Is guilt a blessing or a curse? It depends on the attitude of the guilty one. If the sinner believes in Christ as a personal Saviour, acknowledges his or her condition, repents and confesses it to the Lord, he or she is acquitted, totally forgiven, justified, and restored to the favor of God. But on the other hand, if he or she resists the appeal of the Holy Spirit, refusing to repent, then he or she will suffer the present and eternal consequences of wrongdoing.

What is guilt? According to Webster’s Dictionary, guilt is “1. the act or state of having done a wrong or committed an offense; culpability, legal or ethical; 2. conduct that involves guilt; wrongdoing; crime; sin.”1

“[Guilt is] the legal and moral condition that results from a violation of God’s Law as expressed through the covenant, i.e., from sin.”2

The fall of the first couple, Adam and Eve, gives us a very meaningful picture of the guilt and its consequence. Actually, Genesis chapter 3 reflects the terrible drama of all humanity.

Before transgressing God’s express commandment, Adam and Eve enjoyed a wonderful relationship with their Creator. They had free communication among them as friend to friend.

After their disobedience, that happy environment was totally changed.

“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:8–10, emphasis supplied).

Three phrases from the above scriptures are brought out here:

1. “Adam and his wife hid themselves.”

2. “I was afraid.”

3. “I hid myself.”

Why did the couple hide themselves? Why were they afraid? In the dialogue that followed, we can realize how terrible sin is.

God said to Adam, “Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat” (verses 11–13, emphasis supplied).

Other tremendous result of sin is self-justification. When there is no legitimate repentance, the guilty one always blames someone else for his or her wrong acts. Adam blamed Eve and God. Eve blamed the serpent and God. At first, they didn’t recognize their great crime against their lovely Creator. In verse 15, God declared to the serpent: “I will put enmity between thee and the woman.” Why was it necessary for God to “put enmity” between Adam and Eve and the serpent? Because, through sin, they became good friends. They reflected now Satan’s character. An intervention from outside became indispensable for the restoration of those now sinful creatures.

After the spiritual tragedy that happened when the Israelites worshipped the golden calf, God identified Himself to Moses with the following words: “The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6, 7, emphasis supplied).

Legally and ethically, all who commit sin are guilty. And God said that He “will by no means clear the guilty.” The New International Version puts it this way: “Yet [God] does not leave the guilty unpunished.”

If God cannot, because of His justice, clear the guilty or, in other words “does not leave the guilty unpunished,” what will be the fate of the sinners, since “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)?

In Romans 3:19, Paul makes it clear that the whole human race is guilty before God: “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 may become guilty before God.”

James declares that if we break just one commandment, we are guilty of breaking the whole Law: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law” (2:10, 11).

Let us consider Romans 13:8–10: “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

In His sermon on the mount, Christ revealed the deep spirituality of the Law, when He said:

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:21, 22).

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (verses 27, 28).

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (verses 43–45).

As we see, any thing we think, speak, or do against the great principle of love, is a transgression of the law of love. Anyone who is separated from Christ is guilty before the Lord.