Genesis 2:25
25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (NIV)
When reading verse 25 of chapter 2 in Genesis we can see that human beings were never meant to live in or carry shame. God did not design us for that, nor did He intend for it to be like that.
Genesis 3:6-7
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (NIV)
Before there was an introduction of sin, no shame had existed; no fear, no shame. Sin always brings something with itself; it brings consequences, guilt, and shame follows.
Genesis 3:10
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” (NIV)
In verse 10 we can see a representation of what shame does to humanity; it leads to fear and desire to hide yourself. Sin prevents transparency and vulnerability where Godliness actually fuels it.
Genesis 3:11
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked?Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (NIV)
God already knows what we've done. He just asks to hear it from us to give us an opportunity to show sincerity, acceptance, and humility.
Guilt VS. Shame
Guilt: An inner awareness of wrongdoing
The wrongdoing in this case of sinning.
Shame: A painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by a strong sense of guilt.
You can have guilt and not feel shame but you can never have shame and not feel guilt. Shame flows from guilt that is not dealt with in a healthy way.
All guilt flows from sin. Guilt can be broken into two categories, conviction and condemnation. Conviction usually has to do with behavior while condemnation usually has to do with identity. Conviction from the Holy Spirit, who makes us aware of our wrongdoing, and it leads to repentance; this fuels transparency, vulnerability, and freedom. Condemnation on the other hand leads to regret and this is where shame lives and breathes. Regret then leads to prevent transparency and vulnerability leading to bondage to our sin; this is what we don't want.
When we sin it's good to feel guilty as long as it comes with conviction because then that means we've recognized our wrongdoing and we want to make it right with the Lord. It is not okay to feel guilt and that come with condemnation because that comes from Satan. Satan will always condemn us and point out our sins/failures as an attack on our identity.
John 16:7-8
7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocatewill not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: (NIV)
In these verses we can see how God sent the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sin and makes us see what wrong we did.
Satan on the other hand, will always use our sin by pointing it out and attacking our identity. He wants us to doubt God's love for us and wants us to not believe God's promises for us. He's that voice in people's head who says, "You call yourself a Christian? But you've done this and said this. There's no way you can be a Christian, you're worthless." All these accusations come from the enemy and never from our loving God. The enemy's voice will always be harsh and condemning. He is the accuser of the brother (Revelation 12:10). The Holy Spirits voice is always truth and love. He always corrects us at the point of our action, never questioning our identity.
2 Corinthians 7:10
10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (NIV)
Repentance is a change of mind, will, and emotion. It is us saying, "God I'm gonna go your way rather than my way because your way is what's best for me."
In life, the present time, we are in a progressive sanctification where we are becoming more and more like Jesus. How do we know when we're becoming more and more like Jesus? When repentance gets easier and easier. Our hearts are soft towards Christ, the Spirit is in us, and is growing stronger in us.
Keep in mind that condemnation wants to cover things up while conviction says, there's nothing to cover up. I messed up, I am wrong, I recognize it. It's what I did, but that is not who I am. My identity is what God makes me be, a child of God, not what the enemy wants me to think. Everyday we have to make 3 choices to not live in shame...
1. Choose The Gospel Over Guilt
God made a way for our guilt to be absolved. In the Old Testament this is evident through a sacrifice of a pure clean animal. In the New Testament we can see it on John 1:29 that the sacrifice was the Lamb of God, Jesus, who gave His life up for my sins. It was His blood that washed away my guilt and shame (Isaiah 53:5-6).
2. Choose Confession Over Concealment
Concealment prevents transparency and vulnerability which is where shame is bred. Confession on the other hand promotes transparency and vulnerability. What you keep in the dark, tries to kill you spiritually. This is why we need to confess and let it out. Confession is agreeing with God that what we've done, the sin, is wrong. In Psalms 32:3-5 we see David confessing and God taking guilt and shame away and forgiving him. Our sin needs exposure to light (James 5:16). Through confession we will receive the freedom we so much desire. This is the way God will cleanse us from all that (1 John 1:9).
3. Choose Fact Over Feeling
You have to live off the truth of God's word. We can't live off the feelings of man. An example of this is Peter and Judas. They both committed the same sin, denying Chirst, but one chose conviction and the other chose condemnation leading to his death.
Conclusion
One of my favorite bible studies so far has been this one. It serves as a reminder to God's children that our past isn't something we need to carry with us forever. He has forgiven, He keeps loving, our sin isn't something that makes God not want to love us anymore. He uses it to make beauty out of it. Therefore we must always choose to confess when we sin and once we've done that, we must make the decision to never do it again. I choose to confess and repent. I choose freedom. What do you choose?
Comments