Guilt can be defined as anxiety in one’s spirit over a deliberate, wilful sin. We can trace this emotion all the way back to the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve tasted the forbidden fruit, they felt ashamed of their unclothedness and hid themselves.

During Old Testament times, people would bring a special offering to the temple in order to “pay” for their wrong. Today, we no longer have such a tangible way to release our guilt.

Actually, we have something better. The heavenly Father sent His Son Jesus—who was fully God as well as fully man—to live a sinless life. He took upon Himself the penalty for all of our wrongs by dying a criminal’s death through crucifixion. Praise God, Jesus rose to life again, conquering death and sin. Ephesians 1:7 states, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”

The truth is, every one of us has sinned and therefore deserves to be separated from God (Rom. 3:23). However, we can be liberated from death and guilt by accepting Jesus’ free gift and committing our lives to Him. Of course, in our imperfect human state, we will continue to sin. But our loving heavenly Father will continue to forgive His children (Luke 11:3-4).

Jesus’ sacrifice gives us freedom from shame and death—plus the promise of eternity with God. But that in no way means we have license to sin knowingly. Though we are promised forgiveness, our gratitude and love for our Saviour should spur us on to obey and serve the Lord. And, surely, to live a life free from guilt.

Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Luke 6:27
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

Psalm 103:10-14
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

IT IS WELL. GOD BLESS

You say, "Of course, in our imperfect human state, we will continue to sin."

Should we accept that we must continue to sin, or that we must remain imperfect by living by the flesh instead of the Spirit ?

It is not mandatory that we continue to sin. Nor should we lie down and accept that Satan will continue to have victory over us.

We do not even know if Adam or Eve continued to sin. They might have repented, remembered how it felt to displease God, and kept themselves from sin for the rest of their lives instead by Loving God more than listening to the devil.

And that's what it takes, of course, a Love for God more than we Love "self".
And if we Love God, we won't continue to leave ourselves in "the world", thereby tempting our human side to continually stumble.

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17, NKJV)

As an example of this... if we keep a TV in our home, which is little but non-stop sin pouring onto our brain through our senses of sight and hearing, should we then look at God and say, "In my human state, I'm going to continue to sin ?" God would say what Jesus says - if it causes you to sin, get rid of it ! There is no need to continue to stumble in such ways.

In the same way, should we look at the opposite gender by using our fleshly eyeballs, and focus on the exterior by the horrible measures of this world ? Or should we bounce our eyes away from the attention-seeking world, and simply use our Spirit to see the heart as God does ? This is not to say we should despise human beings; we should not. But we should have a distaste for that which tempts people to stumble, even as we shall have mercy toward others (instead of sacrifice), the same mercy we receive. In essence, hate sin, but not sinners.

What does Jesus expect from us ? He expects us to not continue to sin:

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48, NKJV)

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:19, NKJV)

"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched..." (Mark 9:43, NKJV)

"... unless you repent you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:3, NKJV)

"See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." (John 5:14, NKJV)

"Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." (John 8:11, NKJV)

"Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin." (John 8:34, NKJV)

Jesus came to free the captives, not only by forgiving their sins, but through Love for Him, getting them out of bondage altogether.

How ? By abiding in Him. By keeping our walking-around consciousness with Him, that is, living in the Spirit, connected to God, instead of living by the flesh. We must let Jesus continually feed our mind, not this world.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned." (John 15:5-6, NKJV)

Peter the Apostle writes this, referring to the Return of Christ:

"Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;" (2 Peter 3:14, NKJV)

John the Apostle writes:

"Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." (1 John 2:3-6, NKJV)

"Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." (1 John 3:4-9, NKJV)

"We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him." (1 John 5:18, NKJV)

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I know you said, "But that in no way means we have license to sin knowingly." Of course that's true, as attested to in the Book of Hebrews:

"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. And again, 'The Lord will judge His people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:26-31, NKJV)

But we should also not suggest that people are not able to stop sinning, for that is not what Jesus teaches us.
Jesus does not teach us the impossible, but what is possible.
But it is only possible by greater Love for God and Jesus than we love "self" or the world.

Peace to you, my friend. I wish you well on your Walk with the Lord.

You have a good post, because yes:

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9, NKJV)
"And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." (1 John 2:1, NKJV)