Imagine walking around with a heavy load on your shoulders. Unless you were exceptionally strong, would you not become weighed down after awhile?
There is nothing necessarily wrong with feelings of guilt, but excessive guilt can be destructive: it could be just like carrying a heavy load around with us that ultimately weighs us down.
Please notice how King David described the excessive guilt he felt in Psalm 38:3-8.
(after reading)
Before Jehovah extended forgiveness to him, David felt sick and his guilt was like a heavy burden that he could not bear. Similarly, some today feel guilty because of sins they committed before becoming Witnesses or others feel discouraged because of sins committed after learning the truth. While not all guilt is bad and a healthy sense of guilt might help us to abandon a sinful course, the danger is excessive guilt. But just what do we mean by excessive guilt?
It means that the guilt one feels continues even after he/she has repented
and Jehovah has extended forgiveness (compare Proverbs 28:13). This kind of guilt can be
harmful and unbearably burdensome. Therefore, how can we avoid it?
Notice David's words in Psalm 39:4-5.
(after reading)
David emphasizes that life is short; it is like a quick breath or short exhalation. Consequently, instead of living in the past or reflecting on old mistakes, we need to look forward and make our future days count (Philippians 3:13). It is possible to concentrate on the future by putting spiritual goals first and obeying God's commands. Furthermore, it is imperative to use our time wisely (Ephesians 5:15-17).
However, despite our best efforts, feelings of excessive guilt might well up from time to time. One way to combat these feelings is found in Psalm 39:12.
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Jehovah invites us to approach him in prayer and we should pray even if feelings of guilt make it difficult to pray. After all, Jehovah knows there are times when it's difficult for us to suppplicaste him. However, the holy spirit can plead in our behalf and we can use prayers recorded in the Bible like Psalm 51 or Psalm 65 when it''s difficult for us to articulate our thoughts. In the final analysis, Jehovah appreciates our sincere efforts and takes our whole life course into consideration.
May we take comfort in the words of Isaiah 55:7.
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This chapter springs to mind:
[2Co 7:9-10 NASB95] [9] I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to [the point of] repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to [the will of] God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. [10] For the sorrow that is according to [the will of] God produces a repentance without regret, [leading] to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.
"Early Christians didn’t believe in the Trinity." - This claim ignores the evidence. While the term "Trinity" wasn’t formalized until the 2nd-4th centuries, the concept is present in the New Testament and early Christian writings. The writings of Ignatius of Antioch or Irenaeus of Lyons demonstrate that early Christians recognized the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, consistent with Trinitarian theology. Resource for you: https://t.ly/B9zHO
"The Trinity was born out of apostasy and Greek philosophy." - This is a common argument but historically inaccurate. The Trinity is rooted in Scripture, not Greek philosophy. The doctrine of the Trinity arises from the Bible’s depiction of God, not external sources. Early Christians grappled with how to faithfully articulate the Bible’s teachings about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They relied on passages like Matthew 28:19, John 1:1, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Acts 5:3-4, Philippians 2:6.These texts demonstrate that the early Church Fathers didn’t “invent” the Trinity but sought to systematize what was already revealed in Scripture.
The claim of a “great apostasy” contradicts Scripture. The notion that true Christianity was corrupted immediately after the apostles died is contradicted by Jesus’ promise in Matthew 16:18: "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Jesus guaranteed the Church’s perseverance, and the New Testament writers consistently encouraged believers to guard the faith (e.g., 1 Timothy 6:20), not because it would fail, but because God would sustain it. Additionally, early Church Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch (c. AD 35–107) and Justin Martyr (c. AD 100–165), who lived shortly after the apostles, affirmed beliefs consistent with Trinitarian theology. The claim that the Trinity was a late invention ignores the continuity of Christian teaching from the apostles onward. Some resources for you:
* https://t.ly/czf5D
* https://t.ly/2PZUD
"Paul says there is only one God, the Father." - Yes, 1 Corinthians 8:6 affirms that there is "one God, the Father." However, the same verse also states that there is "one Lord, Jesus Christ," through whom all things were created. The use of "Lord" (Kyrios) for Jesus directly parallels the Septuagint’s use of "Lord" for Yahweh in Deuteronomy 6:4 (the Shema). Paul’s language assigns Jesus divine attributes and roles, such as Creator and Sustainer, which are exclusive to God. To argue that "one God" excludes Jesus from divinity is to misread the text. Instead, Paul affirms a functional distinction within the Godhead: the Father is the source ("from whom all things came"), and the Son is the agent ("through whom all things came"). This distinction does not imply inequality. Both the Father and the Son are essential in creation, demonstrating their shared divine essence.
"Jehovah is the God of gods, and Jesus said 'My God'." - Jesus referring to the Father as "My God" reflects His incarnational role. When Jesus calls the Father "My God" (e.g., John 20:17), it reflects His humanity and submission within the incarnation (Philippians 2:5-8). As the eternal Son, Jesus took on human nature to fulfill the role of the perfect mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). This submission is relational, not ontological. It does not negate His deity. In John 20:28 Thomas calls Jesus "My Lord and my God," using the Greek "ho theos," the definite article reserved for Yahweh. According to Colossians 2:9 "in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. In Hebrews 1:8 the Father addresses the Son as "God." The Father and the Son have distinct roles within the Godhead, but this does not diminish their shared essence.
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