. And you keep listening, and you’ll find out that that is true.
Now as we look at this picture, it seems as though the prosecuting attorney, Satan, has a good case against Joshua; because, he’s standing there, and Joshua, the high priest, has absolutely no defense, because he is guilty. And friend, nobody ever is able to deal with their sin until he himself admits that he, too, is guilty. Put in your margin Romans chapter 3 and verse 19. Here’s what Romans chapter 3 and verse 19 says: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God” (Romans 3:19). Every mouth stopped! Do you know what Romans 3:19 is saying? “Shut up and plead guilty. Shut up and plead guilty, that every mouth shall be stopped. All the world is guilty before God.” That’s Bible doctrine, friend. But today, we don’t like to discuss guilt too much.
Just what is guilt? If you were to ask the average person, “What is guilt?” he would say that guilt is the feeling that you get when you do something that you know to be wrong. But that is not guilt; that is guilt feeling. And the problem with Americans today is that they don’t know the difference between guilt and guilt feelings.
Let me illustrate: If you put your hand on a red-hot stove, and the flesh is seared and burned, a message is going to travel up your arm to your brain, and you’re going to feel excruciating pain. Now the pain is the burn feeling; the burn is here. Now my dear friend, there is a difference between guilt and guilt feeling. Guilt feeling is not guilt. It’s very real, and it has to be dealt with. But the problem, dear friend, is the burn on the hand.
Now the reason I want to say this is this: that many people try to deal with guilt by dealing with their conscience. They just simply have the idea that it’s your conscience that makes you feel guilty; and therefore, if you deal with your conscience, you’ll be all right.
Your conscience, however, is very much like a thermostat; it operates wherever it’s set. Therefore, you can’t let your conscience be your guide, unless God guides your conscience. God has to set your conscience.
Elizabeth Elliot, who has spoken here in our church, and whose husband was killed by the Auca Indians—and she herself went to live with those who had murdered her own husband—she told that those Auca Indians there were stark-naked savages. I mean, they ran through the jungle without wearing any clothes, except they always had a string tied around their waist—just a string around their waist; stark-naked savages with a string around their waist. One day, her curiosity overcame her, and she said, “Why do you wear that string around your waist?” They said, “Why? Why, if we didn’t wear this, we’d be naked.” I mean, they didn’t want to run around naked, so they wore a string around their waist; and therefore, their conscience approved that, and they said, “We’re not naked now, because we are dressed.” But you see, that’s where their conscience was set. Conscience is like a thermostat. Sometimes, you can think you’re not guilty when you are guilty; and sometimes, you can think you’re guilty when you’re not guilty.
Little children, precious little children, sometimes go around feeling guilty because they have been sexually abused. Isn’t that true? They have been sexually abused, and they grow up feeling dirty—precious little children. Sometimes, mom and dad will get a divorce, or sometimes just argue, and the little child goes upstairs, and buries his face in his hands, and cries. And the child feels so guilty, because mom and dad have done what they’ve done. That’s not guilt at all. But that little child cannot separate that; and sometimes, the child feels guilty.
May I tell you, dear friend, that guilt is not a feeling; it is a reality. It is the transgression of the law of God that brings judgment, not only to come, but it brings a lot of emotional baggage with it, right now. Anxiety and depression are guilt feelings that come from actual guilt. The windows of the soul are covered with the grime of guilt. What an outlook so many have! Physical health deteriorates in many, because of guilt. Guilt is to the soul what sand is to machinery. Spiritual sterility comes, sometimes, because of guilt. And there are some in this congregation who will not be here, unless you get help, two or three weeks from now, because the devil keeps telling you, “You are no good. You are a hypocrite. You are guilty. You don’t belong there. You’re just playing the game. Why don’t you get out of church?” After a while, you will; because, guilt not only has eroded your happiness—clouded your outlook—but guilt has so condemned you, that you just feel like quitting. You’re in a trap—the guilt trap.
