The document discusses the relationship between believers and God regarding guilt, conviction, and obedience. It presents a diagram explaining that believers are made right with God positionally through faith alone, though they may still experience conviction of sin or a sense of God's discipline practically if not walking with Him. True guilt and shame come from unconfessed sin, but believers are freed from condemnation. Obedience stems from love, not fear or a desire to be accepted.

1. Hebrews 10:21-22 – And since we
have a great High Priest who rules
over God’s house, 22let us go right
into the presence of God with
sincere hearts fully trusting him. For
our guilty consciences have been
sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make
us clean, and our bodies have been
washed with pure water. NLT

2. Intimacy With Jesus, part 6

3. Romans 3:23-28 – For all have
sinned; all fall short of God’s
glorious standard. 24Yet now God
in his gracious kindness declares
us not guilty.

4. He has done this through Christ
Jesus, who has freed us by
taking away our sins. 25For God
sent Jesus to take the
punishment for our sins and to
satisfy God’s anger against us.

5. We are made right with God
when we believe that Jesus shed
his blood, sacrificing his life for
us. God was being entirely fair
and just when he did not punish
those who sinned in former
times.

6. 26And
he is entirely fair and just in
this present time when he
declares sinners to be right in his
sight because they believe in
Jesus.

7. 27Can
we boast, then, that we have
done anything to be accepted by
God?

8. No, because our acquittal is not
based on our good deeds. It is
28So we are
based on our faith.
made right with God through faith
and not by obeying the law. NLT

9. Our vision is to love the
LORD our God with all our
heart, soul, mind and
strength and to love our
neighbor as ourselves.

10. Guilt
Conviction
(Doing is Wrong)
Awareness
Shame
Service of the
Holy Spirit
(Being is Wrong)
Non-Believer
Positionally: Yes
Practically: Yes
Yes
John 16:8
Consequences
Response

11. John 16:8 – And when he
comes, he will convict the world
of its sin, and of God’s
righteousness, and of the coming
judgment. NLT

12. Guilt
Conviction
(Doing is Wrong)
Awareness
Shame
Service of the
Holy Spirit
(Being is Wrong)
Non-Believer
Positionally: Yes
Practically: Yes
Yes
John 16:8
Consequences
Eternal: Yes
John 3:18
Response

13. John 3:18 – “There is no
judgment against anyone who
believes in him. But anyone who
does not believe in him has
already been judged for not
believing in God’s one and only
Son. NLT

14. Guilt
Conviction
(Doing is Wrong)
Awareness
Shame
Service of the
Holy Spirit
(Being is Wrong)
Non-Believer
Positionally: Yes
Practically: Yes
Yes
John 16:8
Consequences
Eternal: Yes
John 3:18
Temporal: Yes
2 Peter 2:9
Response

15. 2 Peter 2:9 – So you see, the
Lord knows how to rescue godly
people from their trials, even
while keeping the wicked under
punishment until the day of final
judgment. NLT

16. Guilt
Conviction
(Doing is Wrong)
Awareness
Shame
Service of the
Holy Spirit
(Being is Wrong)
Positionally: Yes
Practically: Yes
John 16:8
Believer Who Has
Not Confessed Sin
Positionally: No
Yes
Abiding Positionally
But Not Practically
Practically: No
Non-Believer
Rm 3:22-28
Rm 3:22-28
Yes
Consequences
Eternal: Yes
John 3:18
Temporal: Yes
2 Peter 2:9
John 16:8
You sense the
heavy hand of
God
Ps 32:3-5
Response
Fear

17. Psalm 32:3-5 – When I refused
to confess my sin, my body
wasted away, and I groaned all
day long.

18. 4Day
and night your hand of
discipline was heavy on me. My
strength evaporated like water in
the summer heat.

19. 5Finally,
I confessed all my sins
to you and stopped trying to hide
my guilt. I said to myself, “I will
confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt
is gone. NLT

20. Guilt
Conviction
(Doing is Wrong)
Awareness
Shame
Service of the
Holy Spirit
(Being is Wrong)
Positionally: Yes
Practically: Yes
John 16:8
Believer Who Has
Not Confessed Sin
Positionally: No
Yes
Abiding Positionally
But Not Practically
Practically: No
Non-Believer
Rm 3:22-28
Rm 3:22-28
Yes
Consequences
Eternal: Yes
John 3:18
Temporal: Yes
2 Peter 2:9
John 16:8
You sense the
heavy hand of
God
Ps 32:3-5
Response
Eternal: No
John 3:18; Rm 8:1;
Col 2:14
Fear

