Genesis 3:10 English Standard Version (ESV) And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 

“You should ashamed of yourself!”

Sound familiar? We were talking about lust yesterday and made the argument that the definition is broader than most people think. The issue here is the attitudes of sin within our personal experience. Adam does a great job in confessing his condition.

First there was a treat of exposure. He heard God coming.

Second was self-awareness as expressed by fear.

Third was the evidence of sin, he was found naked.

Lastly was shame, he hid.

How does shame enter into the equation? There is the legal, the moral and the religious instruction. We learn how to be ashamed by instruction. The legal varies because laws change from place to place and from time to time. Laws are legislated. What is moral changes even faster and with much more complex controls because society decides what is moral without any arbitrary rules. Morality changes because society changes.

Religious instructions vary according to the mandates of the order in which it is applied. Islam has different mandates than Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. etc. etc.

Even within Christianity there are variants which differ as each sect distinguishes one aspect of ordinances to be more important than another. Strict adherences can often be used to shame applicants into submission. What those differences are can be as simple as a dress code or as complicated as how worship is to be observed. People seek to be comfortable.

Should we allow others to dictate what we should be ashamed about? Adam gave us the perfect example of shame in original sin. His relationship with God was at risk. Adam hid his face from God because of shame.

If we are afraid that God is watching, then maybe we shouldn’t do what we are thinking.