Summary:
All of us have weaknesses and have sin. We need to rely on the Word of God and on the Holy Spirit to be victorious over sin.

“I Am Guiltless?”. This question can mean different things. When preaching to a group of people who have yet to believe in Christ and we say that we need have our sins washed away, they may not feel they have sin and may respond by saying they are guiltless. However, for us Christians we are clear that no man is sinless and the wages of sin is death. The fact that all men die testifies of the existence of sin.

Why is it difficult for people to believe they have sin? Some people think they will be rewarded for good deeds. Some people think they can self-cultivate and become a deity next time.

Even Christians who know of the existence of sin can end up pushing the blame to another and making reasons up so they’re not guilty. But are the reasons given able to annul the sinful things they did? Of course not.

Why are human beings so terrifying? When under immense stress and there is gain in sight, a person is willing to put aside their morality. Then they will find a reason to claim their innocence. We look at some examples.

Matt 27:18-19, 24
For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.
While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”…
…When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”

Even though Pilate knew Jesus was a righteous man, he washed his hands before the multitude and said that he is innocent, i.e. guiltless. He knew clearly it was unjust, but he washed his hands off it nevertheless.

Luke 23:14-15
said to them, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.

Luke 23:22-23
Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.”
But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.

Pilate actually did have the authority to release Jesus.

John 19:10
Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?”

But he didn’t release Jesus. His own words in John 19:10 convict him of his sin.

Matt 27:24-25
When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”
And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”

When a person is under tremendous pressure and starts to think about his own gains and benefits, he resorts to unrighteous deeds. His conscience might still prick him. So what did Pilate do? He washed his hands and said this meant he was innocent of Jesus’ blood, to try and soothe his conscience. Truly a person can go against his conscience when under pressure.

In 1963, a Jew gathered volunteers for an experiment. Volunteers were offered USD$4.50 an hour (a considerable amount then). This was the experiment: There are 2 types of participants and an observer. One type would be teachers, the other type would be students. They would be in separate rooms. The teachers would have to pose questions to the students. Between the rooms was a device that could shock people. If the student gets the wrong answer, the teacher would press a button and the student would get shocked. In the beginning it was set to 45 volts. But the experiment dictated that the more mistakes made meant a higher voltage, the maximum being 450 volts. A higher voltage means greater harm to a person. Typically, a person shocked by 300 volts would lose consciousness. 450 volts would hence likely kill a person. A volunteer would much rather be the teacher delivering the shock rather than the student receiving the shock. For fairness, lots were drawn. The older one had to be the student while the younger one had to be the teacher. A volunteer asked for his remuneration first as he had a heart condition. Each time the button was pressed, the teacher would be able to hear the student cry out. As the voltage crept up to 250 volts, the volunteer playing the teacher hesitated, worried he might kill the volunteer. A person donned in a lab coat entered the room and said, “I will take responsibility for whatever happens to the volunteer playing the student.”

Under the pressure of someone with authority and the desire to be rewarded, the volunteer playing the teacher continued to press the button even when the voltage was at 450 volts.

The experimental wanted to test the hypothesis that human beings have the innate tendency to listen to authority. Together with benefits, a person would be more likely to go against their moralities.

Actually, the volunteer playing the student was working for the experimenter. All the screams were pre-recorded. The experimenter predicted that 1-2% would go to the maximum voltage of 450 volts. In reality, 68% of the sample went to the maximum. A number gave up their reward. But all the participants went up to at least 300 volts. That was when cries could no longer be heard.

This also showed that people stop only when they have committed a very great wrong.

What was the context of this experiment? Israeli special forces had captured a German prisoner. He was a war criminal. When questioned by the judge in court, he didn’t reply to any accusations. He remained silent except for one phrase, “I’m sinless. I only did what I was commanded.” He was ultimately given the maximum sentence. This incident set the Jewish experimenter thinking.

Is it reasonable for a person to say they’re sinless because they were commanded to do it? The experiment sparked a great debate. To what extent will a person maintain their integrity and morals when faced with the pressure of authority and profit?

When a person knows he’s doing wrong, he won’t have the strength to do what’s right. However this doesn’t mean the person doesn’t know what’s right and wrong and hence it does not take away the responsibility the person has to bear.

