Scriptures: John 8:1-11, Matthew 5:21-22, Psalm 130:4, Romans 8:1

One of the consequences of sin--of living in a world filled with it--is shame. For the believer, shame is often how the Holy Spirit convicts us when we knowingly disobey God. We'll call it anything but shame--embarrassment, offense, annoyance. We'll be frustrated, confused, and offended, but seldom ashamed. Should we be ashamed of our actions when they go against God's Word, and what happens as we more and more become a shameless society? There's an interesting account of Jesus in John 8 which reveals how we should not only view the shame and sin of others and ourselves, but how we can act with both forgiveness and compassion--under conviction but without condemning. In this message, Dr. Merritt unpacks the fascinating and fundamental issue of shame and sin in our lives.

"We have got to be balanced. We not only must be careful in how we see the shame of others, we have got to be consistent in how we see the sin of others. In fact, the reason why God does forgive us of our sin is so that we will learn not to sin; not so we can go out and continue to sin." --Dr. Merritt

Keywords: sin, shame, wrong, Gospel, hurt, pain, woman, adulterer, Jesus, writing, forgiveness, condemn, responsibility, judge, Pharisees, friend, salvation