Thoughts on Christian Living Book #2 by Dr. W. A. Dillard - HTML preview

GOODNESS OF GUILT AND SHAME

“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance

and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” Romans 2:4

Making it legal does not necessarily make it to be right! The laws of civilization are Judeo-Christian foundations set by the Creator/God of the universe. Two things constitute law: commandment plus penalty. It is the plainly stated task of the Holy Spirit of God to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. John 16:8. As laws of God, government, and morality are broken, the one breaking them incurs guilt, and its resultant sense of shame. This is the Spirit of God at work in human life.

However it is the work of the satanic god of this world to influence men to break the bands of God and to throw off His cords. Psalm 2:2-3. It begins with the denial of God as Creator, then the denial of God altogether. It continues with the legalization of immorality and actions by which the presence of guilt and shame are negated. The end result of all this is the production of a godless, antichrist society, incontinent, guiltless, and shameless, but upon whom the full force of the judgment of the righteous God shall fall without measure.

The psychology of wrongdoing is that it is first rationalized as the right or justified thing to do at the moment (situation ethics). Sinners then feel bad because of guilt and shame upon the confrontation and realization that they have done wrong. So, to aid them in retreat from the convicting power of the Holy Spirit of God, they turn perverted rationalization into legalization by the agreement of restructured law.

Rather than pursue such an evil course of eternal condemnation, one does extremely well to welcome guilt and its resultant shame as the power and goodness of God leading them to repentance, and without which, repentance is impossible. It is through repentance toward God for wrongdoing that the sinner finds not only the removal of guilt and shame, but rejoicing that God has removed it as far as the east is from the west, and put a

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