Does God Want Me to Feel Bad about My Sins?
Does God Want Me to Feel Bad about My Sins?
You’ve probably heard or even memorized the Bible verse that says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1, ESV). This is a great verse to know by heart, when the context is understood…
Without context, however, it can lead to a very unhealthy way of dealing with our sins.
If we are actively sinning, or we have sins in our past that we’ve yet to acknowledge were sins, and we begin to feel badly about those sins, we may have been taught to spout off Romans 8:1 to try to drown out the voice of condemnation and to quell our guilty feelings; and that’s okay to do, so long as that’s not the only thing we’re doing.
Romans 8:1 isn’t just some verse for us to spout off when we’re sinning to make us feel better about ourselves. It’s a great reminder for us that, as Christians, we are no longer under condemnation (judgment or punishment for sin), but it was never intended to free us up from conviction (the convincing of what is right in contrast to our wrongdoing).
Often, when we’re feeling condemned about something we’ve done, we’re experiencing conviction at the same time. The funny thing about condemnation and conviction is, on the surface, they don’t seem all that different — primarily because they can both feel bad. And we sometimes think (or have been taught) that feeling badly about something is a bad thing, or that it’s something that God doesn’t want us to ever experience as His children.
This isn’t true, though. And the problem with this way of thinking is that, in quieting the voice of condemnation, we can also dismiss the voice of conviction (the Holy Spirit’s voice) without even realizing we’re doing it — unless, that is, we first learn to recognize the difference between the voice of condemnation and the voice of conviction.
Where condemnation says, “God’s not pleased with you,” the Holy Spirit’s conviction says, “This thing you’re doing (or did) doesn’t please Me, but let Me show you what does.”
Where condemnation says, “You should be better than this! You should be trying harder!” the Holy Spirit’s conviction reminds us, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing. Rely on Me.”
Where condemnation says, “There’s no hope for you to be anything more than the mess you are now. Just give up,” the Holy Spirit’s conviction says, “My grace has made it possible for you to become everything I have called you to be. Let’s do this together!”
Where condemnation brings up the sins in our past that have already been dealt with to overwhelm us with how bad we are, conviction addresses the sinful behavior at hand of which we need to repent by focusing our attention on God’s goodness, His better way, and the good work He currently desires to do in us.
Just before his crucifixion, Jesus told His followers that He was going to send His Spirit into the world. And this is what He explained that His Spirit would do:
“And when [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” – Jesus (John 16:8-11, ESV)
For non-Christians, the Holy Spirit’s conviction is condemnation (John 3:18) — it’s God’s way of making us aware of our sins in contrast to His righteousness, and warning us of the impending judgment if we do not turn to Jesus.
But for Christians, the Holy Spirit’s conviction is simply God’s way of teaching us what does (and by contrast, what doesn’t) please God, so that we can become more and more like Jesus (John 16:12-15).
So, if you are a Christian, the next time you’re feeling condemned about something you’re doing (or even something you have done in the past), you can tell that voice of condemnation to be quiet, because you are not condemned! But don’t stop there! Rather than dismissing that bad feeling altogether, let it serve as a red flag that something you’re doing may truly not be right or okay.
Ask God to show you what He wants you to see, and if He allows you to see something you’re doing (or even have done, but never acknowledged) that isn’t right, acknowledge that it’s wrong, repent from it (change the way you think about it to line up with how God thinks about it), and let the Holy Spirit guide you in His better way moving forward.
I struggle with this — finding the balance between renouncing condemnation and receiving conviction. The voices in my head can be so critical and unkind, and sometimes, I listen too intently, exercising no discernment whatsoever. Other times, I opt not to listen at all. Maybe you know what that’s like.
But Jesus, even in correction, is never unkind. Because love is kind, and God is love.
So, when we hear an unkind voice — it’s not that we need to shut it up “in Jesus name.” It’s that we need to turn the dial, if you will, to adjust frequencies. We need to tune into a different voice.
Because somewhere, amidst the noise, Jesus is also speaking. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss whatever He has to say about the things in me that still need to change. Even if it feels bad in the moment, it’ll be worth it. Because though conviction may sting for a while, if we let it turn us around, it will always lead us to love better than we did before.
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