Shame and a tender conscience

Mike makes a good point while looking at one of the characters in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress:

“ Here we have more that Shame has a problem within the genuine Christian walk. In our time, the Liberal leaders, Seeker-Sensitive leaders, and the “outlaw preachers” (whatever that is) leaders are telling all who listen to them that the Christian’s focus needs to be on the here and now to work to make this world a better place as the main focus of Christianity. In this passage, however, the Holy Spirit via the Apostle Peter tells us to be be aliens (παροικους) and strangers (παρεπιδημους) in this world. This is a call to righteous life in a hostile world. We must live in this world, but must be foreigners in secular society. Why? Our citizenship is in Heaven. The word translated strangers, παρεπιδημους, is also a word for ‘pilgrim.’ This is exactly how we should look at our life here in the temporal. We are pilgrims who are in the world, but not part of it. We will have a problem with all of the commands given here in this passage unless we take to heart our true role in God’s Kingdom, which is given to us in v16. Peter used the word δουλοι, which is translated in the NASB as “bondslaves of.” This word is best translated as “permanent slaves of.” Who is our master? We are slaves of θεου (God). If we live as such then we will not struggle with Shame as much as those who believe that they can call the shots and have their own way.”