I grew up in an honor-and-shame culture in the Middle East. In that culture, your actions are judged based on the approval of your tribe, group, or extended family. If your actions align with their values, you are honored. But if you go against the cultural norms or do something they disapprove of, you bring shame—not just upon yourself, but upon your entire family or community.

As Christians—followers of Christ—we should hold ourselves to a similar honor-and-shame standard, but one that is defined by God, not culture. When we live according to His commands, we bring honor to His name and to our fellow believers. But when we live in a way that does not reflect His righteousness, we bring shame upon His name, His church, and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

From the very beginning, Satan’s goal has been to strip humanity of its God-given dignity and make us act like animals. When he came to Adam and Eve in the garden, he did not appear as a human—he came as a serpent. And ever since, his desire has been to reduce people to their most base instincts:

• To hate those who don’t look like us, don’t think like us, or don’t vote like us.
• To live without restraint, indulging in whatever desires we please.
• To discard our spouses when they no longer satisfy us.
• To seek revenge when we are hurt, following the law of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

When we live this way, we bring shame—not only upon ourselves but upon the name of Christ, His church, and our fellow believers.

That is why, when Jesus began His ministry, the first thing He did after overcoming Satan’s temptations in the wilderness was to sit on a mountain and deliver His famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). Every command in that sermon restores our humanity. When we live according to His teachings, we reflect His light, bringing honor to our Lord and Savior.

This is how we avoid hypocrisy. This is how we become the salt and light. And this is how we can live Unashamed.

Let us pray that God will restore our humanity, that we may become the glue that unites our divided nation.

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