A week or so ago, an assistant Pastor delivered the sermon for our Sunday morning service rather than the congregation's principle Pastor. The man has a strong accent and I wasn't following his message all that closely as the accent is a distraction to me, but one part of his message was a bit disturbing. I had the distinct impression that he'd said that God was ashamed of us when, as His children, we commit sin (I assume he meant intentional sin.)
Now, its normal for us who have been renewed by the Spirit of God in Christ, to have had our conscience made tender through our relationship with the Holy One, and to feel shame after committing some sinful act, but didn't Christ bear our shame at the cross?
If we believe what God has said in His word, and we recognize that God knows all things and their outcome, knowing the end from the beginning, how could God ever be surprised or disappointed, or feel shame over what He already knew that we would do?
If you hear a preacher tell you that God is ashamed of you, because of some sin that you've committed, I tell you that such a man is immature and carnal in his thinking. If you know Christ and have received Him, the scripture says that you are accepted by God in Him (not that you will be accepted or may be accepted, but are.)
Christ paid the price for our sin and He bore our shame to the Cross and not in vain. It is the flesh of man that attributes shame to God. The same flesh that wants to participate in our own salvation and tries to steal glory from the finished work of our Savior. Salvation is of God alone, through Christ alone, by faith alone. We participate by being born and then being born again, and that's about it. Even our sanctification is not of our own doing, but is the work of God in us (which is born out by scripture itself).
Now, if this is true, why then should we "feel" that God is shamed by our evil deeds? I'd have to say that this is because we want God to be more like us, because in human terms it is impossible for us to be more like Him. You can spend all your waking hours on your knees in prayer, you can wear yourself out doing "good deeds" for other needy people, you can play music and sing praises to the Lord all day long, but none of these things makes you one bit more like Jesus Christ.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit, revealing our sin and the grace of God in forgiveness of that sin, through the shed blood of Christ, that moves our hearts towards God in love. It is the realization of God's gift to us, the magnitude of His grace, and His long suffering love that transforms our hearts and minds to make us more like His Son. Love engenders obedience or the desire to please. Obedience, when freed from fear, is an expression of love. I realize that some may object to the last statements, understanding that it is the word of God that transforms us and renews our minds, but I take that as a given. How else but through the written word can we arrive at an understanding of just how much God has forgiven us and at what a cost to Him?
Now, its normal for us who have been renewed by the Spirit of God in Christ, to have had our conscience made tender through our relationship with the Holy One, and to feel shame after committing some sinful act, but didn't Christ bear our shame at the cross?
If we believe what God has said in His word, and we recognize that God knows all things and their outcome, knowing the end from the beginning, how could God ever be surprised or disappointed, or feel shame over what He already knew that we would do?
If you hear a preacher tell you that God is ashamed of you, because of some sin that you've committed, I tell you that such a man is immature and carnal in his thinking. If you know Christ and have received Him, the scripture says that you are accepted by God in Him (not that you will be accepted or may be accepted, but are.)
Christ paid the price for our sin and He bore our shame to the Cross and not in vain. It is the flesh of man that attributes shame to God. The same flesh that wants to participate in our own salvation and tries to steal glory from the finished work of our Savior. Salvation is of God alone, through Christ alone, by faith alone. We participate by being born and then being born again, and that's about it. Even our sanctification is not of our own doing, but is the work of God in us (which is born out by scripture itself).
Now, if this is true, why then should we "feel" that God is shamed by our evil deeds? I'd have to say that this is because we want God to be more like us, because in human terms it is impossible for us to be more like Him. You can spend all your waking hours on your knees in prayer, you can wear yourself out doing "good deeds" for other needy people, you can play music and sing praises to the Lord all day long, but none of these things makes you one bit more like Jesus Christ.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit, revealing our sin and the grace of God in forgiveness of that sin, through the shed blood of Christ, that moves our hearts towards God in love. It is the realization of God's gift to us, the magnitude of His grace, and His long suffering love that transforms our hearts and minds to make us more like His Son. Love engenders obedience or the desire to please. Obedience, when freed from fear, is an expression of love. I realize that some may object to the last statements, understanding that it is the word of God that transforms us and renews our minds, but I take that as a given. How else but through the written word can we arrive at an understanding of just how much God has forgiven us and at what a cost to Him?
