Shame rises in us when we become aware that we have violated accepted social or religious standards. It differs from embarrassment in that we can feel shame even when our actions are undetected by others. Embarrassment results when our failure becomes public. Shame is useful in that it helps us to regulate our behaviors and reminds us that we have a responsibility to fit into a community. When one loses his sense of propriety, he becomes shameless and the net result is not positive! We've seen this, time and again, in the public conduct of some of our celebrities. Last week, Danny DeVito, the actor, appeared on a national daytime TV talk show so inebriated that he was near incoherent. Was he ashamed of himself? Apparently not. Britney and Paris went out on the town last week wearing far too little in the way of clothing and were exposed (literally!) but apparently feel no shame. Mark Twain said, "Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to." To our loss, many of us no longer have the ability to blush! The social coarseness that results when manners are forgotten is regrettable.
My focus today is on the tragedy of the loss of a sense of right and wrong that comes when we sin against God again and again. God put a conscience in each of us. The voice of conscience speaks to us, causing us to feel shame, and as we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, pulls us toward the Lord. The Bible says, "Even when Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, instinctively follow what the law says, they show that in their hearts they know right from wrong. They demonstrate that God’s law is written within them, for their own consciences either accuse them or tell them they are doing what is right. The day will surely come when God, by Jesus Christ, will judge everyone’s secret life." (Romans 2:14-16, NLT) But conscience can become desensitized! The Bible speaks of those whose "consciences are seared, as with a hot iron." (2 Tim. 4.2) When we violate our conscience repeatedly, it loses its function. We get so accustomed to our sin, we no longer feel shame. We no longer feel any need to turn to God and seek to be changed by the Truth of the Scripture and the Power of the Spirit.
The conviction of the Holy Spirit, which operates through our conscience, is a great gift! My conscience often screams - "Stop, Jerry! You're headed in the wrong direction. If you do this, you will sin against God and bring destruction on yourself!" And, yes, if I ignore the warning and persist, conscience brings shame on me, which is not pleasant, and that is a good thing. Yes, of course, our conscience is not infallible. We can become overly sensitive in some areas and desensitized in others. For example, I know one man who becomes offended the moment that anyone around him even mentions sex. He gets agitated at just the mention of sex. Filthy talk and coarse jokes should make us feel shame, but his conscience has been damaged so that he is overly sensitive in this one area. Another Believer that I know swears liberally, and seemingly without any sense that his language is inappropriate for one who belongs to Christ. Again, the conscience is not fully functional. We need our conscience! Jeremiah saw the sins of God's people and cried - "Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them,” says the LORD." (Jeremiah 6:15, NIV)
In certain matters of Christian conduct, the role of conscience is key. It is one of the ways that God helps us deal with issues that lie within the so-called 'gray' areas, outside of the clear direction of the Scripture. Some things are always sin, for all people, everywhere, at all times! Adultery, for example, cannot be justified. We do not need our conscience to tell us to 'stop!' The Scripture is clear as crystal on the issue. But there are many issues for the Christian that are 'matters of conscience.' In the early church one of those issues was the consumption of meat. Some Believers felt that buying and consuming meat was sinful, others felt differently. Paul, under the inspiration of the Spirit, reminds us that we cannot make our individual conscience the guide for the whole Church! He urges us to be accepting of one another, making allowances for our various sensitivities.
"Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently. For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume all Christians should be vegetarians and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ’s table, wouldn’t it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn’t eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God’s welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help." (Romans 14:1-4, The Message)
"When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don’t eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love. Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent." (Romans 14:21-22, The Message)
Is your conscience healthy and functioning well?
Keep it sensitive to God, by responding quickly to its correction. Properly sensitize your conscience by reading and understanding the Scripture, knowing what God's will is for your life.
Pray that the Spirit will correct and keep your conscience healthy, too.
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