The Necessity Of Shame
Shame can be a potential motivator towards salvation… and even towards sanctification. We are however a shame avoidance people. Self-help people will reinforce this, and give you ammunition against it.
“Shame is one of the most destructive emotions. Shame is that painful, sinking feeling that tells us that we’re flawed or defective. The French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre described shame as that “immediate shudder which runs through me from head to foot.”
Psychologist Gershen Kaufman explains how shame is the sudden rupture of the interpersonal bridge, which happens when someone relates to us in a degrading, critical way — or when we anticipate being criticized or attacked. Such shame can have a toxic and paralyzing effect on our well-being.” (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/intimacy-path-toward-spirituality/201608/the-power-healthy-shame/amp)
While such statements ring true to human ears, they should find no resting place in the minds of the followers of Jesus.
To embrace biblical shame is to acknowledge sin. To acknowledge sin is to potentially acknowledge God, the standard against which sin is revealed. To acknowledge God is to be invited into His glory. It is to have our separation from Him and His glory restored: to be restored to His original pre Genesis 3 design.
In too many of today’s learning centers, and even churches, we are running the dangers of the first century heresies of antinomianism and Pelagianism. Both of which complicate a healthy posture toward biblical shame. We don’t like to think of ourselves as sinners.
“The word antinomianism comes from two Greek words, anti, meaning "against" and nomos, meaning "law." Antinomianism means “against the law.”
Theologically, antinomianism is the belief that there are no moral laws God expects Christians to obey.
Antinomianism takes a biblical teaching to an unbiblical conclusion. The biblical teaching is that Christians are not required to observe the Old Testament Law as a means of salvation. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He fulfilled the Old Testament Law (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:15). The unbiblical conclusion is that there is no moral law God expects Christians to obey” (Got Questions, What is antinomianism?)
“Pelagianism is the unbiblical teaching that Adam’s sin did not affect future generations of humanity. According to Pelagianism, Adam’s sin was solely his own, and Adam’s descendants did not inherit a sinful nature passed down to them. God creates every human soul directly, and therefore every human soul starts out in innocence, free from sin. We are not basically bad, says the Pelagian heresy; we are basically good.” (Got questions, what is pelagianism?)
We want to believe that the only law is the one that I have set in place, because I am basically good. The last thought that we want to entertain is that I am sinful and, without a Savior, am deserving of judgment.
“When we merely say that we are bad, the “wrath” of God seems a barbarous doctrine; as soon as we perceive our badness, it appears inevitable, a mere corollary from God’s goodness. To keep ever before us the insight derived from such a moment as I have been describing, to learn to detect the same real inexcusable corruption under more and more of its complex disguises, is therefore indispensable to a real understanding of the Christian faith.” (The Problem of Pain C.S. Lewis
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-problem-of-pain/id1558787626)
“Shame is man’s ineffaceable recollection of his estrangement from the origin; it is grief for this estrangement, and the powerless longing to return to unity with the origin.”
Man is ashamed because he has lost something which is essential to his original character, to himself as a whole; he is ashamed of his nakedness…. Shame and remorse are generally mistaken for one another. Man feels remorse when he has been at fault; and he feels shame because he lacks something. Shame is more original than remorse.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics)
We distort Biblical content about sin in order to make what we call the pathway to salvation more palatable. When, in fact, it was never intended to be palatable. It was to convict them, or as Dietrich Bonhoeffer says in his book on Ethics, to shame them into realizing that to be estranged from God is to be less than human as God created us.
Sin, guilt and shame.
These three words are easily forgotten. Yet, “the real subject of every chapter of the Bible is what God does about our sins. Lose sight of this theme, and you lose your way in the Bible at once.” 18 Words J. I. Packer
In guilt we embrace our sin. “Knowledge of sin means facing the fact that in our fallenness we cannot put our heart into the self-denial, self-humbling, cross-bearing and laying down our life for others which God requires.”
This embracing of our sin and our inability to deal with it on our own is intended to create shame. “In shame man is reminded of his disunion with God and with other men: conscience is the sign of man's disunion with himself.” Ethics by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Though our culture has rejected these words, and the church is uncomfortable even preaching on them, when we loose them, we fall into danger.
