Guilt Trips

(Proverbs 25:22 KJV)  For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.

I am constantly amazed at how people charged with the responsibility of preaching will betray it in order to be politically correct and acceptable to those who resist the gospel.  What does this have to do with this verse?  I heard a preacher one time take this verse and spend a lot of time twisting and warping in order to try to say that this was an expression that really meant you were being humble and contrite.  He rejected that fact that people could be made to feel guilty because that would violate their safe space and make them feel uncomfortable.

The simple fact is that God uses guilt to convict of sin and often it is your righteous behavior that brings to light their lack of God’s blessing.  I would suggest that we often don’t see it.  I would admit that many times the guilt they are feeling brings out even more violent reactions.  The truth is that God has many ways of trying to reach people.  Think of Noah going to Nineveh and preaching repentance.  It was enough.  Other times repeated warnings and pleading only hardened hearts.

So?  God is working.  Don’t feel that He has to embrace the current trend toward trigger warnings and safe spaces.  He is trying to save people from the ultimate, eternal unsafe space.