The Need for Shame!

Shame - noun: The painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous, etc., done by oneself or another.

Let’s talk about shame! Have we ever done something that caused us shame, that feeling that tells us what we did was wrong? We live in a world that diminishes the importance of shame. We hear people tell us, “you don’t need to be ashamed of this or that!”  Politicians who lie, cheat and steal smile for their mug shots when they get caught. Legislators legalize abortion and homosexuality calling it justice. It is often hard to tell the church apart from the world for some branches of the church often condone the practices of the world! But none of this saves the sinner from the wrath of God. Saying something is okay, does not make it right! God gave us shame as a natural warning to help us discern right and wrong and to lead us to repentance.

When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they felt shame and covered themselves up. (Gen. 3:7-8) Paul reminds the Church in Rome that once they lived sinning unaware of the carnal fruit they were producing but now, after their conversion, they are ashamed of the things they used to do! (Rom. 6:20-23) Without Christ bringing our hearts to life, we are spiritually dead. (John 3) We cannot feel shame. We cannot feel, period! Adam and Eve, the first human creations from the God’s hand, knew they had erred when their eyes were open. Their son, Cain, born from their flesh, was not ashamed of his murder of his brother until God’s word was spoken to him from God’s mouth. (Gen. 4:8-12) And so it is with man today. We need to hear God’s Word spoken today. The Law of God is perfect reviving the soul.  (Ps 19:7) We need to wake up. As Paul writes: But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light, Therefore it says, Awake, O sleeper and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Eph. 5:13-16)

Shame is God’s way of reminding us of our errors. “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret whereas worldly grief produces death” (2 Cor. 7:10) And God will cover our shame with the Blood of Jesus Christ. (1 Pet. 1:17-25)  A Christian has a past that has been left behind. Our future is led by the Holy Spirit as we are a new creation, a reborn child of God! (Rom. 8:1-11)