How do people try to deal with guilt? A great many of them will go the psychiatrist or to the psychologist. We have some psychiatrists in our church, and some psychologists. I respect them, and I thank God for their learning, for their study, for their kindness, and their help; but, you listen to me, big, and plain, and straight, and never forget it. There is not one psychologist who can deal with your guilt—not one, unless he points you to Jesus Christ. Psychiatrists can only deal with the guilt feeling, but the psychiatrist cannot deal with the guilt.
Now what if he’s an ungodly psychiatrist? And not all of them are; but, he may say, “Well, it’s because you believe in God, and those onerous rules that you are breaking. Now what you probably need to do is to get rid of this belief in God, so you won’t feel that you are incriminated in His sight; and therefore, you won’t feel this way anymore.” Do you see what he’s doing? He’s trying to remove the feeling. He’s trying to teach you how to put your hand on a hot stove, and give you an aspirin, or a sedative, or whatever it is. Now he doesn’t necessarily encourage you to put your hand on the stove, but he says, “If you’ve done it, what we’ve got to do is to kill the pain that you feel.” He can’t deal with this.
Every now and then, somebody says, “Well, what you need to do is to forgive yourself. Oh, you just need to be affirmed. I affirm you.”
Suppose Bob Sorrell were to come up here, and punch me in the nose. Now just suppose; Bob, sit down. Now Bob Sorrell comes, and he punches me in the nose. And so we have a little altercation. My eyes are teary, and my blood is streaming down; and maybe, my teeth are loosened a little bit, and he has given me a right cross, right in the snout. Now suppose Jim, over here, comes up, and he says, “Now there’s a problem here, Adrian; but, I want you to know that Bob, though he’s done something very wrong, I want you to know I affirm Bob. I just affirm him. And Bob, I want you to know, son, I forgive you for what you did to the pastor.” And Bob says, “Hey, you don’t need to forgive me; I’ve already forgiven myself. I forgive me.” And here I am, standing over there, with my nose bleeding. My dear friend, I want to tell you that only the punchee can forgive the puncher. Isn’t that right? “Oh,” he says, “well, I affirm you Bob.” Bob says, “You don’t need to affirm me; I’m all right.” No, you’re not.
You’ve sinned against God, and only God can forgive sin. We’d better learn that. And somebody else says, “Well, I’ll tell you how I deal with guilt.” Or, go back to the sermon last Sunday, “The Blame Game.” You’d be surprised how many people want to blame somebody else for their guilt. I mean, it happens all the time.
She says to you—your wife says to you, “Honey, we need a gallon of milk. Go down to the store, and get a gallon of milk.” He says, “Okay, I’ll be right back.” He goes down to the store, buys a gallon of milk, stands there, and checks out, you know. He goes back to the house, halfway back to the house, and he realizes he forgot his wallet; he left it on the counter. So he puts the car in reverse, goes back around, and goes back to the store. He says, “Look.” He said, “I left my wallet up here, on the counter. Do you have it? What? It was just here just a few minutes ago.” The clerk said, “I’m sorry. Maybe another customer got it. Are you sure you left it here?” He goes back home with that gallon of milk; he puts it down on the counter; he tells his wife what happened; and then, he says, “You and your milk.” Isn’t that an incredible thing? He lost his wallet; he said, “You and your milk!” It’s his fault.
But what we want to do, when we feel guilty is, maybe, affirm ourselves, on the one hand, or to blame somebody else, on the other hand; or maybe, we just simply think time will take care of it—just after a while, we’ll forget it. What some people call a clear conscience is just a fuzzy memory. And that’s the way some people try to deal with guilt.
And of course, there are thousands and millions who are dealing with it through alcohol and drugs. One man asked, “Will drinking alcohol help me to do a better job?” And a wise person said, “No, it’ll just help you to feel less bad about doing a bad job.” But I guess the ultimate wrong answer to guilt is suicide. And if you’re contemplating suicide—whoever you are, wherever you may be—may I tell you, it is the ultimate bad decision. It never solves the problem. But there is an answer.
