We all experience shame. Sometimes the shame is appropriate. Other times it isn’t. Sometimes we ought to experience shame and we don’t. Yet other times, other people would like us to experience shame, but we don’t deserve it. Shame is a complicated – but critical – part of human existence. What are you ashamed of?
(This blog post can also be listened to as a podcast.)
The apostle to the Gentiles says this:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV).
In the original Greek language, his words read like this (THGNT version):
οὐ γὰρ ἐπαισχύνομαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον· δύναμις γὰρ θεοῦ ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι, Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνι.
Paul makes this programmatic statement at the opening of his grand epistle to the Christians in Rome. Paul explains what motivates his massive life of itinerate work, establishing new communities of followers of Jesus in province after province. Paul attributes the monumental power behind his activity entirely to the Gospel: the message of the power of God at work in the life, teaching, unjust execution, resurrection and then exaltation of Jesus into heaven, God’s realm, above all living beings. In short, in the Gospel Jesus reconciles sinners to God. Paul’s words reverberate down through the halls of history. Indeed, so many of us strive to affirm with him these sacred words.
Paul says unequivocally that he is not ashamed of the Gospel. But what does it mean to be ashamed? The Greek word here is epaischunomai (ἐπαισχύνομαι). One dictionary describes its meaning like this: “to experience a painful feeling or sense of loss of status because of some particular event or activity” (BDAG). We can spell this out in more detail. Shame is the experience of considerable unease, discomfort or pain at the loss or perceived loss of social status and relationship. Are you ashamed of the Gospel? This is an important question to ask.
Do you have any strong memories of experiencing shame? I know I do. Sometimes, I’ve felt shame, though I’ve not done anything wrong. More often than not, though, I’ve felt shame for things that I have done. Shame is not infrequently associated with nudity and sexuality. Sometimes we may experience a sense of shame for the opinions that we hold. The shame may be justified or unjustified. It depends on what we have done.
In this blog post, I want to deviate a bit from what I’ve done in the past. Typically, I have done a word study. This time I will, on the one hand, expand this – I’ll look at the concept of shame in the Scriptures. On the other hand, I’ll also look specifically at Paul’s use of epaischunomai (ἐπαισχύνομαι) in Romans 1.
First, where does shame appear in the Scriptures? Noticeably, the initial instance of shame occurs as sin first appears on the scene. Adam and Eve become ashamed of their nudity, as their eyes are metaphorically opened, once they have gone against their loving Creator’s one prohibition. They have eaten the fruit that was forbidden them. The result is that they feel shame at their naked bodies.
They seek to cover their shame. They sew a girdle of fig leaves. It doesn’t work very well though. Later, God produces designer clothes from them, using presumably the first animal that has been a sacrifice on account of sin. This animal prefigures the great sacrifice that Jesus will make of himself, on behalf of all of us, to cover over the shame from our sin – for all who will believe.
Bear in mind, though, that in the pristine garden, before sin arrives, we have the first explicit mention of shame in the Scriptures – or, more precisely, we have a mention of its absence. The final description of shalom and purity in the Garden of Eden is given like this: “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25, ESV). In Hebrew, the word here for being ashamed is hitboshesh (התבושׁשׁ). It was brought into Greek in the ancient translation of the Old Testament with the word aischunomai (αἰσχύνομαι). The word is very closely related to the one Paul uses in Romans 1. (In the New Testament, the simple verb aischunomai – αἰσχύνομαι – appearing here occurs just a handful of times; compound verbs such as epaischunomai – ἐπαισχύνομαι – appear more frequently.)
Another noticeable image of shame is seen in Ezekiel 16. In this lengthy metaphor, the prophet describes how God saved the nation of Israel from a pathetic state, bejewelled and glorified her, wedded her and showered her with status and honours, entering into a special relationship with her from among the peoples of the earth. But she did not remember where she came from or honour her relationship with God.
The kingdom of Judah, having become proud of her wealth, beauty and status, began to give sexual favours left and right. She also created sexually perverse images, which she celebrated. The insanity descended lower. Shamelessly, she opened her legs in public places to indulge in debase pleasures with passersby. These deeds, which ought to have aroused a sense of shame in her, were committed in a high-handed or brazen manner, parading her perversion. She also murdered her own children, in sacrifices to false gods.
