Guilt and Shame
( in the garden before eating forbidden fruit )
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
[ Genesis 2:25 ]
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( in the garden after eating forbidden fruit )
Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"
So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."
[ Genesis 3:9-10 ]
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Until their eyes (spiritually) were opened by eating of the 'Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil' they could not
know sin, guilt, or shame. Suddenly aware of their transgression, they experienced guilt which was followed by
shame and fear and so they hid. ( Apparently Adam did not realize that you can not hide from God who sees and knows
everything. )
Instead of saying, "Adam where are you?", God could have said, "Adam come out from hiding and face the consequences
of your behavior". Notice that Adam responded immediately to God's question. It took several back and forth verbal
exchanges for Adam to confess his sin. Then God levied the penalty but also promised a savior to come and undo what
Adam had done. Eve was also given a harsh sentence but it was the man God held chiefly responsible for it was the man
He created first and to whom he later gave a spouse.
So, with a single bite of some unknown fruit, sin, guilt and shame entered the world along with curses to go with them,
as if guilt and shame were not curse enough. After they were thrown out of Eden and had children we see the next episode
of sin when Cain slew his brother Abel. Cain's denial of responsibility notwithstanding, he was stricken and terrified by
God's finding him out.
From Adam, Eve, Abel, Cain, Seth, and all the others forward, humanity was a bloodbath of ever increasing evil and
violence until God decided to cleanse His planet with a good washing ... hence Noah's flood.
Noah and family survived for only one reason. When Noah found favor in God's eyes and the Lord warned him of the
coming deluge, Noah BELIEVED God and acted accordingly.
When I talk about guilt I have in mind two dimensions of it.
One is the objective judgment on a commission or omission. For example; suppose you stole your neighbor's vehicle or mule.
Or, if you failed to help a person who has fallen on the roadway to get up and he or she is killed by a motorist, you are
judged guilty under social and spiritual laws.
The other is the self recognition of failure which produces in you a feeling of guilt and/or shame. Here I am talking only
about the guilt and shame, not the source of it which is some form of sin.
Let me share with you a brief account of an incident in my life.
Behind my retail store are several parking spaces. One day I drove in to find a pickup truck parked in such a way as to
block access to the empty spaces. I was furious. The driver was an idiot. I pay rent for use of my space and I could not
get to it. I waited. When the driver came out of a neighboring store I berated him and called him names I won't write here and
no longer use unless I lapse. I had a can of pepper spray in my hand in case he proved difficult. But he just turned red
in the face and moved his truck.
My anger was palpable. It ruined my day. While working I would mentally revisit the incident and curse him some more.
During the night I was restless and slept poorly. The next day I was moody and depressed. Guilt and shame wormed
their way into my consciousness and behind them came the voice of the Spirit telling me I must make amends.
A couple of more days passed while my conviction increased and then, there he was, back with the same truck, but
parked properly. I went out to face him. I told him how the Lord had chastised me for my belligerent outburst. I told him
how sorry I was and pointedly asked if he would forgive me. His eyes grew moist. He reached out a hand to shake mine
and clapped me on the shoulder and said, "It's okay brother. I forgive you."
Only now while I retell this event do I realize he may be a brother in the Lord who thoughtlessly parked in a way that
inconvenienced others but without malice. Maybe he had prayed for me in the intervening days. Who knows. I only
know that from the urging of the Spirit, I did what He wanted and received a bountiful reward. Chastisement from the
Lord comes to every Believer who submits and surrenders to His will. God is good. God is love.
God wants you and me to emulate Him.
Sin and Forgiveness
"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil."
[ John 3:19 King James Version ]
"And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven."
[ Matthew 12:31 New International Version ]
"But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."
[ Mark 3:29 New International Version ]
"And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. "
[ Luke 12:10 New International Version ]
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Except for the sin against the Holy Spirit, all sin can be forgiven. If you do not know what the sin against the Holy Spirit is,
you could not commit it. God forgives sin when you recognize you are guilty and confess to God that you know you have sinned
and ask to be forgiven. The Scriptures tell us that he blots out your sin from remembrance. However, probably it will not be erased
from your memory because there is someone who wants you to believe you are not forgiven. His name is satan, lucifer,
beelzebub, among many others.
The reason the enemy will stoke your guilt is to help you feel guilty and unforgiven. I've talked with many believers who
are plagued by memories of sin which has been confessed and forgiven; wiped off God's records. I am among them.
Sin carries a penalty. The consequences of sin are real. Depending on what it was you did or failed to do, it will manifest
somehow or other in your life, perhaps bringing complications you never anticipated. Suppose you were to strike your child
with such force as to cause very serious physical injury. And suppose you realize the awfulness of what you have done
and plead for forgiveness. And suppose your child says, "That's okay. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. You were just
really, really angry."
Now. You have been forgiven. How do you feel? Is it all wiped away and forgotten? Not on your life. You are forgiven by
your child but possibly not by someone else who wants justice. It could be a neighbor, or spouse, or other child, or anyone
who knows of it who reports you to the police and child protective authorities. Despite forgiveness you may indeed face
a legal penalty for your action. Worse, the injury you inflicted on your child may be traumatic in some way that will
affect him for months, years, or a lifetime.
This is to me the greater punishment ... greater than the law of man can inflict upon you or me.
How can God forgive you of such heinous behavior ? This is the question which plagues believers.
He does. He does it for His reasons. Our ways are not His ways and our thoughts are not like His thoughts.
He does it because He is love. He understands the power of forgiveness in ways you or I never can.
He wants to teach you to be like He is with a forgiving heart. He wants your heart to be changed by the experience of your
sin. The Holy Spirit will convict you. After it is over you will be different. Satan will remind you as often as he can get you
to listen that you are not worthy of forgiveness. He will insist that God would never forgive you. He will tell you how guilty,
worthless and shameful you are. A disgrace to the very word 'Christian'. His arsenal is broad and deep and he is
relentless in attacking when he perceives that you are vulnerable to his lies. And lies they are.
Satan's greatest hope is that you will succumb to accusations. He will accuse you before the Father but the Father will
tell him He has no memory of forgiven sins. He chooses to blot them out.
"Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him."
[ Luke 17:3-4 New King James Version ]
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Luke 17 provides the model of forgiveness straight from the mouth of the Savior. When He says 'brother' He does not mean
your natural sibling but rather all who are joined in the family of God by adoption through faith in Christ. Do not take this to
mean you needn't forgive a heathen who repents. Take it to mean that for each repentance offered, a forgiveness is due.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
[ Romans 3:22-24 New King James Version ]
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The likelihood that you will lead a sinless life from now on is extremely slight. But never forget that repenting and
receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior has given you eternal life without condemnation or judgment as stated in John 5:24.
Your shepherd has proclaimed:
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand."
[ John 10:27-29 New King James Version ]
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We are fortunate sheep indeed to have such a shepherd.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers,
nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[ Romans 8:38-39 New King James Version ]
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Satan is a created being who has no power over you unless you grant him power. He can tempt you but he can not make
you sin. The sin which pervades the world is the sin of unbelief and all who harbor it will be condemned. But you have
passed from death into life eternal. While you are yet inside your earthy shell, you are already a brother to the firstborn
of many and will inhabit the paradise of God with your brother, the risen Jesus, unless you choose otherwise and revoke
your redemption. You have free will. You can choose to go to hell if you want. No one can make you choose that or send
you there except the Almighty Everlasting God whose will is that all should be saved if only they will choose life.
Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death,
blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live
and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.
[ Deuteronomy 30:11, 19-20 New International Version ]
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