Guilt: Christian Motivation or Neurotic Masochism?

Abstract

The first two articles of this series traced the origins, content and extent of guilt's influence. They also surveyed some of the major defenses utilized in the struggle against guilt and suggested that in one way or another guilt feelings are at the root of all psychogenic pathology. This article turns to a consideration of the biblical teachings on the role of guilt in the Christian's life. It begins with a discussion of some common examples of guilt motivation in Christian literature and develops the theses that (a) according to the Bible, guilt motivation is never utilized by God to motivate the Christian and, (b) guilt feelings in the experience of Christians are always self-destructive.