Now again, I am talking to you, dear friend, about the stark actuality of guilt. Joshua is standing there, and he is clothed with filthy garments that are symbolic of sin (Zechariah 3:3). Do you have that?
II. The Satanic Accusation in Guilt
Now the second thing I want you to see—not only the stark actuality of sin, but I want you to see the satanic accusation of guilt. The stark actuality of guilt; the satanic accusation in our guilt.
Look in verse 1 of this chapter: “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him” (Zechariah 3:1). Now again, I remind you that the word Satan means “adversary.” He’s pictured as a prosecuting attorney; and, the Bible says, in Revelation chapter 12 and verse 10, that Satan is “the accuser of [the] brethren” (Revelation 12:10). Everybody here, listen to me. Satan is constantly accusing you. Do you like people talking behind your back? You have someone who will talk to you behind your back, and he’ll talk to you about it to your face; and, he is an accuser, and he is pointing the finger of accusation in your face. Constantly, constantly, he is accusing you before God, and he is accusing you to your face. And the Bible tells us, in Revelation, that he is “the accuser of [the] brethren,” that he is your adversary.
He points out your sins. “Oh,” you say, “I think that Satan would not point out my sins; Satan would want to hide my sin.” Oh no, my dear friend, Satan wants you to sin; and then, Satan wants you to suffer the consequences of that sin. And so therefore, Satan points it out, because he wants to get you in the guilt trap. He encourages you to sin, and then makes you suffer. Or, he rejoices in that suffering, as he points out that sin. You see, what Satan wants to do, very simply, first of all, is to cripple you, and then to blame you for limping. That’s what Satan does. He is the one who has encouraged you to sin; but after you sin, he’s the one who accuses you. First, he encourages you; and then, he accuses you. That dirty devil!
Warren Wiersbe has well said, “Before you sin, Satan whispers, ‘You can get away with it! You can get away with it!’ And after you sin, he shouts, ‘You’ll never get away with it!’ ” That’s just the way he does. He will encourage you to sin before you sin. And after you sin, he accuses you. He’s the adversary; he’s the prosecuting attorney.
Friend, you had better learn the difference between satanic accusation and Holy Spirit conviction. A lot of people who don’t know the difference—and many of them are right here—you are under the accusation of Satan, and you think you’re under the conviction of the Holy Spirit; you don’t know the difference. Satan is the adversary; the Holy Spirit is the comforter. Satan accuses; the Holy Spirit convicts. Satan accuses to drive you to despair. The Holy Spirit convicts to draw you to Jesus Christ—forgiveness, freedom, and liberty.
The classic example of that is Judas and Simon Peter. Judas betrayed Jesus Christ; Simon Peter denied Jesus Christ. However, Judas never knew Jesus Christ, and Simon Peter did. Judas, who sold Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver, was so guilt-ridden, so filled with remorse, that he took that 30 pieces of silver, and flung it on the temple floor, went out with trembling fingers, made a noose, put it around his neck, stepped over a cliff, hanged himself, and stepped into the Hell before him, trying to escape the hell within him—filled with remorse, under accusation. Simon Peter denied Jesus, but he looked into the face of Jesus, and wept bitterly—did not end up as a suicide, but he ended up as the mighty Apostle of Pentecost, the leader of the apostles, a man of God.
There’s a difference between accusation and conviction. You’d better learn the difference.
My dear friend, I’m talking to you about the stark actuality of guilt. I’m talking to you about the satanic accusation of guilt. You’d better make certain that it’s not the devil who is accusing you, but the Holy Spirit, who may be convicting you. Let me give you a verse of Scripture: 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 10—it says this: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance … the sorrow of the world worketh death” (2 Corinthians 7:10). “Godly sorrow”—that’s what Simon Peter had. It worked repentance; he wept bitterly. “The sorrow of the world worketh death”—that’s what Judas had. He never knew how to get out of the guilt trap. He committed suicide, and Satan helped him along.