God says that the southern kingdom of Judah was worse than the northern kingdom of Israel and worse, even, then Sodom, whom Ezekiel calls Judah’s sisters. (When you have an intimate relationship with the Lord, you have far greater responsibility for living righteously.) The metaphor covers many sins of Judah, including the making of graven images as idols, child sacrifice and sexual immorality. The prophet then calls upon Judah to feel the sense of shame that she ought, saying: “Since you have sinned more abominably than they, they appear righteous in comparison. So be ashamed and bear your disgrace, because you have made your sisters look righteous” (Eze 16:52). In Hebrew, the call to her to be ashamed uses the verb bosh (בושׁ). (It is related to the word we saw in Genesis 2.) This command was translated into Greek in the ancient translation of the Old Testament using the same word we encountered in Genesis 2, aischunomai (αἰσχύνομαι), which in turn is related to Paul’s term in Rom 1. The proper response to sin is shame, for it can lead to repentance. Shame is especially appropriate for sins that involve nudity.
An interesting example comes from Isaiah 50. The speaker says that the Lord God has given him an instructed tongue to sustain the weary. God awakens this person morning after morning, teaching him his truths. (Think of Jesus going to lonely places to pray, in the wee hours of the morning.) God opens this person’s ears. And he is not rebellious, but boldly speaks Gods words to others. The results, however, are disastrous. Some strike his face. Others pull out the hairs of his beard. He is spat upon and disgraced.
But, Isaiah states a bold confidence in his God, who will deliver this mistreated teacher of truth from disgrace: “But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame” (Isaiah 50:7, ESV). No matter how much disrespect is heaped upon him, he’s confident that the Lord will not let him, in the end, be put to shame. God will honour him.
The word here for being put to shame, in Hebrew, is bosh (בושׁ). It got translated in the ancient Greek version of Isaiah with the word aischunomai (αἰσχύνομαι). Here a painful experience of great loss of social status does not lead to a sense of shame for the speaker. Rather, with a heart full of confidence in God as the ultimate judge and deliverer, he continues on with his calling, without fear of the social consequences.
The prophecy of mistreatment, of course, calls out Jesus’ name: betrayed, abandoned by friends, deprived of justice, injuriously spat upon and mistreated – yet confident in the ultimate deliverance his Father will give him.
No student is greater than his master. If it happened to Jesus, we should pray to God to have the strength so we will not flee, if such danger of shameful treatment were to threaten us.
Hebrew words for shame are translated dozens of times in the ancient Greek version of the Scriptures with the term aischunomai (αἰσχύνομαι) or a compound verb, built off this one, kataischunomai (καταισχύνομαι). It won’t be possible here to look at them all. The specific word that Paul uses in Romans 1, epaischunomai(ἐπαισχύνομαι) appears only a few times in the Greek Old Testament.
Turning to the New Testament, all the three related words just mentioned appear there. Presumptuous attitudes and behaviours can have disastrous consequences. They can lead to the experience of shame. Jesus brings this point to the fore in a parable about a man who intentionally takes a distinguished seat at a banquet, though it was not offered him. In the end, this does not turn out well. Someone of greater social importance arrives and the presumptuous man is forced by the host to move to a far less distinguished spot. Jesus describes the scenario like this: “…then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place” (Luke 14:9, ESV). The word for shame, aischune (αἰσχύνη), a noun, is closely related to the term Paul uses in Romans 1. It seems that this public shaming takes place in the presence of everyone at the event (see Luke 14:10).
In this case, the shame is to be expected and is fitting. In other instances, though, the shame referred to, though many might think it is right, is actually inappropriate. For example, though many in the hall of faith (Hebrews 11) experienced a lack of honour and abuse, this did not lead to a sense of shame on God’s part. Not at all. He delighted in their faithfulness to him, despite their shameful mistreatment. The author says it this way: “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city” (Hebrews 11:16, ESV).
The word here is the same as Paul’s word in Romans 1, epaischunomai (ἐπαισχύνομαι). The author indicates that we might have expected God to be ashamed of these seeming losers. But the opposite is true. In his eyes they have great esteem. (It reminds us of God’s of words to Samuel, as he tried to discern which of Jesse’s sons would become king: God told the prophet not to see as humans do, for we look at the outward appearance of a person, but God looks at the heart.)
