Self-Inflicted Shame

Bible Bites

Scott Beyer
07/03/23 - Bulletin

“Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.” (Romans 1:24)

Sin has a self-loathing characteristic to it. We are designed for certain things, and when our lives are full of sinful behavior and given over to the lusts of our hearts, we are ignoring that design and damaging ourselves. Imagine owning a car, and you fill the tank with diesel instead of unleaded, grind the gears on the transmission, ignore oil changes, and scrape the undercarriage over every speedbump at high speed… eventually, your beautiful automobile becomes a sad and embarrassing mode of transportation. It doesn’t look good, it doesn’t sound good, and it doesn’t drive well. Something we were once proud of becomes a point of shame and regret instead.

Our bodies are the same way. As society turns its back on God, we dishonor our bodies. We do it through sexual immorality. We do it when we ignore the realities and beauties of the two distinct genders God makes us. We do it when we treat marriage with dishonor instead of reverence. These things dishonor our bodies, and unsurprisingly, we become unhappy in our own skin. A lot of the problems mankind is facing today are because we have dishonored that which was meant to be treated honorably.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

Today’s Reading: Romans 1:22-32

Questions to ask:

How is Paul feeling as he writes today’s passage? What is his mood?
What are the central themes in Paul’s preaching and teaching which are being emphasized, or how are the central themes in this epistle being emphasized in today’s reading?
How does our reading show Paul’s people skills, especially how he handles conflict?
What in this passage would change the lives of the believer(s) being addressed? How does it make me a better disciple?
How does this show the “good news” of the gospel? How can I share that with someone else?

This year, #Biblebites are following the life and writings of Paul. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2023-vision