Guilt v Conviction

Guilt vs. Conviction Glen Schultz Did you write your script for fighting temptation? “I am a blood-bought son of the Living God. I am not under condemnation, and I have been given the Holy Spirit to empower me against fulfilling temptation. I do not have to fall to this temptation.” Any volunteers? Guilt • Guilt is a legal term regarding one’s condition before God prior to salvation. • After salvation, the guilt has been erased. • After salvation, there should be no feeling of guilt because there is no condition of guilt. • Instead, when believers sin, they fall under the conviction of the Holy Spirit to let them know that they have missed the mark. • I John 1:8-9 then comes into play. Confession and restoration of fellowship occur. • When believers sin, they do not lose their relationship with God, but their fellowship is affected and must be restored. • When one accepts Christ as Savior, they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and will never lose Him. However, to remain filled with the Holy Spirit (though He will never leave them), one must stay in fellowship. Be Filled with the Holy Spirit • Ephesians 5:18 ESV: And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, • Acts 15:32 ESV: And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. • Acts 13:9 ESV: But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him • II Corinthians 13:14 ESV:The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Keys to Being Filled with the Holy Spirit • Prayer • Filled with the Word of God • Worship • Fasting • Fellowship with other believers • Minister to others • Avoiding sin Quotes from the Text • P. 132: “Guilt is a strong motivation, but it plays on our fears of failure and rejection; therefore, it can never ultimately build, encourage, or inspire us in our desire to live for Christ.” • Guilt is a condition, not a feeling. • P. 133: “[1] Learn to identify incorrect teaching , guilt motivation, and the results of guilt in your own thoughts.” [2] “Then refuse to believe the lies any longer, [3] focus instead on the unconditional love and forgiveness of Christ.” p. 133: “ Conviction deals with our behavior, not our status.” Quotes from the Text • P. 134: [God’s] “motivation is love, correction, and protection.” • P. 135: “It is important to affirm our righteousness in Christ as well as to confess our sins. God does not need to be reminded of our right standing in Him, but we do.” Developing Convictions • Others can I cannot • Tapered to one’s own weaknesses • Can regard gray areas • Areas that often lead to sin for that individual • Or areas that would impact one’s testimony • Convictions can change areas of weaknesses to areas of strengths • Extra caution should be taken to avoid leagalism.