--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is unhealthy is every wallowing in…" description: "\"“What is unhealthy is every wallowing in guilt which does not lead to confession, repentance, faith in Jesus Christ and so forgiveness.”\" — John Stott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/john-stott-1926_confession_what-is-unhealthy-is-every-wallowing-in_907765.png" --- # What is unhealthy is every wallowing in guilt which does… ![“What is unhealthy is every wallowing in guilt which does not lead to confession, repentance, faith in Jesus Christ and so forgiveness.” quote by John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/john-stott-1926_confession_what-is-unhealthy-is-every-wallowing-in_907765.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/john-stott-1926_confession_what-is-unhealthy-is-every-wallowing-in_907765.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/john-stott-1926_confession_what-is-unhealthy-is-every-wallowing-in_907765.png) > ““What is unhealthy is every wallowing in guilt which does not lead to confession, repentance, faith in Jesus Christ and so forgiveness.”” [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Guilt that isn’t confessed or repented prevents spiritual healing; true forgiveness comes through confession, repentance, and faith in Christ. **In simple terms:** Unconfessed guilt blocks forgiveness; confession and faith bring healing. Key Takeaway Confess, repent, and trust in Christ for forgiveness. Themes forgiveness faith repentance spiritual health Mood reflective hopeful Type spiritual inspirational When to use this quote - personal counseling - church confession - spiritual retreats - conflict resolution Key Concepts Christian doctrine psychology of guilt Questions to Reflect On - Are you holding guilt without confession? - How can faith transform your sense of forgiveness? A Different Perspective Confession may be difficult or unsafe in some contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Faith in jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-in-jesus/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) ## Related quotes > [“To say that somebody ‘is not responsible for his actions’ is to demean him or her as a human being. It is part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-w-stott/to-say-that-somebody-is-not-responsible-for-his-actions-is-to-demean/) [John R.W. Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-w-stott/) > [There are many ways to cover up our sin. We may justify or minimize it by blaming circumstances and others people. 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Howell > [“Nothing is more dangerous, more compelling, more freeing, more radical, more real, more satisfying, more powerful than a person holding a smidgen of faith.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-allen/nothing-is-more-dangerous-more-compelling-more-freeing-more-radical/) [Jennie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-allen/) > [We help God's children best by providing ways to build faith in Jesus Christ and in His restored gospel when they are young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/we-help-god-s-children-best-by-providing-ways-to-build-faith-in-jesus/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing. In all conditions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/if-we-have-faith-in-jesus-christ-the-hardest-as-well-as-the-easiest/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) ## More by John Stott > [Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God, or bending his will to ours, but the prescribed way of subordinating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/prayer-is-not-a-convenient-device-for-imposing-our-will-upon-god-or/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [Mission arises from the heart of God Himself and is communicated from His heart to ours. Mission is the global outreach of the global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/mission-arises-from-the-heart-of-god-himself-and-is-communicated-from/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [ \[Christian rebellion\] arises from the doctrine of mankind made in the image of God, and therefore protests against all forms of dehumanization. It sets… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/christian-rebellion-arises-from-the-doctrine-of-mankind-made-in-the/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousn ess, until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/all-of-us-have-inflated-views-of-ourselves-especially-in-self/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [A deaf church is a dead church: that is an unalterable principle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/a-deaf-church-is-a-dead-church-that-is-an-unalterable-principle/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [So there is such a thing as perfect hatred, just as there is such a thing as righteous anger. 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It is not easy to decide which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/when-we-look-at-the-cross-we-see-the-justice-love-wisdom-and-power-of/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [If God speaks to us about himself and his own glorious greatness, we respond by humbling ourselves before him in worship... If He speaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/if-god-speaks-to-us-about-himself-and-his-own-glorious-greatness-we/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [There is something inherently inappropriate about cherishing small ambitions for God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/there-is-something-inherently-inappropriate-about-cherishing-small/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [Every powerful movement has had its philosophy which has gripped the mind, fired the imagination and captured the devotion of its adherents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/every-powerful-movement-has-had-its-philosophy-which-has-gripped-the/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [“A guilty conscience is a great blessing, but only if it drives us to come home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/a-guilty-conscience-is-a-great-blessing-but-only-if-it-drives-us-to/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [The concept of substitution lies at the heart of both sin and salvation. For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-concept-of-substitution-lies-at-the-heart-of-both-sin-and/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) [Explore all 198 John Stott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) ## More Confession quotes > [If You Love Someone, Be Brave Enough To Tell Them., Otherwise Be Brave Enough To Watch Them To Be Loved By Someone Else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bilal-zahoor/if-you-love-someone-be-brave-enough-to-tell-them-otherwise-be-brave/) [Bilal Zahoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bilal-zahoor/) > [A love to Christ which is so cowardly and selfish that it is unwilling to proclaim by a public confession its faith in Him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbott-eliot-kittredge/a-love-to-christ-which-is-so-cowardly-and-selfish-that-it-is/) [Abbott Eliot Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbott-eliot-kittredge/) > [Boys say its great..boys say its fine... 9 months later boys say its not mine..!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simi-ngr/boys-say-its-great-boys-say-its-fine-9-months-later-boys-say-its-not/) [Simi Ngr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simi-ngr/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Notoriety and public confession in the literary form is a frazzler of the heart you were born with, believe me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/notoriety-and-public-confession-in-the-literary-form-is-a-frazzler-of/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [In Confession, Jesus welcomes us with all our sinfulness, to give us a new heart, capable of loving as he loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/in-confession-jesus-welcomes-us-with-all-our-sinfulness-to-give-us-a/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [A man does not have to feel less than human to realize his sin; oppositely, he has to realize that he gets no special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/a-man-does-not-have-to-feel-less-than-human-to-realize-his-sin/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [“I was going to make a confession. 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The only difference is, I didn't lie to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-said-i-love-you-i-said-it-too-the-only-difference-is-i-didn-t-lie/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 909 Confession quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What is unhealthy is every wallowing in guilt which does not lead to confession, repentance, faith in Jesus Christ and so forgiveness.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Stott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/what-is-unhealthy-is-every-wallowing-in-guilt-which-does-not-lead-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confession" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/what-is-unhealthy-is-every-wallowing-in-guilt-which-does-not-lead-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/john-stott-1926_confession_what-is-unhealthy-is-every-wallowing-in_907765.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/john-stott-1926_confession_what-is-unhealthy-is-every-wallowing-in_907765.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/john-stott-1926_confession_what-is-unhealthy-is-every-wallowing-in_907765.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What is unhealthy is every wallowing in guilt which does not lead to confession, repentance, faith in Jesus…” — John Stott", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Stott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What is unhealthy is every wallowing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/what-is-unhealthy-is-every-wallowing-in-guilt-which-does-not-lead-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/what-is-unhealthy-is-every-wallowing-in-guilt-which-does-not-lead-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```