“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us” (Ephesians 1:7).
Albert Speers was a man whose name will long live in infamy. Speers, as you may remember, was the technical genius who kept Hitler’s factories moving at peak performance in World War II. Of the 24 war criminals convicted at the war trials at Nuremburg, Speers was the only one to admit his guilt, and for his part in the attempted genocide of a race, Speers spent 20 years in Spandau prison.
Shortly before his death, David Hartman interviewed him and called to his attention a passage in his memoirs when he said that his guilt could never be forgiven. “Do you still feel that way?” Hartman asked. Speers replied, “I served a sentence of twenty years, and I could say, “I’m a free man; my conscience has been cleared by serving the whole time as punishment.” But I cannot say that. I still carry the burden of what happened to millions of people during Hitler’s lifetime, and I cannot get rid of it.”
Prodding deeper, Hartman asked, “You really do not think you will be able to clear it totally?” Speers shook his head, “I don’t think it will be possible.” Only weeks after that incident, Albert Speers died, apparently still bearing the tremendous burden of guilt. Speers is not the only one who bears the burden of guilt. Scores of people the world over have heard this program and have written‑‑trying to unburden their hearts of a troubled conscience.
The problem of guilt is not psychological but theological or spiritual. Guilt involves the burden of sin. And Jesus Christ alone provided the solution to this burden. His death is that solution. God treated Him as we should have been treated.
“You mean I will never have to explain why I still carry the burden of guilt?” a young woman asked me when I went to the Scripture and pointed out this truth. “Never,” I said, and that is the way it is. I did not say it. Psychiatry does not say it. The Bible does, and upon this truth we can take the next step, which is to forgive ourselves. And forgiving ourselves is often more difficult than finding the forgiveness of God.
I have no way of knowing whether Albert Speers ever came to grips with the issue of sin in relationship to the cross of Jesus Christ. I doubt it very much, because when one realizes that God has forgiven completely and entirely, then there is a rationale, or a basis, for forgiving yourself, which then results in peace of mind.
Many people are like the woman who wrote and said, “God has forgiven me and I thank Him so much for His wonderful grace, but it really is hard to forgive myself.” Before you can really forgive yourself, you must understand something of God’s forgiveness, which helps you to realize you have no reason not to forgive yourself when you know God has forgiven you. David, who knew something of the burning pains of conscience, wrote, “The LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13, 14).
The message of the cross all centers on forgiveness. It was the means, the solution, which enabled God to forgive. There is no permanent solution to guilt apart from forgiveness, God’s forgiveness, which enables us to forgive each other, and to forgive ourselves as well. As the Psalmist wrote long ago, “If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore, you are feared” (Psalm 130:3, 4, KJV). That’s good news friend, in a bad news world.
Resource reading: Psalm 103
