Shame, on the other hand, is the feeling of being defined by your sin and shortcomings. Shame acknowledges guilt, yet it intertwines the sin with your identity. Whereas guilt is a legal and spiritual state, shame is an emotional and mental state. When you experience guilt, you admit that you did something wrong. You say, “I have done something wrong” or “I have thought or said something bad.” Yet when you experience shame, you take the sin upon yourself. You say, “I am something wrong” or “I am bad.”