Jesus describes a type of shame that is not at all appropriate: “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (Matthew 8:38, ESV). The One who is worthy of all honour does not take it lightly when those who profess to follow him are ashamed of him, because of the pressures found in a sinful generation they live among. If these followers persist in being ashamed of their Lord and what he teaches, then he will, eventually, be ashamed of them. The context, though, will later be decisive and with everlasting consequences. In both cases here, the word for being ashamed is epaischunomai (ἐπαισχύνομαι), the same one that Paul uses in Romans 1.
One episode sticks out in my mind as particularly salient with regard to being ashamed of Jesus. It comes in the Gospel of Mark. A young man, a follower of our Christ, is so ashamed of being associated with Jesus that, when a violence-bent crowd arrives in the Garden of Gethsemane, he seeks to run from the scene with such vigour that he even allows his opponents to strip him of his clothes. He makes his escape in the nude (Mark 14:51–52). The image is stark. He is less concerned about the public shame of being naked than the shame – and danger – that comes with being associated with Jesus. May that not be our lot! And may God mercifully restore anyone who has come close to that kind of shameful embarrassment of Jesus in the public sphere. May God restore such individuals with greater ability to stand for him and have a more intimate connection with Jesus than they have ever known or even hoped for! May God have mercy on us all.
We have all been ashamed of Jesus and his words, I imagine, at one point or another, in big or small ways. But, of course, there is always forgiveness. The important part is change. If we have been ashamed of Jesus and his words, we can always confess this and turn around and do what we were doing formerly. We can bear the name of Christ with honour. Similarly, we can hear his words and do them – this is the only reasonable thing to do, when we hear the true teachings of the Lord of Glory.
This brings us full circle. Paul states confidently and loudly at the opening of his grand epistle to the church in Rome that he is not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus – for it is God’s power. From this point, Paul moves on to describe what the Gospel is. He does this for a substantial portion of writing (eight chapters, we would call it now).
He begins with foundation stone number one: all are sinners, all have fallen very short of God’s glory. Now here’s where the rubber meets the road, I believe, for us today. So please stick with me.
Speaking first to the Gentile world, Paul brings two key examples to the fore. The first is idolatry. Pagans reject the one true God and worship creatures, images made of beasts and humans, for example. They deny God’s existence, though his everlasting power and divine nature – invisible attributes – can be perceived, Paul says, since the creation of the world.
Atheist scientists – those who ostensibly study the beginning of life, the earth and the heavens – reject God today at an astounding level. And, in the West, which formerly had a Christian majority, we increasingly see idolatry entering into the mainstream of society, under the guise of multicultural music, wellness activities and the like. The idolatrous origins and associations of the practices that are widely adopted are downplayed. Even idols, such as Buddha statues, or other religious objects employed in pagan worship, such as those traditionally used by indigenous shamanism, are increasingly found in homes and in the public arena. These are practices and abominable objects that people ought to ashamed of. Instead, those in the pagan world are proud of them. The Gospel of Christ calls sinners to leave these sinful practices and return to the One True God. And Paul is not ashamed to speak about it openly.
Then, as a second prime example of sin, Paul raises the topic of same-sex sexuality. This type of sexuality is a perversion, he says, categorically. It stems from a depraved mind. Its existence among pagans is a result of their denying God’s existence. It’s unnatural. It is also, in itself, a form of punishment. Paul says this: “Because of this, God gave them over to degrading passions, for their females exchanged the natural relations for those contrary to nature, and likewise also the males, abandoning the natural relations with the female, were inflamed in their desire toward one another, males with males committing the shameless deed, and receiving in themselves the penalty that was necessary for their error” (Romans 1:26–27, ESV).
Paul speaks about both female-to-female sexuality and male-to-male sexuality. Even the desires and passions for same-sex sexuality are inappropriate. He speaks of a shameless deed, though the word here (aschemosune – ἀσχημοσύνη) is not related to his earlier term, used to describe that he is not ashamed of God’s Gospel. The individuals involved in same-sex sexuality, Paul indicates, ought to be totally ashamed of their passions and actions. But they are not. Rather, they persist in their pursuit, being inflamed with their same-sex desires.
Paul uses language that draws on the creation account in Genesis 1. He speaks about “females” and “males,” though he might have used words for “women” and “men.” (See an earlier blog post on the terms for “male” and “female.”) In Genesis, God creates humanity in his image, specifically as “male” and “female.” So, Paul is indicating that same-sex sexuality goes against the order of creation itself and, with it, the foundational nature of humans as made in God’s image – in complementarity, beauty and community.
