Guilt has no place in the life of a Christian (Romans 7. xxi - 8.i). Christ has mercifully become guilty for us, and has graciously imputed to us his innocence. But what place does shame have?
I, for one, feel ashamed not uncommonly. When I have flaunted God's law, disobeyed him who loves me most, selfishly used and hurt those made in his image I feel completely and utterly ashamed. And these feelings do not leave just because I repent, they can hang around for hours or days after I've come to my senses.
So what is the appropriate response to this sense of shame? Should I ask God to take it from me? If I'm not guilty then I might as well leave my shame once I have repented... right?
What is natural for me is to avoid it. Go out with friends, watch t.v., I do something to try to numb myself until it passes. Occasionally I do something that is seen as more respectable, journal (or blog!) in an attempt at catharsis. But is this right? Should I be doing everything in my power to avoid feeling bad? Or if not, what is the appropriate response?
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I have been struggling with this recently.
On the one hand God has taken away all our guilt and shame (that sounds familiar - could be Bible, could be a hymn). To feel guilty is almost to undermine what jesus did when he took all that upon himself. God sees us whiter than white, pure and beautiful, as his very own children.
Yet Christians are constantly reminded in church and elsewhere that we are scum (from birth if one agrees with orginial sin), Hell-bound and generally pretty awful.
I struggle to hold these two ideas and make them workable.
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