Why do we feel ashamed?

Humans spend an amazing amount of energy trying to eliminate shame. We attempt to cover it up, redefine it, eliminate it, and even turn it into a source of pride. Many believe that feeling ashamed hurts our self esteem and therefore is destructive.

 

Many christian leaders are also teaching that a believer should never feel shame. They teach that God's grace and love are so great that He only ever sees us a perfect children. While this may soothe our souls for a little while inevitably the shame creeps back in. Should we keep assuring ourselves that we have God's approval when we are living in disobedience?

 

Let's go to the Scriptures. A word study on shame quickly reveals that there are two situations where shame plays a role:

 

1) Those who oppose God and sin against Him will be ashamed. (Luke 9:26, Jer 3:25, Dan 9:8, Ezra 9:6)

 

2) Those who trust in the Lord should not and will not be ashamed. (Isa 50:7, Ps 119:80, Rom 1:16,

 

Notice:

Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. - 1 Corinthians 15:34

and

If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. - 2 Thessalonians 3:14

In both of these passages the Apostle Paul is advocating shame for a spiritual purpose. Shame is a tool used by God to bring us back to Him! Over and over again in the Old Testament God used shame, humiliation, defeat and even captivity to open the eyes of His people and bring them back to Himself.

 

The shame you feel after you sin is a warning sign that should not be ignored.  The Lord is calling you back to Himself.  If you ignore this calling then He will need to use stronger means of restoring you.

LINK: Weight of shame - Ligonier.org