Brian Ceccarelli wrote (that's me):


Kent Sandvik responds:


I think I see where you are coming from Kent.  Jesus doesn't view
guilt like our modern venacular colors it.   

"Feelings" have nothing to do with guilt.  Feelings arise from the state of 
being guilty.  Feeling and guilt are mutally exclusive.  Feelings are a 
reaction from guilt.  Jesus is talking about the guilt state, not the 
reaction.   Let me give you an example:

Have you ever made a mistake?  Have you ever lied to someone?  Even a
little white lie?   Have you ever claimed to know something that you really 
didn't know?  Have you ever hated someone?  Have you ever been selfish?
Are you guilty of any one of these?   The answer is of course, YES.  You
are guilty.  Period.  That is it what Jesus is getting at.  No big surprise.  
Feelings do not even enter the picture.   Consider Jesus's use of the word
"guilt" as how a court uses it.

Jesus is concerned that everyone should admit that they are guilty of being
imperfect.  The Bible calls it the state that we are all sinners.  We all do
bad things.  Even the most insignficant thing that we do wrong is proof of our 
guilt that we are all sinners.     It is it in our nature to do bad things. 
We are sinners, therefore we do bad things.  Being a sinner is fact.  It is
not a pleasant fact.  But it is just a fact.  We are not perfect.   Calling us
sinners should have no more emotional charge to you than calling you a
human being.  Guilty as charged.


You can handle your guilt in one of two ways:  Acknowledge you
made a mistake, learn from it, and try to not do it again--in
the meantime, not punishing yourself for it:  which is the
way Jesus wants you to handle or it.  This is the healthy way.

Or two, the destructive way:  put yourself down, slap yourself
and feel like crap, never forgive yourself, force yourself to
say a thousand Hail Marys . . . even to suicide.  This the way 
Jesus does NOT want us to deal with it.   All people fall into this 
category to some extent in their lives.

Jesus is not in the business of saving us from this guilt
feeling.  Jesus is in the business of showing us how much he
loves us despite our guilt.  Jesus knows we are guilty.  That
isn't new to him.  It is no big deal to him. He just wants you to realize 
that this sinful nature destroys the relationship between you and him.
That is what he wants you to know.  Why, because he wants to 
have your company.  You are immensely valuable to him.
Jesus wants a relationship with you, however, in our present
sinful nature, we are incapable of having this relationship.  

God is perfect.  We are not.  You cannot fit a square peg into
a round hole.  However, God has provided a way for us to
change our nature so that we can have a relationship with him.
God has provided Jesus, so that whosoever just believes in
Jesus, will have their nature changed.  The Holy Spirit will
move it.  And now divine nature is now within lives our very
being--and us and God communicate with each through his
unifying Holy Spirit.  The benefits of this are endless.  For
with the divine nature living within us, we can now see
our imperfections better.  We can now head them off at the pass.  With
the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, we now have his power
to help us overcome our shortcomings.   Because the divine nature lives 
within us, we can now understand profound Bible passages that never before
we could understand.  Because the divine nature now lives within us, we now 
have authority over demonic forces.  And lastly, because the divine 
nature now lives within us, we have eternal life--for the Holy Spirit
is eternal.

The relationship with Jesus is of the utmost importance.  Because
it is not what you do in life that qualifies you to belong to
heavenly kingdom, it is your relationship to the living God.
Remember what Jesus said at the tail end of Matthew when he
separated the "goats from the sheep".   Many people in the
last day will ask him, "Didn't I prophesy in your name and do
miracles, and do good things in your name?"   And what did Jesus say?
"Depart from me, for I never *knew* you."  That is the cornerstone of 
Christianity, Kent.  Jesus must know you as his friend.  It is your 
relationship to Jesus.  If he is your friend and you are his, you will
be counted among those who will share in his inheritance in heaven.  


Good.  It shows that you have a strong self-image--that you
love yourself.  That is the second greatest commandment Jesus
taught.  If only more people could do as you do.   As I said before, 
in the common english venacular, "feeling guilty" has a
different meaning than the state of guilt.


I believe what we all need in our personalities is a lot less ego,
a lot less self-centeredness, and a lot more unconditional love.
