Now think about how Satan ensnared Eve. He said, "You will become just like God." This caused her to compare herself to God and implied that she was inferior—different.
That same fear of being different still drives people today to compare themselves with others. And comparison becomes high-octane fuel for shame.
The Apostle Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians:
For we dare not...compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.When people compare themselves with others, they are making a subconscious attempt to determine superiority. If people decide they don't measure up, then in their own estimation, their value is reduced.
(2 Cor. 10:12 KJV)
If, however, they decide that they are better than the other person, then they become elevated in pride. The devil is the mastermind behind both these scenarios, causing the person engaged in comparison to suffer defeat.
It is so much better to realize that God has created each person with individual gifts and talents. To rest in that realization is to be free from competition and comparison.
By saying "You will become just like God" the devil also implied that God withheld something from Adam and Eve. He was insinuating that not only were they flawed, but also that God had not dealt truthfully or justly with them.
Imagine Satan whispering, After all, didn't God tell you, you were already created in His image? God must have lied. His Word can't be trusted.
And the devil is still whispering these same kinds of lies today, but we would do well to learn from Adam and Eve's experience.
The Lie That Shame Conveys
Instead of becoming like God as the serpent promised, sin caused Adam and Eve to lose the very thing they were seeking, the very thing that made them significant—the likeness of God.
No longer were Adam and Eve clothed in God's righteousness. A permanent sense of defectiveness, inadequacy, and shame swallowed them up.
Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary says shame is "a negative emotion caused by an awareness of wrongdoing, hurt ego or guilt. In the Bible, the feeling of shame is normally caused by public exposure of one's guilt."
In other words, shame is a belief in our basic defectiveness as human beings. The lie that shame conveys is that God sees us as guilty of wrongdoing, flawed, defective, inadequate and consequently, unacceptable.
These feelings are all directed inwardly which causes us to focus on our performance. When we believe that we are not good enough, or that God has left something out—thereby making us defective—we tend to act on our own behalf.
Satan has cunningly constructed this lie, hoping we will believe God is displeased with us and that He is intolerant of our imperfections.
Contrary to the lie that shame conveys, God's love has always been unconditionally offered to mankind. Still our innate feelings of guilt and shame often cause us to think that we must do something to be loved and accepted.
But the truth is, love that must be earned is not love at all—it is a wage that is paid for a deed performed. God's gifts are not awarded to us because of anything we do but because of His grace.
Ephesians declares,
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."Any attempt to approach God on the basis of works or performance is fruitless.
(Eph. 2:8-9 New American Standard)