by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
Even since Adam
and Eve took one bite of fruit humans have dealt with guilt and shame.
God warned
them.
Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV)
Up until that time they had only known good. Then a serpent’s words carried more weight to their minds than what their Creator told them.
The temptation
to know everything sucked Adam and Eve into the trap.
Through mercy, God
brought the skins of a slain animal to cover the guilt. The couple was
forgiven.
But the shame
continued. Their minds probably ran away with the accusations that came from the
mouth of their tempter. “You are bad.” “Look at what you did.” “The human race
is doomed because of you.”
This is what
the devil does. He tempts and then when we give in, he accuses and condemns us.
What is the difference between guilt and shame?