“Sin’s goal is twofold: to remove barriers to self destroying ungodliness, and to set up barriers against repentance (not just sorrow at wrong done, but actual turning from it for the future)” 18 words, Packer
“Shame is overcome only in the shaming through the forgiveness of sin, that is to say, through the restoration of fellowship with God and men.” Ethics by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
May we not deprive our fellow friends on the journey to eternity, the need to understand the freedom that comes from conviction, repentance and salvation available in the cross and resurrection of Jesus.
“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.” Ephesians 5:11-12.
Man is inherently evil. ““Give him new clothing, provide him with a new house in new surroundings, entertain him with all that is best and most elevating, educate him and train his mind, enrich his soul with frequent doses of the finest culture ever known, do all this and more, but still he will remain the same essential man, and his desires and innermost life will be unchanged.” (The Plight of Man And the Power of God Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Only the kind of change that God makes in us deals with our inherent rebellion. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
““The Seed of the woman hath bruised the Serpent's head.(Gen. 3:15). He has conquered death and the grave and every power that is inimical to man and his highest interests. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed – yea, and not only for Himself, but for us. He offers us His own power and promises to clothe us with His own might.” (The Plight of Man And the Power of God Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
We must never tolerate darkness. Walk as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8) You know that you are in the light when the most self evident things of your life reflect what is good, right and true, and, leads to actions that are pleasing to the Lord. (Ephesians 4:9)
Living the light will be a challenge for all of us who follow Jesus. Simply and primarily because, the natural result of living in the light means that we uncover and condemn darkness. (vs. 11).
The world is trying to convince us that “niceness” is never contradicting, never confronting, never disagreeing, never making one feel uncomfortable.
But, is that really love? To know that an eternal life hangs in the balance and say nothing? Is it really love to do nothing that would make clear that people are living in a way which makes an eternal destination separate from God inevitable? To allow a person to chose hell without a battle for their soul?
Our world is growing darker everyday. Whether anyone listens or chooses to “change,” we are still the instruments that God uses to live and reinforce His light.
“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 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” (Ephesians 5:11-14)
The biblical antidote is upside down, antagonistic, to our need for healing. We are cluttered with self deception, always attempting to hide, or, hide from, our true self.
Healing starts and ends in the presence of God.
Maybe one of the most important things that we can do to mature Christians in the Gospel is to help them to learn to be sensitive to sin.
“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” Hebrews 5:14
“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45
Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. 1 Corinthians 14:20
Abstain from every form of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22
The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
2 Timothy 4:18
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. Hebrews 3:12
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22
Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 1 Peter 2:16
For we who have been baptized into the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, sin does not condemn us to separation from God. That judicial standing has been dealt with for all eternity.
But our daily relationship to our Heavenly Father is impacted by our sinful disobediences. Our joy can be stripped away for a time. Our peace can be temporarily assaulted. Our sense of intimacy with God can be strained. And, equally important, the attacks of Satan are felt more deeply than they ought to be.
To be sensitive to sin is not equivalent to being bound up in legalism or fearful that God will punish me. Instead, sensitivity in the biblical sense is relational.
I know that my Father has freed me from the condemnation of sin, and, has designed me in Jesus to walk in joy and growing victory before and with Him.
In this sense, I can never be too sensitive!
Added notes
Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Shame. Shame [N] Shame is a consequence of sin. Feelings of guilt and shame are subjective acknowledgments of an objective spiritual reality. Guilt is judicial in character; shame is relational.
“From the time of the first sin, God’s plan has been to address both guilt and shame. He promised Eve her descendent would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 1:15) and then covered her and Adam’s shame with garments of skin (Genesis 21:21). The Mosaic Law gives solutions for both individual sins and the shameful condition of being “unclean.” When the prodigal son returned, he confessed his sin against his father (Luke 15:21), and his father covered his shame with the best robe (Luke 15:22). Jesus bore our sins on the cross as well as our shame (1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 12:2). The difference between shame and Got questions
Isaiah 50:7
But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.
Isaiah 61:7
Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 34:4-5
I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
Romans 10:11
For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Psalm 31:17
O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol.
Mark 8:38
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 54:4
Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
Psalm 3:3
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
Luke 9:26
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Genesis 2:25
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
Psalm 37:18-19
The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance.
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Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Nahum 1:7
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.
1 John 2:28
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
Daniel 12:2
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Psalm 69:6
Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.
Micah 7:19
He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible verses are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Special thanks to OpenBible.info for the data on the most well-known Bible verses.
