Introduction:
The believer is exposed to many challenges, some internal and others external, during his journey with God. Today we will stand before a challenge and burden that is almost known and experienced by many believers, which is the feeling of guilt and despair of God’s mercy. The feeling of guilt is not strange to the believer, but rather it is part of his journey, a witness that the conscience is still alive. But the problem begins when this feeling turns from an alarm bell into a prison, and it becomes an obstacle instead of a bridge towards God. Therefore, in this applied paper, we will seek to answer a practical and real question: How does a believer deal with his guilt and despair in a biblical way? We will base the answer on the text (1 John 1:5-10). Together we will present the historical and salvific context of the text and then reach the practical application that helps us how to live in light of this text. The text carries within it an integrated vision of the nature of God, our nature and our corrupt reality and opens the path of forgiveness for us.
The historical and salvific context of the text:
At the end of the first century, the Church was going through a delicate and difficult phase. The threat this time was not only from outside, but was leaking from within, in the form of ideas that seemed sophisticated and philosophical, but in essence they destroyed the foundation. Gnosticism spread, which considered the body to be evil, denied the incarnation of Christ, and spread false ideas about sin and salvation. Therefore, the first letter of John was written to expose the errors of the false teachers, to strengthen the believers, and to confirm to them the basics of faith, such as the truth of the incarnate Christ, the nature of God, the light, the path of forgiveness and return to God, and the commandments of love, because God is love.
Text analysis:
The text focuses on some basic faith truths for salvation and the life of faith. The text clearly declares to us that God is light and there is absolutely no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5). This truth of faith puts us before a strong declaration of God’s nature that He is the source of all light, holiness, truth and perfection, and with this nature He reveals darkness, that is, sin and evil. Therefore, it is not possible to have fellowship with God and live in the darkness from which the Apostle John confirms that God’s nature is completely free. The text focuses on the absolute and complete holiness of God before declaring God’s love because our awareness of God’s holiness It makes us hate sin and flee from it because it separates us from God and invalidates our fellowship with Him.
Then the Apostle John moves to the second section of the text to present three claims that begin, “If we say,” and then follow them with a response to these claims. If we claim to have fellowship with God while we continue to sin, then we are lying and not walking according to the truth. You cannot have fellowship with a completely holy God while making sin your usual lifestyle. Pursuing holiness according to the Word of God, “walking in the light,” preserves fellowship with other believers, and shows that we are among those who have been purified by the blood of Jesus through his sacrificial death. This call to holiness may lead some to claim that they are without sin at all, but John says that this is nothing but self-deception, because whoever claims to be without sin is deceiving himself.
Then the Apostle presents the solution to this problem and a great hope for believers by confessing our sins. If we confess our sins, he is “faithful and just” so that he will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God’s honesty and justice make him abide by his promises and achieve his justice based on Christ’s atonement. Then the Apostle John concludes by confirming Christ’s pivotal role as an intercessor who intercedes for us with the Father. Christ is our intercessor, that is, he stands by our side and not against us, an advocate who does not Pretending. At the same time, it is the atonement, the sacrifice that fulfilled everything required by justice and opened the way for us to enter the Holy of Holies again.
The spiritual crisis resulting from feelings of guilt and despair after sin:
This problem is considered a burden, and some consider it a mountain that they cannot cross due to the difficulty of bitterness, guilt, and despair after falling into sin. We do not deny that sin is very bitter, as it is rebellion against God and a violation of His commandments, although sometimes a person is creative in justifying sin to himself or covers it with false reasons so as not to confess his sins. We do not deny that we are faced with the fact that few people today cry over their sins, but we also find the opposite of someone who sins and then falls into the cesspool of despair and guilt. He drifts into the sludge, and the more he focuses on himself and his failings, the more he sinks into guilt and despair of forgiveness and redemption.
One of the difficult challenges in this problem is that a person sometimes reaches the stage of feeling momentary guilt, and then this feeling turns into that there is nothing wrong with this fall, as God forgives sins, and he turns from feeling guilty to permissibility and considering that God’s forgiveness is a card that he can use however and whenever he wants. But this is not the goal of forgiveness. Forgiveness aims to restore the relationship with God and not return to that sin that distorts us and separates us from God, His love, and His nature. Feeling guilty is a very dangerous thing and makes a person full of doubts and questions, and if these doubts are not addressed correctly, they lead the person into a spiral of self-condemnation and loss of hope. Therefore, we will try to devise a practical way to confront this problem facing our churches and our ministers.
Practical way to confront feelings of guilt and despair:
The Apostle John offers a practical solution, which is confession, as the first step, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). This solution is not just a general promise, but rather an actual process. Confession is the first step in rebuilding the self that was destroyed due to despair.
From a deep psychological and spiritual perspective, confession is not just an admission of wrongdoing in a rational or linguistic way, it is a real concession to the tyrannical despair that dominates the heart. It is a shift from an “I am not wrong” attitude to an “I am wrong” attitude. This recognition is the direct opposite of the process of despair. It is not just saying the word “I confess,” it is a complex process that includes several components. First, it requires complete honesty, that is, the ability to view oneself in the “light” of truth without exaggeration or dilution. Second, it requires surrender, that is, a renunciation of the attempt to manage oneself independently and an acceptance of the need for God as the source of purification and life. This is entirely consistent with Kierkegaard’s thought that: “True health of the self comes through the recognition of complete dependence on God.”