III. The Savior’s Advocacy for Our Guilt
The final thing I want you to see, this morning—here’s the happy part of the message—not only the stark actuality of guilt, not only the satanic accusation in guilt, oh, but, dear friend, the Savior’s advocacy for our guilt—the Savior’s advocacy. Now look, if you will, again, in verse 2: “And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this”—that is, Joshua—“a brand plucked out of the fire?” (Zechariah 3:2).
Now here is the courtroom again. There is God, the judge. There’s Joshua; his garments are filthy—and indeed, they are filthy. The Bible doesn’t deny that. There is Satan, the adversary, who is resisting him, and accusing him. But then, the Lord says to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you”—“The Lord rebuke you.” Look at it again: “The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” (Zechariah 3:2). Who is this who is speaking? Well, he prefigures, whomever he is, the Lord Jesus.
Put this verse in your Bible: 1 John 2:1: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.” You know, God’s forgiveness is not an encouragement to sin. God is not saying, “Just sin, and it doesn’t make any difference; I’ll forgive.” No: “These things write I unto you, that ye sin not.” But now, listen to the rest of this: “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father.” Did you hear that? “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father.” You have an adversary, but you have an advocate. The adversary is Satan; the advocate is Jesus. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father … and He is the propitiation”—that is, He is the satisfaction—“for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1–2).
Listen to me. Listen—I don’t care who you are. I’ve got the greatest news for you, if you will receive it: There is somebody who is willing to plead your case. You have a defense attorney, and you’re guilty; but He steps up to the bar, and He says, “Holy Father, what the adversary has said may be true; but, Holy Father, those sins have been atoned for, those sins have been paid for. And I present, as prima facie evidence, the nail scars in my hands. And I plead my blood. I am his advocate. I plead Adrian’s cause.”
Do you know what the finished work of Calvary is? Listen to the hammering and rejoice. He bowed his head on bloody Calvary, and said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). That means, “It is paid in full.” Hallelujah! That is the finished work. But do you know what the unfinished work is? Hebrews 7:25: “He ever liveth to make intercession for [us].” He never finishes that. On the basis of the finished work, is His unfinished work—the Lord Jesus. We have a high priest, who is passed into the heavens, at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 8:1). And when the adversary says, “He is guilty,” the advocate says, “Yes, but for those sins I died.”
First John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). On what basis does He do this? Is it arbitrary? Oh no! Look in verse 2—look at it: “And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan;”—and, on what basis is Satan rebuked? Watch it carefully, now; don’t miss it—“even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem”—“these are my elect I have chosen; these are my chosen ones.” And He goes on to say: “Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” (Zechariah 3:2). “Joshua is chosen and redeemed; and, on that basis, I intercede. Joshua is chosen and redeemed; and, on that basis, I intercede.”
Now with that in your heart and mind, let’s let the Apostle Paul flesh it out. And turn to Romans chapter 8. Oh, friend, listen. This is shouting ground. Look in verse 33—Romans 8:33: “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect?” That’s God’s chosen; do you see it? “It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who”—is doing what?—“maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:33–34). Paul is saying exactly the same thing that Zechariah is saying. We are chosen and redeemed; and, therefore, there is an advocate, who is pleading our cause at the right hand of the Father on high. Hallelujah! Praise God! My friend, that’s something that no psychiatrist, no psychologist, no schoolteacher, no pill, no bottle, no spa, no new suit of clothes, can do for you. There’s the answer to your guilt—right there, my dear friend: the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect?” (Romans 8:33).
Now listen. He does two things here. We’re almost finished, but look at it very carefully: He rebukes Satan; He restores Joshua. He rebukes Satan. Satan is rebuked; Joshua is restored. Why, Joshua was given a change of clothing. That is God’s righteousness for his filthiness. The righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ is imputed on the basis of choice and redemption. One who is chosen—one, plucked out of the fire—is given a change of garment, spotless and white. First John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from”—what’s that next little word? Say it. Say it again. Say it loudly—“all … all” (1 John 1:9).
Don’t you be haunted by the ghost of guilt. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, makes the vilest sinner clean. I don’t care what you’ve done, mister. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all iniquity, because He has chosen us; He has redeemed us. And who shall lay any charge to God’s elect? (Romans 8:33).
