Guilt vs. Shame

Many people couple guilt and shame together as though they were synonymous. I would argue that they are not and that there is a key difference between the two. Guilt is that nagging sometimes painful feeling that you get when you know that you’ve done something wrong. This can be, but is not always is a tool of the Holy Spirit convicting us of wrong doing in an effort to prevent us from doing it again. When used in this way it is good and beneficial for the believer. Shame on the other hand is a tool of the devil. He uses it in a way as to deceive the believer. He tells us that we are a bad person. This focuses on the person’s identity and who the person is rather then what they did. We need to always be carful to separate the action from the person. This is true when dealing with other people as well as with ourselves. God does not condemn you (Romans 8:1), but the devil will take every chance he can get to trip you up (1 Peter 5:8).