21. Romans 8:1 – So now there is
no condemnation for those who
belong to Christ Jesus. NLT

22. Colossians 2:14 – He canceled
the record of the charges against
us and took it away by nailing it
to the cross. NLT

23. Guilt
Conviction
(Doing is Wrong)
Awareness
Shame
Service of the
Holy Spirit
(Being is Wrong)
Positionally: Yes
Practically: Yes
John 16:8
Believer Who Has
Not Confessed Sin
Positionally: No
Yes
Abiding Positionally
But Not Practically
Practically: No
Non-Believer
Rm 3:22-28
Rm 3:22-28
Yes
Consequences
Eternal: Yes
John 3:18
Temporal: Yes
2 Peter 2:9
John 16:8
You sense the
heavy hand of
God
Ps 32:3-5
Response
Eternal: No
John 3:18; Rm 8:1;
Col 2:14
Temporal: Yes
With People &
Quality with God
Num 32:23; Gal 6:7;
Rm 13:4; Col 3:25
Fear

24. Numbers 32:23 – But if you fail
to keep your word, then you will
have sinned against the Lord,
and you may be sure that your
sin will find you out. NLT

25. Galatians 6:7 – Don’t be
misled—you cannot mock the
justice of God. You will always
harvest what you plant. NLT

26. Romans 13:4 – The authorities
are God’s servants, sent for your
good. But if you are doing wrong,
of course you should be afraid,
for they have the power to punish
you. They are God’s servants,
sent for the very purpose of
punishing those who do what is
wrong. NLT

27. Colossians 3:25 – But if you do
what is wrong, you will be paid
back for the wrong you have
done. For God has no favorites.
NLT

28. Guilt
Conviction
(Doing is Wrong)
Awareness
Shame
Service of the
Holy Spirit
(Being is Wrong)
Positionally: Yes
Practically: Yes
John 16:8
Believer Who Has
Not Confessed Sin
Positionally: No
Yes
Abiding Positionally
But Not Practically
Practically: No
Non-Believer
Rm 3:22-28
Rm 3:22-28
Yes
Consequences
Response
Eternal: Yes
John 3:18
Temporal: Yes
Fear
2 Peter 2:9
John 16:8
You sense the
heavy hand of
God
Ps 32:3-5
Eternal: No
John 3:18; Rm 8:1;
Col 2:14
Temporal: Yes
With People &
Quality with God
Num 32:23; Gal 6:7;
Rm 13:4; Col 3:25
Law results in
Fear
Nonbeliever (Heb 10:26-27); Angels
(Mt 8:29); Believer (1 Jn 4:18)

29. Nonbeliever
Hebrews 10:26-27 – For if we go
on sinning deliberately after
receiving the knowledge of the
truth, there no longer remains a
27but a fearful
sacrifice for sins,
expectation of judgment, and a
fury of fire that will consume the
adversaries. ESV

30. Demons
Matthew 8:29 – They began
screaming at him, “Why are you
interfering with us, Son of God?
Have you come here to torture us
before God’s appointed time?”
NLT

31. Believer
1 John 4:18 – Such love has no
fear, because perfect love expels
all fear. If we are afraid, it is for
fear of punishment, and this
shows that we have not fully
experienced his perfect love. NLT

32. Guilt
Conviction
(Doing is Wrong)
Awareness
Shame
Service of the
Holy Spirit
(Being is Wrong)
Positionally: Yes
Practically: Yes
John 16:8
Believer Who Has
Not Confessed Sin
Positionally: No
Yes
Abiding Positionally
But Not Practically
Practically: No
Non-Believer
Rm 3:22-28
Rm 3:22-28
Yes
Consequences
Response
Eternal: Yes
John 3:18
Temporal: Yes
Fear
2 Peter 2:9
John 16:8
You sense the
heavy hand of
God
Ps 32:3-5
Eternal: No
Law results in Fear
John 3:18; Rm 8:1;
Col 2:14
Nonbeliever (Heb 10:26-27); Angels
(Mt 8:29); Believer (1 Jn 4:18)
Temporal: Yes
Loving Relationship
results in Sorrow
With People &
Quality with God
Num 32:23; Gal 6:7;
Rm 13:4; Col 3:25
2 Cor 7:9-10
(Peter - Mk 14:72; Jn 21:15-17 vs.
Judas - Mt 27:3-5)

33. 2 Corinthians 7:9-10 – Now I am
glad I sent it, not because it hurt
you, but because the pain
caused you to repent and change
your ways. It was the kind of
sorrow God wants his people to
have, so you were not harmed by
us in any way.