Back to Pilate. Why was he able to proclaim such an unjust sentence upon Jesus? To Pilate, he was merely acceding to the demands of the Jews. Even though he knew Jesus was innocent, the unrest could compromise his position as a governor. Thinking about his benefits, he put aside his sense of justice and morals. He knew that if he “pressed the button”, the person would be condemned.

Pilate said, “I’m innocent of the blood of this just Person.” The Jews themselves said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”

The speaker wonders if the Jewish experimenter thought about innocent Jesus and guilty Pilate. Many Jews do not acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. They feel they don’t need Jesus because they feel they do not have sin. Jesus proclaimed that He came to get rid of their sin. But they felt that their works could get rid of their sin. When talking to Jews, they would be less interested to talk about sin but more interested to talk about law.

The purpose of the crucifixion of Jesus is to wash sins away. Today our sins have been washed away by Jesus. But does that mean we no longer have sin? Some people have come to believe in Christ and then sin. But they claim that they don’t have sin because they did it in weakness.

1 John 1:7-10
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Context of 1 John was that there were people who didn’t acknowledge that Jesus was God who had come in the flesh, and that there was sin needed to be gotten rid of. A person who denies the efficacy of Jesus’ propitiation for our sins, denies God.

The cross of Jesus is the only way to salvation. Aside from this, there’s no other way. Because of Jesus we know we have sin. We have to walk in the light. Everything we do as Christians reflects what’s in our hearts. We wouldn’t wilfully sin. We won’t walk and do things in darkness, because we’re sons of light.

After we have received grace, do we endeavour to lead a life without sin? Do we lead a life pleasing to God everyday? Or do we yield to another authority instead? There may not be someone of authority pressuring and/or rewarding you, but there’s lust. Will we yield to our lust/flesh?

Even though baptism has washed our sins away, there’s still an innate tendency to sin. There’s a law within us that inclines us to evil. If we don’t overcome it by relying on God, we will submit to our lusts.

Our inner desires pose as a great authority in our lives. They constantly call out, telling us to yield to our flesh and that there’s no need to obey God. This power is more effective than any other forces. This power tells us we’re not guilty after we have done wrong, causing us to continue in our sin. How great an enemy our desires are! It’s warring with us every second, causing us to not obey God.

When we want to walk in the light, we have to walk with God. In our physical body, we have weaknesses. But we rely on God to overcome them.

In Revelations, the victorious saints overcame their weaknesses by the blood of Christ. Faith is a lifelong war. Without a constant communion with God, we would lose the battle against sin and evil. How can we have communion with God and receive strength? To walk in the light, we have to depart from darkness.

To submit to the word of God, we must first know the word of God. Are we familiar with the word of God? We shouldn’t be content that we only know it ‘halfway’. We have to address the problem of faith with sincerity. Do we rely on the word of God, the Bible, to transform our lives?

Many people come to believe in God. But not everyone thinks from the Bible’s point of view. They hence still assume they’re not guilty when they have done wrong. Therein lies the importance of the Bible. The Bible helps us to renew our thoughts so that we would be able to submit to the teachings of the Bible. Today, how many of us use the Bible as a basis of consideration of our actions? How many of us understand what the Bible requires of us? Let’s diligently pursue the word of God.

John 16:7-8
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Apart from the word of God, the Spirit of God also wants to help us. When Jesus goes away, the Helper will come. One of the functions of the Holy Spirit is that of a Helper. A person would be convicted when the Holy Spirit comes. The Holy Spirit helps us to make decisions with wisdom. People who despise the coming judgement will have to meet the righteous judgement of God in the end. But those who rely on the word of God and the Holy Spirit will be able to overcome the evil one. People in the world don’t have the true God and hence believe they’re not guilty. Through the preaching of the gospel and the Holy Spirit, God has revealed sin to man.

The Jews thought they had no sin because of their works, but on the day of Pentecost, they were cut to the heart when they heard Peter’s sermon. They understood what true righteousness was and began to live a renewed life. Everyone needs the Holy Spirit and the word of God to lead a renewed life.

Heb 2:15
and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Jesus has released us from the authority of evil and sin. We need to rely on the Holy Spirit and on the truth to be released.