Paul goes on to describe a crescendo – or, more precisely, a great descent into depravity – which culminates with a celebration of what is evil. After speaking of widespread ruthlessness, murder and the invention of new kinds of evil, to name a few, Paul says, “Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them” (Romans 1:32, ESV). This is the climax of Paul’s indictment of the pagan world and its godlessness – the conclusion of chapter 1. The ultimate stage of evil in pagan society is not only that evil and lawlessness is tolerated, but also it is celebrated. And don’t we see that, quite glaringly, today? This is perhaps nowhere more evident than with same-sex sexuality (recently, transgenderism has also been added to the mix). This is the very vice that Paul showcases in his display of what the state of sinful humanity is in the pagan world.
For Paul being unashamed of the Gospel is being unashamed of speaking truthfully about sin, about attitudes and deeds that ought to inspire shame in those who share in them, but, in fact, are boosted up and displayed with pride. And Paul’s approach here is every bit in line with that of Jesus’ approach. Jesus spoke loudly and clearly to sin – but also compassionately. And he was no push-over when it came to sexuality. Like his relative John the Baptist, Jesus was fully against things such as alleged “no-fault” divorce. And he condemned lustful thoughts and passions, too, like Paul. Even desiring to commit adultery is, for Jesus, a grave sin.
Jesus was also very, very merciful to sinners, inviting all to turn from sin and receive him. This is his great display of compassion and love – not to leave people in darkness about what their sin is, but to boldly and compassionately confront their wrongs, so that they can be set free from the perpetual trap of sin. For those who remain in his teaching, they become free indeed (John 8:36)!
But, as for his followers, Jesus gave a stern warning, as we have seen. If anyone is ashamed of Jesus’ teaching, he will, eventually, if they do not repent, be ashamed of them. May that not be the case for us!
You see, the Gospel speaks to sin, first, before offering the solution in the Messiah’s merciful gift of forgiveness, through his self-sacrificial gift – for all who will believe. Repentance means abandoning passions, behaviour and speech that lead to futility and self-destruction. It means returning to God’s original design for human flourishing. It is the way to reconnect with God, the giver of all good things.
But how can someone repent and believe in God, unless a servant of Jesus helps him or her to see clearly what sin is? And, Paul makes it clear, same-sex sexuality is about as morally corrupt and evil, in terms of human passions and actions, as can be found.
I want to make this very clear: to not be ashamed of the Gospel means to not be ashamed to call same-sex sexuality out as sin. And to be embarrassed to speak about same-sex sexuality as sin is to be ashamed of the Gospel. (True for same-sex desire and deed.) The logic of Paul’s description of the sinful pagan world in Romans 1, following his bold, unashamed proclamation of the power of God in the Gospel, leads to this conclusion.
Paul does not mince words. Do you? If yes, there is a more excellent way.
There is power in the proclaimed Word of God. It does not come back void. The power is in the message itself. Jesus gave his life to save sinners. He was opposed and unjustly executed. But God defended him, raising him back to life, then exalting him to heaven, where he is continually active, with a passion to reconcile all humans back to God. This truth gave Paul great confidence. And he knew the truth, intimately, from personal experience.
When Jesus confronted Paul on the road to Damascus, Jesus did not mince words. He said boldly: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4, ESV). Jesus called sin out. This undoubtedly helped Paul to begin to see the light. Previously, he was in serious darkness. The spoken word of Jesus helped his mind to begin to understand the depth of the sin that he was in.
Later, while a prisoner, speaking to a Roman official, Festus, as well as to king Agrippa, Paul recounted this event. He recalled Jesus’ words, commissioning him, at the very moment of his speaking convicting words about Paul’s sins — “But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” (Acts 26:16–18, ESV)
Paul gets blinded by the light in this encounter with Jesus. It symbolizes the great darkness he has been in, separated from God (whom he thought he was serving). But at the same moment that he receives this chastisement, he is given a most profound commissioning. A great ray of hope enters his heart. He has been chosen by God for this special mission.
And what is he commissioned to do? He is to help people move from darkness to light, from the clutches of the power of Satan to the kingdom of God. And doing this entails calling sin out for what it is.
So, Paul became unashamed to call sin “sin.” Doing this, he knew from personal experience, is part of the power of the Gospel. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” Paul can say in a later letter, “of whom I am the foremost” (1 Timothy 1:15, ESV). The good news is only good news, if, through it, God truly saves sinners from their sin.
