SIN AND SHAME GO TOGETHER BUT NOT UNTIL A PERSON RECOGNIZES WHAT SIN IS DOES HE OR SHE FEEL SHAME. Shame Is That Painful Sense Of Sorrow And Unworthiness That Come From Having Dishonored One's Own Sense Of Integrity. Shame on occurs when a person feels remorse for having done something to another person that violates their rights; something that one would not like done unto oneself.

The Bible implies if a person sins they become aware of their sin and feel shame. How is it possible many people sin without knowing they are sinning?

Im not talking about psychopaths here but just ordinary people who live without an awareness of God or their sin, which seem to be most people actually. How can they be blamed if they are not even aware that what they are doing is sin?

Harry Riches, Have a genuine relationship with Lord Jesus Christ. Not merely academic.

Written Nov 10 Answer requested by Diane Shatto

Sin is a word that many people do not understand. In particular, sin is the violation of the Ten Commandments. Since people do not know the Ten Commandments, let alone understand them or have any comprehension of how they cover every aspect of human behavior, when sinning, they are not aware of the fact they are sinning.

However, people feel shame when they do something that is not socially approved. Erik Erickson postulated that shame is something that children learn around the age of two, the second stage in his theory of psychosocial development—which I concur is a reliable rationale for understanding development of the individual.

During this second stage of development, known as “the terrible two’s”, children are renown for demonstrating their willfulness and asserting their rights as individuals.

Children begin to feel shame when they disobey their parents and understand that this is wrong. The extent to which children recognize this as sin is another matter.
In the Bible, we read the Apostle Paul’s statement concerning the natural conscience:

• When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them. (Romans 2:14–15)

The law that is being spoken of here is the internal recognition of what is right and wrong—otherwise known as our conscience. As children, we learn to excuse our behavior, but not necessarily other people’s behavior. Consequently, we will learn to lie about other people but hate other people bearing false witness against us, or even telling us lies. We will steal from other people, but disapprove of somebody taking anything without permission that belongs to us.

When social behaviors violate what we know to be wrong and becomes commonplace, and we accept it, we sear our conscience. When our own behavior violates our internal recognition of right and wrong, we sear our conscience, if we habitually persist in that behavior. We will sin and have no recognition of sinning because we have learned to suppress any conflicting thoughts. Excusing ourselves for doing what we know to be wrong is how this is done. Shame only comes when our evil deeds are exposed for what they are.

• For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. (John 3.20)

The reason people sin, and keep on sinning, without feeling any compunction is they have seared their consciences and do not feel any confliction within their hearts or minds. Those that become aware of their wrongdoing and believe they are becoming debased, begin to feel shame, because they know that humans are not animals. They know that right and wrong exists. They know they have the ability to choose.

A sharpened conscience is like the rudder on a ship. It guides us through dangerous waters and sees to it that we survive the terrors of torment, by recognizing the truth. A conscience that has been suffocated leads people into evil and eventually to a place where they believe evil is good and wrong is right and telling falsehoods is acceptable—certain politicians are more renowned than others for this, and those who knowingly support them are just as culpable.

Discerning Truth Is Impossible If We Have No Absolute Guide To Inform Us