34. 10For
the kind of sorrow God
wants us to experience leads us
away from sin and results in
salvation. There’s no regret for
that kind of sorrow. But worldly
sorrow, which lacks repentance,
results in spiritual death. NLT

35. Guilt
Conviction
(Doing is Wrong)
Awareness
Shame
Service of the
Holy Spirit
(Being is Wrong)
Positionally: Yes
Practically: Yes
John 16:8
Believer Who Has
Not Confessed Sin
Positionally: No
Yes
Abiding Positionally
But Not Practically
Practically: No
Non-Believer
Rm 3:22-28
Rm 3:22-28
Yes
Abiding Positionally
& Practically
Gal 2:20 & 2 Cor 5:17
Response
Eternal: Yes
John 3:18
Temporal: Yes
Fear
2 Peter 2:9
John 16:8
You sense the
heavy hand of
God
Ps 32:3-5
Believer Who Has
Confessed Sin
Consequences
Eternal: No
John 3:18; Rm 8:1;
Col 2:14
Temporal: Yes
With People &
Quality with God
Num 32:23; Gal 6:7;
Rm 13:4; Col 3:25
Law results in Fear
Heb 10:26-27 (Nonbeliever); Mt 8:29
(Angels); Believer (1 Jn 4:18)
Loving Relationship
results in Sorrow
2 Cor 7:9-10
(Peter - Mk 14:72; Jn 21:15-17 vs.
Judas - Mt 27:3-5)

36. Galatians 2:20 – My old self has
been crucified with Christ. It is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives
in me. So I live in this earthly
body by trusting in the Son of
God, who loved me and gave
himself for me. NLT

37. 2 Corinthians 5:17 – This
means that anyone who belongs
to Christ has become a new
person. The old life is gone; a
new life has begun! NLT

38. Guilt
Conviction
(Doing is Wrong)
Awareness
Shame
Service of the
Holy Spirit
(Being is Wrong)
Positionally: Yes
Practically: Yes
John 16:8
Believer Who Has
Not Confessed Sin
Positionally: No
Yes
Abiding Positionally
But Not Practically
Practically: No
Non-Believer
Rm 3:22-28
Rm 3:22-28
Yes
John 16:8
You sense the
heavy hand of
God
Abiding Positionally
& Practically
Practically: No
Gal 2:20 & 2 Cor 5:17
Rm 3:22-28
Eternal: Yes
John 3:18
Temporal: Yes
Eternal: No
John 3:18; Rm 8:1;
Col 2:14
Temporal: Yes
With People &
Quality with God
Num 32:23; Gal 6:7;
Rm 13:4; Col 3:25
Eternal: No
Positionally: No
Rm 3:22-28
Response
Fear
2 Peter 2:9
Ps 32:3-5
Believer Who Has
Confessed Sin
Consequences
No
John 3:18; Rm 8:1;
Col 2:14
Temporal: Yes
With People
Num 32:23; Gal 6:7;
Rm 13:4; Col 3:25
Law results in Fear
Nonbeliever (Heb 10:26-27); Angels
(Mt 8:29); Believer (1 Jn 4:18)
Loving Relationship
results in Sorrow
2 Cor 7:9-10
(Peter - Mk 14:72; Jn 21:15-17 vs.
Judas - Mt 27:3-5)
Love results in
Obedience out of
Gratitude
John 14:21

39. John 14:21 – Those who accept
my commandments and obey
them are the ones who love me.
And because they love me, my
Father will love them. And I will
love them and reveal myself to
each of them.” NLT

40. Guilt
Conviction
(Doing is Wrong)
Awareness
Shame
Service of the
Holy Spirit
(Being is Wrong)
Positionally: Yes
Practically: Yes
John 16:8
Believer Who Has
Not Confessed Sin
Positionally: No
Yes
Abiding Positionally
But Not Practically
Practically: No
Non-Believer
Rm 3:22-28
Rm 3:22-28
Yes
John 16:8
You sense the
heavy hand of
God
Abiding Positionally
& Practically
Rm 3:22-28
Believer Burdened
Positionally: No
Practically: No
No
Practically: No
Gal 2:20 & 2 Cor 5:17
By False Guilt and/or
False Shame
But they feel guilty
and/or shameful
Eternal: Yes
John 3:18
Temporal: Yes
Eternal: No
John 3:18; Rm 8:1;
Col 2:14
Temporal: Yes
With People &
Quality with God
Num 32:23; Gal 6:7;
Rm 13:4; Col 3:25
Eternal: No
Positionally: No
Rm 3:22-28
Response
Fear
2 Peter 2:9
Ps 32:3-5
Believer Who Has
Confessed Sin
Consequences
John 3:18; Rm 8:1;
Col 2:14
Temporal: Yes
With People
Num 32:23; Gal 6:7;
Rm 13:4; Col 3:25
Yes
Devil
Misguided Teacher
Biblical
Misunderstanding
Eternal: No
Temporal: No
But they feel
condemned
Law results in Fear
Nonbeliever (Heb 10:26-27); Angels
(Mt 8:29); Believer (1 Jn 4:18)
Loving Relationship
results in Sorrow
2 Cor 7:9-10
(Peter - Mk 14:72; Jn 21:15-17 vs.
Judas - Mt 27:3-5)
Love results in
Obedience out of
Gratitude
John 14:21
Fear, Confusion,
Distrust, Anxiety,
Unworthiness
Copyright, Michael F. Sabo