Incidentally, when Jesus began to preach the good news, namely that the kingdom of God has come near, he called people to repent. Jesus made it clear that repentance, coupled with belief, is the key to entering into the kingdom of heaven. Without repentance, the door stays shut. It is worth repeating, then, that when we don’t clearly tell people what sin is, so that they can flee from it, we effectively keep them blinded, so that they cannot experience God’s grace.
In summary, our look into Paul’s famous statement about being unashamed of the Gospel, the power of God, has allowed us to understand that there is an appropriate place for shame in our lives. It is shame that should accompany our actions, when we do things that are sinful. It is not appropriate for us to experience shame however, when we speak the truth about the Gospel – which includes speaking openly and directly to sin, whatever the types of sins might be.
At the same time, by looking at the opening of the letter to the Romans, we have learned that the power of God should give us renewed confidence to speak openly and directly to same-sex sexuality, calling it out as sin. And that power of God is the Gospel itself. Same-sex sexuality as sin should, naturally, bring about great shame. Sometimes, when hearts are hardened, though, they need loving, direct confrontation to wake them up. This does not mean condemning people, not offering them hope. On the contrary, just as Jesus confronted Paul on the road to Damascus about his sin – but at the same time offered him amazing hope and destiny – that is what we must do when we speak to sin by sharing the Gospel.
We need to call people into their true destiny, what they have been created for: the intimacy that they are longing for, which they can find in a natural family, in the body of Christ (through friendships with other believers and mentor-disciple relationships) and in the Holy Spirit coming to live inside them. By the Holy Spirit, God himself comes to dwell inside a person – there is nothing more intimate than that. And also there is the great hope – the eternal hope of being united with Christ, the true lover of our souls, without any shame or any lack of knowledge about who we are, but with the greatest vulnerability. And in Him we have the unshakable hope of being received exactly as we are for eternity. Is this not great news?! Who would not long for that?
And if you have been hurt over and over in relationships and you feel like you have been – to use a phrase from a song – you got addicted to a losing game. And you kept putting your money in. And you got bankrupt. If that is your experience, come to Jesus, who will give you true intimacy and love you for who you are. You will not have to wear a mask around him. Wherever you’ve been, whatever you’ve done – it doesn’t matter how bad it’s been, it doesn’t matter if you feel like you could never even admit it to anybody – Jesus will accept you exactly as you are!
I’ve had panic attacks from things that I have done that I regret and I can’t go back and undo them. But in my darkest moments, in the middle of the night, when no one was there, Jesus was there. And he loved me – it’s amazing, he does it in a way that you know it’s him. He loved me and it was so pure that I was too afraid to let him embrace me as much as he wanted. It was too good – I thought, how can this be real? He is that good.
Won’t you open up your defences to him? You think you were born that way? No. And even if you feel that there is something that is immutable – he can change it. (He changed Paul from being a violent man to a peaceful one, who even joined the very community he had been trying to tear apart.) Jesus wants you to come into your true destiny. Won’t you let him help you do that?
Do you want a new life – and a host of new relationships that are safe and true, including, above all, an intimate relationship with God, the loving Father who created you and gave you your destiny? Then say this prayer (and believe what you are saying, in the depths of your heart). “God, I admit that I have been living a life of sin, including my same-sex sins. I accept your free gift of forgiveness and grace. Start something new in me, something beautiful – of your own choosing. I give up living for me. Fulfill in my life the original, good destiny you have planned for me. I believe that Jesus is your son and the Lord of all. I believe that his execution and resurrection have made the way for me to be reunited with you. Thank you so much.”
If you have prayed this prayer, please contact me at jordash@omilein.org
Unashamedly proclaiming the Gospel produces results. Pastors: do you want to see your congregations filled with new believers? Proclaim the Gospel boldly, without shame. In his first letter to the congregation in Corinth, Paul says clearly that some of the believers used to be involved in same-sex sexuality – now, however, they no longer are. They have been washed, made holy and made righteous by the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 6:9–11). The good news is that God makes all things new, through the precious blood of Jesus. That is truly good news – for all who will believe!
Let us finish with a song, bringing the verse that encapsulates believers’ unashamed proclamation of the Gospel to all, Jew and Gentile. Here, again, is Romans 1:16 –
οὐ γὰρ ἐπαισχύνομαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον· δύναμις γὰρ θεοῦ ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι, Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνι.
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