A situation that has arisen because of sin committed against God or one’s neighbor. In the OT guilt is depicted as a burden or weight that can crush a person (Ps 38:4; Ps 38:6), as a cancer that can destroy a person from within (Ps 32:3-4), and as a debt that must be paid (Lev 5:1-6:7; Num 5:5-8). For the biblical writers, however, guilt is not understood primarily as an inward feeling of remorse or a bad conscience. Indeed, people can be guilty without even being aware that they have done anything wrong (Lev 5:17-19). Rather, guilt arises because people are responsible and accountable for actions that break apart relationships (with God or others) through sin. Further, guilt can be both collective (Josh 7) and individual (Ps 51). The basic meaning of guilt in the NT is “deserving of punishment” (Matt 26:66; 1Cor 11:27; Jas 2:10). According to Paul, all human beings are guilty before God (Rom 1:18-3:20). In both the OT and the NT, it is only because of God’s grace that guilt can be set aside through God’s forgiveness.
