Southside Scoop - 3.10.24

T H E S C O O P

Southside Church of Christ

800 Elmira Avenue

Durham, NC 27707

info@sside.org

www.sside.org

919.688.3535

STAFF

Orlander R. Thomas Senior Minister

William A. Stephens Minister Emeritus

D’Andrea Fanning Director of Ministry Operations & Non-Profit

Candice P. Blount Church Administrator

Quentella Williams Executive Assistant

DEACONS

John Alcox

Anthony Green, Sr.

Arthur Hackney

John Mathis

Chester Mayfield, Jr.

Roger McDougal

Joe Williams

Keith Wright

W E E K L Y W O R D

The Reality of Shame

By RICKI FULLER

At best shame can be described as a debilitating condition. The reference Scripture for our consideration of ‘overcoming shame’ this month is found in Genesis 3:7 (NLT). It reads: “At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. …they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.”

It can clearly be seen that both Adam and Eve immediately experienced shame after heeding the words of the serpent. Eve was engaged in, what it seems to her to have been, an enlightening conversation with the handsome serpent who influenced her mind to doubt GOD’s directive/ command/warning (which was given to dam prior to her creation – as best we know). GOD had made it clear to Adam he was free to eat from every tree in the garden, except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The warning was that if Adam had eaten of that tree he would surely die.

Isn’t it interesting that we see where GOD spoke that command/warning to Adam in Genesis 2:16-17? Another point of interest appears that the serpent only spoke with Eve, and not with Adam whom GOD had directly told what he could freely do without punishment; and, with whom GOD made it abundantly clear that if he were to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good evil, he would of a surety die?

Yet, the serpent spoke with Eve who very likely, second-handedly, received the blessings and warning from GOD through Adam sharing with her. If that is true, then she did not experience the same level of connection/ understanding that Adam had received under GOD’s guidance/ tutelage.

One could surmise that had she been directly communicated with by Her Creator, she would have experienced shame for listening to the serpent when he questioned GOD’s truthfulness regarding what would occur regarding eating from the forbidden tree.

In reality, it does not matter what Eve perceived or did within her own self. The true reality is that it seems Adam knowingly disobeyed his Creator’s decree about that one tree (assuming he knew which tree the fruit that Eve offered him came from –[there I go with more inquiries]). All questions aside, the basic concern is that it was only after Adam, himself, ate the forbidden fruit that his mind, soul and body were immediately weakened and shamed. That weakening and shame ushered in the death of his/their innocence and freedom.

On some level(s), probably each of us can identify with the reality that struck Adam when he realized the error of his and Eve’s actions. Shame is defined as “a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior (mortified).”

Yet, GOD shared a plan of restitution for Adam and Eve. He held them all accountable for their behaviors while promising Christ as the serpent’s nemesis, and as mankind’s Savior so we may tell Him about our shame and burdens (Psalm 55:22 (AMP)!

“So God created mankind in his own image” -Genesis

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