by Thomas Watson; from ‘The doctrine of repentance’
The fourth ingredient in repentance is shame: “that they may be ashamed of their iniquities” (Ezek. 43:10). Blushing is the color of virtue. When the heart has been made black with sin, grace makes the face red with blushing: “I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face” (Ezra 9:6). The repenting prodigal was so ashamed of his sinfulness, that he thought himself not worthy to be called a son any more (Luke 15:21). Repentance causes a holy bashfulness. If Christ’s blood were not at the sinner’s heart, there would not so much blood come in the face. There are nine considerations about sin which may cause shame:
(1) Every sin makes us guilty, and guilt usually breeds shame. Adam never blushed in the time of innocency. While he kept the whiteness of the lily, he had not the blushing of the rose. But when he had deflowered his soul by sin—then he was ashamed. Sin has tainted our blood. We are guilty of high treason against the Crown of heaven. This may cause a holy modesty and blushing.
(2) In every sin there is much unthankfulness, and that is a matter of shame. He who is upbraided with ingratitude will blush. We have sinned against God when he has given us no cause: “What iniquity have your fathers found in me?” (Jer. 2:5). Wherein has God wearied us, unless his mercies have wearied us? Oh the silver drops which have fallen on us! We have had the finest of the wheat; we have been fed with angels’ food. The golden oil of divine blessing has run down on us from the head of our heavenly Aaron. And to abuse the kindness of so good a God—how may this make us ashamed!
Julius Caesar took it unkindly at the hands of Brutus, on whom he had bestowed so many favors, when he came to stab him: “What, you, my son Brutus?” O ungrateful—to be the worse for mercy! One reports of the vulture, that it draws sickness from perfumes. To contract the disease of pride and luxury, from the perfume of God’s mercy—how unworthy is that! It is to requite evil for good, to kick against our feeder, “He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, with curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan and the finest kernels of wheat. You drank the foaming blood of the grape. Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation” (Deut. 32:13-15). This is to make an arrow of God’s mercies—and shoot at him! This is to wound him with his own blessing! O horrid ingratitude! Will not this dye our faces a deep scarlet? Unthankfulness is a sin so great, that God himself stands amazed at it: “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: I have nourished and brought up children—and they have rebelled against me!” (Isaiah 1:2).
(3) Sin has made us naked, and that may breed shame. Sin has stripped us of our white linen of holiness. It has made us naked and deformed in God’s eye—which may cause blushing. When Hanun had abused David’s servants and cut off their garments so that their nakedness appeared, the text says, “the men were greatly ashamed” (2 Sam. 10:5).
(4) Our sins have put Christ to shame, and should not we be ashamed? The Jews arrayed him in purple; they put a reed in his hand, spit in his face, and in his greatest agonies reviled him. Here was “the shame of the cross”. And that which aggravated the shame, was to consider the eminency of his person—as he was the Lamb of God. Did our sins put Christ to shame—and shall they not put us to shame? Did he wear the purple—and shall not our cheeks wear crimson? Who can behold the sun as it were blushing at Christ’s passion, and hiding itself in an eclipse—and his face not blush?
(5) Many sins which we commit are by the special instigation of the devil—and should not this cause shame? The devil put it into the heart of Judas to betray Christ (John 13:2). He filled Ananias’ heart to lie (Acts 5:3). He often stirs up our passions (James 3:6). Now, as it is a shame to bring forth a child illegitimately, so too is it to bring forth such sins as may call the devil father. It is said that the virgin Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35)—but we often conceive by the power of Satan. When the heart conceives pride, lust, and malice—it is very often by the power of the devil. May not this make us ashamed to think that many of our sins are committed in copulation with the old serpent?
Hence the world has virtually banished shame from all of life. Every “bad choice” is excused and understood because of circumstances. Therefore, everyone is a victim and nobody is responsible. Until Judgment Day, when there will be no place to hide and no escaping God’s perfect justice.
True Manfred, people are diagnosed with bipolar, adhd, and various other disorders that were unheard of 50 years ago, when, in fact, we are reaping a couple of generations {if not more} of bad parenting, immoral ways, and no training up of a child in the ways of the Lord. These disorders are the result of some sort of ‘imbalance’, so the victim is told he/she is not to blame. Why is a child’s attention span no longer than the tip of his little finger; because he has been catered to, fed a steady diet of t.v. and video games: his mind is infiltrated with useless forms of entertainment.
I work with a young woman whose cousin draws disability because he is ‘depressed’, and can’t work. Do not take this out of context, I am in NO WAY lessening the severity of depression, or any other disorder. I am lashing out at the diagnosis, and the ‘blame game’.
In reality, the shaping of a child begins and birth, and must be consistent with biblical teaching, or else you get what we see today…a dumbed down, mindless, blameless society that is/will be easily manipulated/controlled by stronger evil powers that be.
The Lord Jesus was well-known during His earthly ministry for spending time with the “wrong crowd:” He was, at times, in the company of prostitutes, publicans, and outcasts. However, in addition to ministering to “open sinners,” there were some occasions when He also fellowshipped with “secret sinners.” One such occasion is recorded in Luke 7, where Jesus had been invited to a meal at the home of Simon the Pharisee.
“And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.” (Luke 7:36) In those days and in that culture, hosts and guests dined together in somewhat of an “open-air” setting, where passers-by could observe and even barge in unannounced. “And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.” (Luke 7:37-38)
Simon was shocked and offended by this behavior. He was offended that an obviously sinful woman would intrude on his time with the well-known Prophet of Nazareth, and even more shocked that Jesus would not rebuke her. What Simon was willfully ignoring, however, was that this woman was not the only sinner present. Simon – just like the woman, and just like everyone else present except for Jesus, and just like you and me and everyone you ever have known and ever will know – was a sinner, too. Here is how Jesus responded to the woman’s egregious and shameless show of love and worship toward her Savior: “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:47-48)
The key difference between the woman and Simon was not that one was a sinner and one was not. The difference was that one recognized the magnitude of her sin and one did not. Do we realize how great and terrible and inexcusable our sins against our loving and patient and giving God have been? Those who realize how much they have been forgiven will love much. Those who minimize their sin will love the Forgiver of those sins but little. Appreciation for forgiveness = greater love and grateful service. Minimization of sin, or forgiveness taken for granted = little love and begrudging service. How much have we been forgiven, and how much did it cost our Forgiver?
Still my favorite Puritan. Pastor Watson has done more than any other to explain, and expand upon, the Scriptures for me.
I have this from him inside the front cover of my bible:
‘Til sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.”
This is just excellent in launching starting points for the believer to consider something of how insidious sin is before a Holy and Good God.
Excellent post. Thanks, Lyn.
This is one of the main indicators to me that I wasn’t saved, but merely living the lie, of pseudo-Christianity. I believed that my sins were covered past, present and future and I never had to worry about the stuff I did long ago. I couldn’t remember them after-all, so why should I feel bad over something I did twenty years ago? Then God started bringing back stuff I did in my past and with conviction brought me to my knees in sorrow, shamefulness and remorse. Someone asked me why would God do this? Are you sure it was God? Yes and here’s why: With God comes conviction and a sense of relief and cleanness, with the enemy comes condemnation and dirtiness. I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders with the sin being gone, with the enemy, he uses your sin as a ball and chain to keep you down. Just thought I would share this with anyone who is struggling with their past. Thanks for the post Lyn.