Shame is a powerful motivator. Adam and Eve felt it for the first time after disobeying God and hid themselves. That is one of the things shame does to us. Fear and shame work together. We are afraid of our shame being exposed; so, we hide.

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. 8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. 9 Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” Genesis 3:6–10 (NLT) —

When our consciences work properly, we feel shame when we sin and betray our Creator or some other person.

Those who feel no shame regarding their sin likely have what the Bible calls “seared” consciences, or as the New Living Translation puts it, “dead” consciences.

Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2 These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. 1 Timothy 4:1–2 (NLT) —

The Holy Spirit convicts us when we sin, which causes a proper apprehension of shame, leading us to turn to Christ for forgiveness and a removal of all guilt and shame, which is called justification.

There are other potential sources of shame besides our sin, which are connected to things over which we have no control or responsibility, but concerning which others may try to shame us.

Each of us comes into this world having received from our parents and God the core of our personality and physical makeup. We get our “looks,” our physical and mental strength or weakness, our intelligence, our “race” and gender, where we are born, and the family from which we derive without having any say in the matter. The world esteems the “good looking” and generally ignores or puts down the ugly. It rewards strength and scorns weakness. Depending on our culture, race and gender may open doors of opportunity and privilege or tend to close them. Generally, the world honors smart people and despises those with less intellectual ability. Those who are bold and have outgoing, affable personalities may gather a following; whereas, the shy and introverted may suffer the humiliation of being overlooked or worse. Winners are lauded, and losers are made to feel less than worthy. Fans of winning teams make shaming their opponents and their fans an art form. We may be born into riches, poverty, or the “middle class.” Our family of origin may give us an advantage or put us “behind the eight ball.” We may have loving parents or experience abandonment or abuse from those who brought us into the world. The shame and hurt that is connected to things outside of our control can penetrate deeply into our hearts and influence us to believe lies about ourselves and God. Getting free from these lies and pain  may require a deep work of the Holy Spirit in what is called the transformation process, about which I have written elsewhere.  God has used me and others in a ministry I call “wonderful counseling” to help people experience freedom from deeply ingrained lies and unhealed pain. What makes it wonderful is that Jesus is in charge. He is the Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6)

Lies lose their power over us when we know and embrace the truth of God’s Word.

Sadly, we hate to be shamed but are often willing to shame others. We want to feel good about ourselves, even if it involves making others suffer. This is the human condition without Christ and the world in which we live, but what about God? Is there any reason he might feel the sting of shame? He does not sin; so, that cannot be a source. He is perfect in every way; so, he cannot feel shame when compared to others. Is it even possible for him to feel shame?

The Bible says that we are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26).

Our emotions, however damaged or misguided they may be at times, were given to us by God and reflect his own personality.

The Bible makes it clear that God feels emotion. He becomes angry and feels compassion. He experiences joy and can be grieved. Jesus was and is the perfect representation of God’s nature and character (Hebrews 1:3). The emotions we see in Jesus reflect those of his Father, and Jesus experienced shame during his relatively short stay on planet earth.

Father God orchestrated things so that his Son would be conceived through the activity of the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin. From the beginning, Jesus carried the shameful stigma of illegitimacy in the eyes of family, friends, and enemies. Who would have believed Mary’s story except for Joseph who was told by an angel that it was so? The Pharisees knew the story and were unafraid to bring it up when Jesus told them that they were not God’s children.

Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41 No, you are imitating your real father.” They replied, “We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.” 42 Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:40–44 (NLT) —

Jesus came to originate an entirely new generation of humanity descended directly from God through the new birth, free from the taint of the shame connected to Adam’s sin.

Our Lord experienced life as a “normal” person in terms of wealth and privilege. I believe this was because so many of us experience life this way.

God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:28–29 (NLT) —

When it came time for Jesus to enter his public ministry, he had no credentials which would have given him status with the “powers that be.” He did not receive a formal theological education from an approved institution. He was not a member of the prestigious Pharisees, Sadducees, Sanhedrin, or Levitical priesthood. He was not politically connected. In terms of what the world esteems, he had little. What he had was all he needed, however – his divine origin, impeccable character, calling, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Those of worldly rank and privilege viewed these assets as a threat. Little did they realize that he was not only the long awaited Messiah. He was and is also their Creator and the Sustainer of all living things! (Colossians 1:17) Jesus experienced the shame of being ridiculed and resisted by those who should have loved, joined, and worshiped him.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. John 1:10–11 (NASB95) —

Rejection and abandonment are two big potential sources of shame.

Those who have experienced this, whether it was intended or not, often carry deep scars. Our Lord did not succumb to self-pity or begin to believe any lies about God or himself as a result of his rejection, as many of us do. He knew that his heavenly Father loved him deeply and fully approved of him (Matthew 3:17). This knowledge allowed Jesus to persevere unflinchingly in the face of the sting of human rejection all the way to the cross.

Another source of shame is betrayal by those we thought were loyal to us.

“Et tu, Brutae?” is one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines, which was uttered by Caesar when he realized that his supposed friend Brutus was a co-conspirator in his murder. Father God was betrayed in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve chose the serpent over him. Jesus was also in a garden when he uttered these well known words.

