What's the difference between guilt and conviction

This last weekend, I shared with a frined that that conviction and guilt was a lot closer then we think. Many times in Christian circles we often say one of these word are dark and the other is christian. Well I think they are a lot closer then we think.

Consider these words I found in a recent writing

In Christian circles one often hears the phrase, "Guilt is from the devil but conviction is from the Holy Spirit," or "Guilt is from the pit of hell but conviction comes from God." The purpose of these statements may be to console a burdened believer or to force him to analyze whether he is feeling genuine "conviction" over an issue (a good thing) or just plain "guilt" for something he shouldn't have done or maybe for nothing at all (a bad thing). The intentions of the person using this phrase are typically good; the counselor wants to bring some relief to a distressed brother and pointing out that God doesn't want us to feel guilty for something we have done usually makes people feel a little better. "Hey," he thinks, "that's right, I am not supposed to feel guilty as a Christian, I guess I should just get over this and move on," or, "Yeah, you're right. I don't want to feel guilty, but this is an issue that I am genuinely convicted over, so I guess I should do something about it." So this advice that guilt is from the devil and conviction is from God's Spirit seems helpful. But is it true? I would submit that no, unfortunately, it is not.

This, rather, is an example of a false dichotomy between two related and not opposing terms. This is plain to see even in English. The word "conviction" means "to find or prove to be guilty," and the word "guilt" means "the fact of having committed a breach of conduct; especially violating law and involving a penalty" or "the state of one who has committed an offense, especially consciously." And "guilty" means "justly chargeable with or responsible for a usually grave breach of conduct or a crime" or "justly liable to or deserving of a penalty." One is guilty if he is blameworthy. And note that guilty persons are convicted of a crime. And a criminal is also known as a convict. So we see that terms are not in opposition to one another but rather just the opposite: the words "guilt" and "conviction" are very much related, even interdependent at places.

Therefore, it doesn't make any sense in the English language to sharply divide the meaning of the terms "guilt" and "conviction" in the way that is often done in Christian circles. But neither does it make any sense to do this theologically. Unavoidable in the above definitions for "guilt" and "conviction" is the presence of an offender. They speak of a person who has committed a crime, is justly condemned, and deserving of punishment. This is likewise the description of a sinner before a holy God. The apostle John writes, "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3:4). When we sin we break God's law, fall short of his glory, "miss the mark" of his righteous standard. And because we were made in the image of God to love him and obey him and live for his glory, when we sin we feel guilty. Our conscience condemns us because we have betrayed our selves, lived in a way contrary to our intended purpose. This self-condemnation is good however, and a sign that everything is working properly inside of us when we do wrong. We feel guilty when we sin because we are guilty. We broke the law, we transgressed the commandment, we rebelled against God's rule, we sinned, and we were not created to do any of that. It is abnormal behavior, it is wrong, and we know it
Have a Great Day

David