"If there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among your selves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing (Phil 2: 1-7)."
In this chapter Welch wants us to hone in on the idea that Jesus WAS an outcast and Paul interpreted everything through the eyes of the cross. When there is honour before God, there will be dishonour before other people! The way up is down. If we're interested in honour, we have to take the path of "Nothing" or "Worthless". But be careful we don't look at these words through the eyes of shame...
We have been taken from shame to honour when we became attached to the King by faith, where our place in the throne room of the King is really there!! However, before people it's a different story according to Welch's reading of Paul. Godly honour and worldly honour are part of two different kingdoms -- Paul says he is unaffected by the world's rejection, because of Christ's seeking the world's dishonour. He points us to the cross-centred life.
More Specifics about Shame
Welch now describes how the Biblical story of shame and honour progresses, with Scripture becoming more specific and making finer distinctions. Shame began because of what we had done in associating with things other than God Himself and the results were horrible. Then we understood that we could catch shame from someone else with our sin being a voluntary association, and contamination from being sinned against was an involuntary association. In the OT shame before God and before people wasn't distinguished very clearly, they seemed to go together. Now that Christ has come things are more clear: shame from our sin was detached from the shame that comes from being sinned against. It is the voluntary associations that either contaminate or cleanse (p. 263). Now Scripture also adds another distinction: our reputation before God vs our reputation before other people.
Shame from our own sin before God
The category is with us for eternity but usually troubles us the least says Welch. It is this shame that Welch wants to raise because if we don't see this as a problem the radical cure won't feel like much!!!
The RADICAL cure - when we associate with Jesus Christ by faith we receive immunity from REAL shame which comes with anything/anyone dishonouring the King or anything associated with Him, like His people. Forgiveness is what crosses the separation between us and God. Don't minimize what the cross has done in your life and check that if you still feel shame whether the present problem is actually that you are more worried about your reputation before other people than your standing with God!!
Shame from our own sin before the world
The world doesn't care about our sins, it cares more about income and appearance with a few exceptions like child abuse, sexual violation... (1 Cor 5:1-2) When sins among Christians catch the world's attention, shame is unavoidable, appropriate and good says Welch (p. 267). The goal is to face the situation of forgiveness, release from shame before the Lord and therefore look more to your status before the Lord than other people.
Shame from the sins of others and from our own weaknesses before God
Victimization, neglect, physical disability, intellectual disability... are the root of so much of our shame, making us believe that we must be bad, have no right to look to God. God responds in mercy and compassion though!!! His love is expressed in action and Scripture is very clear about the categories of victim and perpetrator (Jer 23:1-4). Perpetrators are the ones with power and God's words are frightening for those who use their strength for personal advantage!
But what about when we feel weak and like failures? God is clear in that He moves His Kingdom forward through the actions of weak people (p. 268).
Shame from the sins of others and from our own weaknesses before the world
It is this category that Welch believes we experience most of our shame and he once again looks to how Paul despised the world's view of shame and honour. Paul spoke loudly against the world's view of shame which it found everywhere, including the church: unclean, sick, childless, sexually unfaithful, blind, bleeding, poor, uncircumcised, pagan, etc... In his letter to the Philippians he addressed this coming down hard on the culture of the day, which describes our celebrity culture today as well. Read Philippians 3 carefully. The main idea was that HUMAN BEINGS WERE NEVER INTENDED TO FIND THEIR REPUTATIONS IN THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. That is not the way we were created (p. 271).
Paul wants us to know that honour before God outweighs whatever shame we experience before mere creatures. Sounds easy but often the simplest things seem the hardest. Paul wanted the church to be prepared for suffering and shame from the world AND YET recognize that this suffering and shame is powerless(p. 273).
Paul welcomed worldly shame as a way to know Jesus better, experiencing rejection, insults, mockery, imprisonment and beatings, and through all that he learned that when you share something with someone, you experience a new bond in relationship. He came to know Jesus better!!! When we recognize that Christ experienced something we also experience, we have an AHA moment. We can relate and so know Jesus better (Phil 3:10-11).
Welch finishes with a summary of how far we have come now:
"You experience shame and isolation.
Jesus is with you in your shame.
Jesus takes on your shame.
Your shame helps you to understand His shame.
You are humbled, not humiliated." (p. 275)
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