"The ordinary man may feel ashamed of doing wrong: but the saint, endowed with a superior refinement of moral sensibility, and keener powers of introspection, is ashamed of being the kind of man who is liable to do wrong."-- from John Piper, When I Don't Desire God, 48.
Cutting through the early Twentieth Century prose, there's a few nuggets for us to chew on. Why would the ordinary person feel ashamed of doing wrong? For starters, let me suggest that it is increasingly the case in our culture that we don't have any idea what "shame" feels like. Often people will exult in what was once considered shameful. Today it is more common for people to think of shame as some kind of psychosis that must be overcome. In the past, however, shame was the result of a conscience pricked by doing what was commonly regarded as wrong. It was probably sometimes simply the result of a breach of public decorum, but it may also be thought of as a result of the fact that God's law is indeed written on the heart of all people.
Williams also notes that saints (believers; followers of Christ) have a heightened sense of moral responsibility because of the Holy Spirit living within them. Curiously, he also mentions "keener powers of introspection." I wonder if we tend to think of Christians today as introspective people. How often do we really ponder the condition of our own hearts? How often do we look inward in a healthy way to discern where God is moving, stretching, calling for more of us? Sure there is a kind of naval-gazing introspection that is morbid and/or self-absorbed. I don't think that's what Williams (or Piper) have in mind. But do we know what a healthy and keen sense of introspection looks like?
Do you ever feel shame because of sin? Do you ever feel shame because you have within you the ability to sin? Have you cultivated a godly sense of moral introspection, to look inside at the condition of your own heart? What do you see?
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