something worth saying about shame

If you ever attempt to make anyone who believes in Jesus feel ashamed you are resisting God and working for the devil. Shame has no part in a believer’s life. The Bible refers to the “old man” and the “new man”. Shame is all associated with the old man, who is dead, and has no power in or over a son of God. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. None. Who is he that condemns? Any list or accusation against a believer is futile. It won’t stick. God asserts that each of us who believes in Jesus Christ is holy. Anyone who says otherwise disagrees with God. Anyone who uses shame against one of God’s sons or daughters is resisting God.

Any believer who lives by shame is resisting God and working for the devil. Shame is not to be compensated. Doing things in an effort to earn back favor with God or a spouse or a child or a friend or a group of people is compensating shame. Compensating shame says that Jesus wasn’t good enough in a particular case. Doing this says that there is condemnation for someone who is in Jesus Christ. God says that there are no consequences for a believer even if someone else says otherwise. There are consequences for the “old man” but the old man doesn’t matter to a son of God anyway—the old man is dead, and anything that is precious to him is worthless anyway. Anything the old man creates, clings to, or has valid claim to isn’t a part of the new man. It’s easy to throw that away, because it isn’t owned anyway. God says that there is only one true way to live, and that is Jesus Christ, who is alive. All sins are part of the old man. The new man never sins. The new man is hidden in Christ. The old man is dead no matter how many times he rears his ugly head and asserts he still has power. Compensating shame is living by shame. Living by shame is reforging a connection between the “old man” and the “new man”. The old man now dead would like nothing more than to mooch off of the new man’s life, but the old man has no right to it. Agreeing with the old man is attempting to reconnect death and life. Agreeing with the old man is disagreeing with God. Living like it is resisting God.

Here’s one way it happens. Someone makes an accusation against a believer: “you are not a student of the Bible” or “you are not a true follower of the Bible” or “you are not the spiritual leader of your family” or “you are a rebel against the authorities God has instituted in your life”. So the believer thinks in his heart, “That’s not true! (Is it?)” The reason the believer questions himself is because there is actually something that has happened. And then an interpretation of what happened is suggested that strikes at the identity of the believer. Notice the way all the messages start: “You are…” There are a lot of things God says about his sons and daughters that start with “You are…” but none of them are shameful like these accusations. Nevertheless, sometimes a believer will agree with the accusation and set out to prove it wrong. And by doing so, she pays respects to the shame. She compensates the shame. She disagrees with God. She resists Him.

Or someone has an affair (or should I say moral failure) or blows it with a friend. So an appropriate recompense plan is crafted either by the believer or the spouse or the friend. The plan is worked to regain sufficient favor to be reinstated with status and rights. Anyone who is involved in crafting or working this plan is resisting God and working for the devil. The only way out is to call it what it is, the old man, and let it die. Any attempt to repay, cover, or compensate is disagreeing with God. It’s resisting God.

God says that if you’re in Christ you’re a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come, and you’re truly alive and on the Way.

If the person who committed the offense is not a believer, then it’s the same story line. There is surely shame, and there is one way to remove it. Jesus Christ died to take all the shame away for anyone who trusts Him. And then there is no more shame and therefore no condemnation. Unashamed. What a life.

No matter what else there is in being a believer, there is not shame.

See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.

Romans 9:33

Oh, and about the "you are..." accusations I gave for examples above. Maybe a great response would be: Who cares? That’s not what it means to be a Christian anyway.