There is a theory going around in some Christian circles that we need to change the message of the Gospel because people are changing so much. These folks say that so-called post modern people no longer respond to the message of a God who became our Substitute and gave His blood in sacrifice to pay for our wrong. They say this message doesn’t work anymore because people don’t feel guilt or shame like they used to. The truth is, people haven’t changed at all since God made the first couple. We’re just like they were. We’re sinful and we know it. We feel shame over our wrong just like they did. When we feel ashamed of ourselves, the number one thing we want is to be alone. It’s embarrassing to have fallen again, right? It’s humiliating to still be working through the same old things. Shame makes us want to hide. It’s the very same thing that happened to Adam and Eve after the very first sin. Their instinct was to run and hide. We know we deserve to be punished. We immediately recognize that part of our punishment should be isolation. It’s as if we should be quarantined from the rest of the human race. Shame makes us afraid to face anyone, especially God. It happened in the garden. It happened when Jesus showed up. Peter looked at Jesus and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinner!” Our shame makes us want to run and hide, but Jesus doesn’t listen to our shame. He pursues us. He refuses to leave us alone. We’re the same and the message is the same: Sin brought shame and made us hide. Love defeats sin and conquers shame.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment