What Can I Do with My Guilt? - Part 6 - 2011 by R.C. Sproul

Sep 29, 2026

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Explores how guilt should be addressed within Christian apologetics, framing guilt as a visceral, existential issue rather than an abstract theological debate. R.C. Sproul outlines why conversations about truth claims often shift when he asks skeptics a pointed question: what they do with their guilt. The work situates the topic within the “crucial questions” series and connects the discussion to key Christian themes of forgiveness, assurance, faith, and life in the world.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages68

Reading Time2 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

One Guilt and Guilt Feelings

Two Dealing with Guilt

Three The Cure—Forgiveness

What Can IDo with MyGuilt? R.C.SPROUL https://archive.org/details/whatcanidowithmy0000spro_l8m8 # What Can IDo with My Guilt? Crucial Questions booklets provide a quickintroduction to definitive Christian truths.Thisexpanding collection includes titles such as: Who Is Jesus? Can I Trust the Bible? Does Prayer Change Things? Can I Know God's Will? How Should I Live in This World? What Does It Mean to Be Born Again? Can I Be Sure I'm Saved? What Is Faith? What Can IDo with My Guilt? What Is the Trinity? TO BROWSE THE REST OF THE SERIES,PLEASE VISIT:REFORMATIONTRUST.COM/Co What CanI Do withMy Guilt? R.C.SPROUL # What Can I Do with My Guilt?⑥2011 by R.C.Sproul Published by Reformation Trust Publishinga division of Ligonier Ministries421 Ligonier Court,Sanford,FL32771Ligonier.org ReformationTrust.com Printed in ChinaRR Donnelley0001018First edition,ninth printing ISBN 978-1-64289-044-0(Paperback) ISBN 978-1-64289-072-3(ePub) ISBN 978-1-64289-100-3(Kindle) All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored ina retrieval system,or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic,mechanical,photocopy,recording,or otherwise-without the prior writtenpermission of the publisher,Reformation Trust Publishing.The onlyexception is brief quotations in published reviews. Cover design:Ligonier Creative Interior typeset:Katherine Lloyd,The DESK All Scripture quotations are from the ESV®Bible(The Holy Bible,EnglishStandard Version),copyright ◎2001 by Crossway,a publishing ministry ofGood News Publishers.Used by permission.All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sproul,R.C.(Robert Charles),1939-2017What can I do with my guilt?/R.C.Sproul.p.cm.--(The crucial questions series)ISBN 978-1-56769-258-7 1.Guilt--Religious aspects--Christianity.2.Forgiveness--Religious aspects--Christianity.I.Title.II.Series.BT722.S672011234'.5--dc22 2011014993 Contents One Guilt and Guilt Feelings…………………………………………1 Two Dealing with Guilt …………………………………………………21 Three The Cure—Forgiveness…………………………………………35 # Guilt andGuilt Feelings During my career as a seminary professor,I frequentlyhave been called upon to teach courses on Christianapologetics.The term apologetics comes from the Greek wordapologia,which means “to make a reply.”Thus,the disciplineofapologetics is not concerned with apologizing for beinga Christian,as the term might suggest.Rather,its aim is toprovide a rational,intellectual defense of the truth claims ofChristianity and to answer objections that people raise to thefaith.This can be a very abstract,philosophical enterprise. # What Can I Do with My Guilt? AsI engage in apologetics,I often converse with peoplewho are not Christian believers;some of them are indiffer-ent,while others are openly hostile to Christianity.For thisreason,when I have these discussions,I often encounterquestions about various truth claims.I think,as FrancisSchaeffer used to say,that it is the Christian responsibilityto give honest answers to honest questions,as far as we areable,so I try my best to do that. Sooner or later,however,particularly in discussions withskeptics and people who are philosophically hostile to Chris-tianity,I pause from my attempts to give answers and raise aparticularly pointed question of my own.I say:“Weve dis-cussed the abstractions,the rational arguments for the exis-tence ofGod and so on.Let's lay those aside just fora momentand let me ask you this:What do you do with your guilt?” This question often provokes a dramatic shift in thetenor of the discussion.It touches on something that isa visceral matter for many people,something that affectsthem at an existential level,so it moves the discussionbeyond the abstract realm.In most instances,the personwith whom I am speaking does not become angry when Iask this question.Sometimes the person will say that he hasno guilt or that guilt is simply a term invented by religious —

FAQs

Why does Sproul raise the question about guilt during apologetics discussions?

He asks it after rational arguments and abstractions, because guilt is a visceral existential issue that can shift the conversation beyond theory to real life.

What meaning does Sproul give to apologetics?

Apologetics is presented as a rational, intellectual defense of Christianity’s truth claims and a response to objections people raise.

How does the book structure its treatment of guilt?

It progresses from guilt and guilt feelings, to dealing with guilt, and then to forgiveness as the cure.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Kyle