Now Zechariah doesn’t tell us, but the Apostle John tells us, that we must confess our sins for this to take place. And there’s one thing that God won’t accept for sin, and that’s an alibi. Remember the last Sunday’s sermon, “The Blame Game”? Don’t play the blame game; but don’t stay in the guilt trap. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ, and let His precious blood atone for you. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). He’ll rebuke Satan. I love that. I’m so glad that Satan is rebuked.
Friend, listen. You put your sin under the blood. And the next time the devil reminds you of your past, you remind him of his future. Okay? Just remind him. Dear friend, he has no dear Savior who has forgiven his sin, like you have. You don’t need to be accused. And if that sin has been confessed, and cleansed, and forgiven, don’t you be haunted by the ghost of guilt. If it comes up again, it is satanic accusation. It is not Holy Spirit conviction. The devil will accuse you of sin forgiven. The Holy Spirit will convict you of sin not yet confessed, so you might bring it to Jesus and be cleansed. Hallelujah!
Conclusion
Let’s bow together in prayer. Every head bowed, every eye closed, and no one stirring. My dear friend, may I tell you that counseling and psychiatry—whether pastoral counseling at a church, whether at a psychiatrist or a doctor’s office, or at the feet of some guru—can never ever deal with your sin. Only the blood of Jesus can do that. Admit guilt for what it is—a stark actuality. See Satan for what he is—a satanic accuser. But see Jesus for who He is—a saving advocate, who pleads our cause.
Drugs are not your answer, mister. Young man, suicide is not your answer. Pleasure, a licentious lifestyle, trying to make you forget—that’s not your answer. Come to Jesus. He doesn’t just deal with the guilt feeling, friend; He deals with the guilt. And once you’re free from that, oh, what liberty!
Father, I pray that many today will say yes to Jesus Christ. In His wonderful name I pray. Amen.
Let’s begin the decent...
Closing
Will the ushers please come up for this morning’s offering
In Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey write:
Amputees often experience some sensation of a phantom limb. Somewhere, locked in their brains, a memory lingers of the nonexistent hand or leg. Invisible toes curl, imaginary hands grasp things, a “leg” feels so sturdy a patient may try to stand on it.
For a few, the experience includes pain. Doctors watch helplessly, for the part of the body screaming for attention does not exist.
One such patient was my medical school administrator, Mr. Barwick, who had a serious and painful circulation problem in his leg but refused to allow the recommended amputation.
As the pain grew worse, Barwick grew bitter.
“I hate it! I hate it!” he would mutter about the leg. At last he relented and told the doctor, “I can’t stand it anymore. I’m through with that leg. Take it off.” Surgery was scheduled immediately.
Before the operation, however, Barwick asked the doctor, “What do you do with legs after they’re removed?”
“We may take a biopsy or explore them a bit, but afterwards we incinerate them,” the doctor replied.
Barwick proceeded with a bizarre request: “I would like you to preserve my leg in a pickling jar. I will install it on my mantle shelf. Then, as I sit in my armchair, I will taunt that leg, ‘Hah! You can’t hurt me anymore!’ ”
Ultimately, he got his wish. But the despised leg had the last laugh.
Barwick suffered phantom limb pain of the worst degree. The wound healed, but he could feel the torturous pressure of the swelling as the muscles cramped, and he had no prospect of relief. He had hated the leg with such intensity that the pain had unaccountably lodged permanently in his brain.
To me, phantom limb pain provides wonderful insight into the phenomenon of false guilt. Christians can be obsessed by the memory of some sin committed years ago. It never leaves them, crippling their ministry, their devotional life, their relationships with others. They live in fear that someone will discover their past. They work overtime trying to prove to God they’re truly repentant. They erect barriers against the enveloping, loving grace of God.
Unless they experience the truth in 1 John 3:19–20 that “God is greater than our conscience,” they become as pitiful as poor Mr. Barwick, shaking a fist in fury at the pickled leg on the mantle.