...“Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” Luke 22:48 (NASB95) —

In marriage a man and woman vow before God to remain faithful to each other for life. If one spouse violates that covenant by adultery or abandonment, it is a betrayal of the deepest sort that shames the other partner. The greater the commitment we make to someone, the greater is the potential for shame if we are betrayed. Those we love have the ability to hurt us the most. Imagine how God felt when Adam and Eve, who were lovingly created in his image and given everything they needed, very soon decided that he was unworthy of their love and trust and undesirable compared to what the slithery lying serpent promised them!

Satan has a very low opinion of humans. He knows how duplicitous and easily deceived we can be. God, on the other hand, takes fatherly pride in us when we show unflinching loyalty to him, as is revealed in the Book of Job.

Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.” 4 Satan replied to the LORD, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. 5 But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!” Job 2:3–5 (NLT) —

Satan wants to destroy us and embarrass God by turning our hearts against our Creator.

Another potential source of shame is when we are disregarded by those who deem us to be unimportant.

Sin is so deeply ingrained in us that we often do this to people without even realizing it. Sin so corrupted humanity that it is common for people to refuse to acknowledge God’s very existence, much less honor him.

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, Romans 1:28 (NASB95) —

When we consider that God or another person is not worth knowing or spending time with, it puts that one to shame and grieves his or her heart.

Does a young woman forget her jewelry, or a bride her wedding dress? Yet for years on end my people have forgotten me. Jeremiah 2:32 (NLT) —

Even we who call ourselves Christians quite often put other things before God. Our gathering on Sunday and spending twenty minutes in praise and worship is good but does not offset a week of neglect. What does our neglect of spending time with God say about his value to us? Conversely, when we prioritize our relationship with God, it honors him and tremendously benefits us – a win-win for sure.

Another source of shame is being defeated by our enemies.

King David prayed repeatedly that the Lord would not let this happen to him. Here is an example.

O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me. Psalm 25:2 (NASB95) —

When we go to battle, whether it be in mortal combat, a debate, a sports contest, or some other contest, we risk defeat. Goliath put God’s people to shame be challenging them to combat, exposing their cowardice, which results when we are afraid to risk being put to shame. David feared being put to shame through defeat at the hands of his enemies, but he chose to fight because he could not tolerate God’s and Israel’s being put to shame because of the taunts of the enemy. His courage rose to the occasion because of his faith in God.

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. 46 “This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD’S and He will give you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17:45–47 (NASB95) —

We can boldly enter the fray if we trust in God’s keeping power more than we fear being put to shame.

But though his creatures put him to shame by rejecting him in favor of his archenemy, God did not reject us utterly or hide himself from us. On the contrary, he embraced the shame of our guilt and sin as the means to bring us back to him! Father God sent his own Son, the eternal Logos who became a human, to identify completely with us in our sin and shame. Jesus endured the shame of being called illegitimate, falsely accused, betrayed, mocked, spit upon, beaten, and finally hung naked upon the cross where he endured a ghastly, shameful death as a criminal for our sake.

Jesus died as the Lamb of God who took our sin and shame upon himself in order to restore us in a shameless condition to Abba Father.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB95) —

Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. Colossians 1:22 (NLT) —

Jesus, God’s one and only Son, through whom Abba created everything, was willing to be put to an open shame for our sake in order to remove the sting and stain of our shame.

Isaiah the prophet wrote about him.

I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting. 7 For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. Isaiah 50:6–7 (NASB95) —

Jesus was able to endure the shame and pain of the cross because he kept his eyes on the prize – our redemption and restoration to Abba.

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 (NASB95) —

He despised the shame of being forsaken. Jesus endured being temporarily abandoned by his loving Abba Father as he hung upon the cross and was identified with our sin. His mournful words immortalized in scripture reveal the depths of his pain.

At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Matthew 27:46 (NLT) —

Jesus had to go through the experience of being put to shame to redeem us from the power of shame.

He was willing to be exposed to public humiliation and ridicule to set us free. He refused to hide from the shame men thrust upon him out of loyalty to his Father and to us.

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13 (NLT) —

When we hear the gospel, it is an opportunity to place our faith in him and pledge eternal loyalty and allegiance to the one who is unflinchingly loyal to us.

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. Romans 10:9–10 (NLT) —

It is vitally important for us to confess our allegiance to him aloud and to publicly demonstrate it in water baptism. He wants us to show unashamed loyalty to him, just as he did for us.

One of my sons once told me that when he was in high school he made up his mind to never do anything to bring shame upon the family. I remember how amazed I was at this declaration of loyalty and faithfulness. This is the very attitude that God wants every child of God to have.

Our Lord wants us to be loyal to him, to one another, and to the gospel.

This means that we make it a point to avoid doing or saying anything that might make someone feel ashamed. (There are exceptions to this rule, but that is a subject for another article – 2 Thessalonians 3:14.) In addition, we are to avoid doing anything that might bring shame upon God and his gospel. Those who have experienced God’s goodness and then reject him do just that. If we…

...turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame. Hebrews 6:6 (NLT) —

There is little so hurtful as when friends or loved ones refuse to stand up for us.

We who are faithful in general to our Lord may bring shame to him if we fail to acknowledge him before others.

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26 (NASB95) —

Thankfully, God does not abandon us when we are less than faithful to him.

If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. 2 Timothy 2:13 (NLT) —

How can we not publicly and unashamedly proclaim our love and loyalty to such a Savior!