We feel guilt when we know we’ve done something bad. Sin deserves guilt, and God provides both consequences and forgiveness for that wrongdoing. But shame is internalized. It goes deeper than guilt for our actions: shame is the belief that we are our actions. ‘I did something bad’ becomes ‘I am bad.’ It changes us, hollows us out. But shame is not what God desires for our lives.
Shame Redefines Who We Are
It's easy to fall for shame’s lies. In our society, people have different backgrounds, education levels, finances, and skin colors. There are many voices that tell us we aren’t as worthy as the person sitting beside us, for factors that are completely out of our control and are not sinful in any way, shape, or form. Sometimes shame isn’t logical, but it still sticks. We begin to believe we deserve the things that are out of control, that we’re unworthy of anything good.
God Didn’t Turn Away
450 years before Jesus was born, Nehemiah sat in Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire. His people had been taken into captivity as a consequence of their sins against God. Nehemiah was a cupbearer for the king, so he lived a life of comfort, even as a captive. But despite that, he thought beyond himself; when his brother arrived, the first thing Nehemiah asked was, “How are my people?” And his brother answered, “They are a people in trouble and shame.”
Jerusalem had been sacked and conquered. The people still living there had no city walls to protect them, and they were on the outskirts of a large empire. They were physically in trouble. And emotionally, they were in shame, struggling with who they were, what they’d done, and their current situation. The Jews were facing the consequences of their sins against God, even though many of them were the descendants of those who had sinned. God created them, blessed them, and provided for them, and they still turned away. But Nehemiah knew that the God who turned His back on them did not intend for them to live in captivity forever. When the prophets warned Judah of God’s wrath, they also promised God’s salvation.
Though the people lived in shame, that is not what God desired for them. Isaiah prophesied that God would rebuild: “They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastation; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations” (Isaiah 61:4). And in Joel 2:26-27, He promises that “my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.”
God’s punishment for the Jews’ sin was done to bring them back into relationship with Him.
Shame Isn’t God’s Voice
Even today among the baptized believers in Christ today, there are people unable to let go of their pasts. They’ve stopped sinning, but they still believe that sin defines them. Sometimes it’s difficult to see ourselves as members of Christ’s body, because we’re so consumed with shame. But remember the words of the prophets to the Judeans: shame is not what God wants for us.
Shame is a trap. It keeps us stuck in false narratives and old mistakes. Yes, there are consequences for wrongdoing, but God doesn’t abandon us when we fall short. He still finds us worthy of his love. The things He promised to Nehemiah is what He promises to us today. Christ’s blood washes us clean. We are all new in the family of God. When restoration comes, we are people of shame no longer.
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