The Wrong Way to Overcome Guilt

Genesis 3:10. Guilt can be a heavy burden, but there is a right way and a wrong way to overcome guilt. Humans have experienced guilt since the Garden of Eden. The way that Adam and Eve tried to address their guilt is an example of a wrong way to overcome guilt. Adam and Eve experience guilt because they had disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge. After they had eaten of the fruit, their eyes were wide open. They were unsettled in that they were experiencing a new type of feeling. They had mixed feelings of both shame and guilt. They knew something was wrong, but the only thing that they could comprehend was that they now knew that they were naked. The only thing that they could think to do was cover their nakedness and hide from God. God soon arrives in the garden and asks Adam what are they doing? Adam says in Genesis 3:10, “... I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself”.

Adam and Eve definitely experienced shame, but they did not really comprehend their guilt until God pointed it out to them and banished them from the Garden of Eden. In overcoming guilt the first thing you need to do is acknowledge that you are wrong in God's eyes. When you are in sin you can hide your sin from others, but you cannot hide it from God. You will never overcome guilt by hiding from God. Guilt can only be addressed with God through atonement. You must acknowledge your sin, accept God's mercy, and turn away from your sin. Atonement is the only true way to overcome guilt.

GENESIS 3 BIBLE SCRIPTURE Genesis 3:10, “And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”