Recognition is the first step toward “reconnecting.” It rebuilds the relationship that was broken. When a person confesses his sins, he is still a “sinner,” but his situation has completely changed. He no longer carries his mistake in the “darkness” of denial, but places it in the “light” of relationship. This shift from shadow to light is the essence of the healing and forgiveness process. What guarantees healing and answers the questions of the desperate believer, such as: Can I trust this God? Will he accept me? Can he forgive me? Confession is associated with the attributes of God as “faithful and just,” and these attributes answer these questions directly. “Amin” means reliable, able to keep his promise. “Just” means that God is not unjust and does not allow injustice. These qualities divert the despairing believer from asking, “What should I do to receive forgiveness?” To “What does God do based on His attributes after I confess and acknowledge my mistakes?”
As Craig Koester says: “Integrity means consistency between words and actions. When we fulfill the commitments we have made, this shows our integrity. But when we say one thing and then do the opposite, it creates a state of contradiction and disharmony.”2 Therefore, our confession must be sincere and serious. I cannot trust our corrupt human nature to continue with perseverance in any decision after confessing and following Christ, but I trust in the power of God who He preserves and perfects our faith because He is the author and perfecter of our faith. We have listened to many stories that indicate how many young people, despite surrendering their lives to Christ and repenting, fall into the sin of pornography again. They then confess and acknowledge that they will never return to that sin, but soon we find them falling again. But what guarantees and preserves the continuity of our perseverance on the path of faith is our reliance on the faithful and just God who forgives our sins and purifies us from all unrighteousness because He is our intercessor.
The second step is communion with the light, through a daily living relationship with God and then the relationship with the body of Christ, the church, the community of believers that leads me towards God, strengthens me, prays for me, and we train and share in the light to remain in true, living communion with the light.
Walking in the light means living in obedience to God’s will, and allowing His light to reveal every darkness in our lives. In this light, we experience the power of the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all sin, confirming that forgiveness is not a one-time event, but rather an ongoing process of cleansing and communion.
And then the third step is to hold on to the promise of forgiveness based on God’s attributes that He is “faithful and just.” When we confess our sins, we must trust this promise and accept it by faith. We must not allow guilt to overpower us after confession, because that calls into question God’s faithfulness and justice. Because Satan often attacks believers not only with a feeling of guilt, “I did something bad,” but also with a feeling of shame, “that I personally am a bad person who does not deserve forgiveness.” Therefore, it is important to differentiate between feelings of guilt and feelings of shame, because feeling shame leads to not admitting the mistake, due to believing in the error of not deserving of forgiveness. Therefore, we must cling to the promise of forgiveness and the power of God alone to heal, purify, and renew our souls.
واخيرً ا الاعتماد على شفاعة المسيح وكفارته )1يو: 1-2( عندما نسقط في الخطية، فإن رجاءنا لا يعتمد على كمالنا ، بل على كمال المسيح وعمله الكفاري. يسوع المسيح هو شفيعنا الوحيد لدى الآب، وهو الذي يقف إلى جانبنا ويدافع عنا. إن ذبيحة 2 Craig R. Koester, Commentary on 1 John 1:5—2:2. Working Preacher. Available on the following link https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/narrative-lectionary/preaching-series-on-1-john-2-of- 4/commentary-on-1-john-15-10-21-2 المسيح ودمه تقدم لنا الكفارة عن خطايانا، مما يعني أن عقوبة الخطية قد دفُعت بالكامل من خلاله. هذا الفهم يحررنا من اليأس ويمنحنا الثقة في الاقتراب إلى عرش النمة، عالمين أن لنا محاميًا قويًا يمثلنا.
Conclusion
The Epistle of 1 John, specifically the text of 1 John 1:5 – 2:2, provides us with a solid theological foundation and practical hope for dealing with the problem of guilt and despair after the fall into sin. By realizing that God is light and without darkness, sincerely confessing our sins and holding on to the promise of forgiveness, and completely relying on Christ’s intercession and atonement, the believer can find freedom from the burden of guilt and regain true fellowship with God. These truths do not call for tolerance of sin, but rather encourage the pursuit of holiness and obedience with complete trust in God’s forgiving and purifying grace. Christian hope is not based on our perfection, but on the perfection of Christ and his redemptive work, which guarantees us forgiveness and eternal fellowship.
The reviewer
Koester, Craig R. Commentary on 1 John 1:5—2:2. Working Preacher. Available on the following link https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/narrative-lectionary/preaching-series-on-1-john-2-of- 4/commentary-on-1-john-15-10-21-2 Who Is the Other in Sickness unto Death? God and Human … https:// www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Who-Is-the-Other-in-Sickness-Unto-Death-God-andin- Evans/541d27bce9f22a34471f12343924a185cfa26977