Greg Chandler
11/02/15
Till then—nor is my boasting vain—
Till then I boast a Savior slain.
And oh, may this my portion be,
That Christ is not ashamed of me.
In 1765, Joseph Grigg penned a soul-searching hymn entitled Jesus! And Shall It Ever Be. Throughout the hymn, the writer grappled with the thought that one could be ashamed of Jesus. Noting the unabashed foolishness of such a notion, the fifth stanza states:” Ashamed of Jesus? Yes, I may when I’ve no guilt to wash away. No tear to wipe, no joy to crave, no fears to quell, no soul to save.” The final stanza, however, drives home the concern that every mortal should have; “May this my portion be, that Christ is not ashamed of me.”
Consider what is commonly meant by shame: “a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.” We, therefore, can be ashamed of both our own actions and those of another. When it comes to God, however, there is no being ashamed of Him; He has no capacity for wrong or foolishness. One who is ashamed of the Almighty has yet to come to an understanding and appreciation for the Creator of heaven and earth. The same cannot be said when it comes to God’s relationship with man. As Creator, God knows every facet of man’s being, “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 104:14). He knows that we have the propensity for both wrongness and foolishness; thus, it is well within His right to be ashamed of His wayward human race when they stray from Him.
This was well-evidenced in the early years of man’s history. Though created in the image of the Lord, man chose to abandon what he knew was right; he chose to ignore the eternity God had placed in His heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and concentrate solely on the prurient interest of earth-dwellers. In fact, man became so wicked that “every thought of his heart was on evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). This was no inherited sin; this was the conscious choice to abandon the ways of the Divine for the downward spiral of wickedness. God, therefore, was ashamed of His creation. Those who had been created in His likeness and for the express purpose of having a relationship with Him were an embarrassment; they traded nobility for commonality. Seeing the hopelessness of the situation, God made a monumental decision: “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:13). With the exception of eight righteous souls, this shameful lot of humanity was destroyed.
Standing in striking contrast to those wicked antediluvian souls is a compilation of faithful men and women who desired to be like their God. To illustrate the concept of faith, the writer of Hebrews recorded events in the lives of ordinary men and women who made the extraordinary decision to faithfully follow their God. Concerning these people, the writer stated, “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city” (11:16a). These were by no means perfect people; they were simply individuals who made the conscious choice to please their Creator. In this, God found no embarrassment. Far from causing Him distress, they diligently obeyed, even when they did not understand. In their stories, all of those created in the image of God can learn how to please the Lord and bring no cause for shame.
This basic question, therefore, comes to every human: Is God ashamed of me? He certainly does not desire this. Concerning the work of Jesus Christ, the Hebrew writer states, “For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why He is not ashamed to call them brothers” (Hebrews 2:10-11) God is so merciful to man that, even in the face of sin, He created a way of escape; He gave a way out of the distressing and embarrassing situation of open rebellion against Him. Yet, while His grace is abundant, it is not without expectation. Those forgiven souls must commit to a life that seeks to unashamedly imitate Him in every way: “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy as I am holy’” (I Peter 1:15-16).
This new life in God calls for a full self-examination. The Apostle Paul was keenly aware of this and admonished the Colossian church to make necessary changes in their lives. After listing numerous vices they must put away (3:5-10), he instructed, “Put on then , as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another…and above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (3:12-15a). Everyday choices illustrate whether wickedness or righteousness is pursued. Everyday choices illustrate the concern, or lack thereof, one has for not bringing shame.
Just as parents desire for their children to grow and flourish, so, too, does the Father in Heaven. Just as parents discipline their children to bring them to the very best behavior, so, too, does the Father in Heaven. May every child of God commit to a life that brings no shame. May each strive to make the Heavenly Father pleased with the conduct of His family…”And oh, may this my portion be, that Christ is not ashamed of me.”