Question 1

What is the difference between guilt and shame?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 119:31I cling to your laws. Lord, don’t let me be put to shame!Jeremiah 20:18My entire life has been filled with trouble, sorrow, and shame.Guilt comes from disobedience to God’s ways. Shame comes from the judgment of others and from our own insecurities, neither of which can be trusted to reflect God’s opinion accurately. While shame can come from our sins, it may instead come from social pressures, circumstances, or other experiences. The psalmist of Psalm 119 and the prophet Jeremiah were both faithful followers of God, yet both experienced deep shame unrelated to their own sin.2 Samuel 12:7-13Nathan said to David, “. . . Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. . . . Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”2 Samuel 13:11-19As she [Tamar] was feeding him [Amnon], he grabbed her and demanded, “Come to bed with me, my darling sister.” “No, my brother!” she cried. “Don’t be foolish! Don’t do this to me! Such wicked things aren’t done in Israel. Where could I go in my shame? And you would be called one of the greatest fools in Israel. Please, just speak to the king about it, and he will let you marry me.” But Amnon wouldn’t listen to her, and since he was stronger than she was, he raped her.David experienced shame from being called out by his friend Nathan, but more significantly, David experienced guilt. He and he alone was to blame for what happened. Tamar, on the other hand, experienced great trauma and shame, even though she wasn’t guilty—she had done nothing wrong. While guilt always comes from our own actions, shame sometimes comes from things outside our control.Romans 1:16I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.Hebrews 12:2We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.1 Peter 2:20Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.1 Peter 4:16It is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name!2 Timothy 1:8Never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.Jesus suffered shame—stripped naked, whipped, and beaten, then pinned to a cross for all to mock and jeer at him. Crucifixion was the greatest public shame imaginable, yet somehow, it only added to Jesus’ glory. Many Christians have followed in Jesus’ steps over the centuries, suffering pain and shame for the gospel. Public shame may come from humble, sincere obedience to Christ. Such shame should not be viewed as a sign of guilt, but as a sign of love and obedience.

Question 2

Is shame a biblical concept? Can it be good?

Accepted Answer

2 Corinthians 12:7-9So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.1 Timothy 1:15-16This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.Paul had a shameful past, yet through that, he became a prime example of God’s love and mercy. Paul suffered some sort of weakness he was ashamed of—perhaps a physical ailment, a mental health struggle, a temptation, or some other problem. Yet this weakness kept him humble and reliant on Christ. Shame may not be a good thing, per say, but God can use even our most shameful experiences for his glory.1 Corinthians 6:4-6If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside judges who are not respected by the church? I am saying this to shame you. Isn’t there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide these issues? But instead, one believer sues another—right in front of unbelievers!1 Corinthians 15:34Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all.2 Thessalonians 3:14-15Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister.Sometimes we are blind to our own sin. It may take someone else to call us out for us to recognize our problem. Being called out may cause us some degree of public shame, but when it is done in a wise and loving way, it can inspire us to repent and seek a transformed life. Paul sometimes did this among the churches he cared for. For instance, the Corinthians were suing one another in the public courts, rather than working out their differences as fellow believers. Paul called them out for this unchristian behavior, and the resulting humiliation became a wake-up call for them to honor Christ more wholeheartedly.2 Samuel 12:7-13Then Nathan said to David, “. . . Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. . . . Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”David experienced shame when he was called out by his friend Nathan, but that shame inspired healthy guilt. Because of his shame, David finally recognized the evil of what he had done to Uriah, and he was able to repent and turn his life around.Psalm 51:2-3Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.Psalm 51:8-12Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.Psalm 51 is famous as David’s psalm of repentance after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. David experienced a great deal of guilt and shame, and he admitted he had done wrong publicly and before God. But then, rather than dwelling on his guilt and shame, he prayed for restoration. Even after his terrible sin, David looked forward to a joyful relationship with God. Guilt and shame are a warning to inspire us to change our path, but they are never meant to be our destination.Psalm 32:2-5Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.Psalm 34:5Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.Psalm 103:12He [the Lord] has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.David describes the joy of forgiveness in the psalms he wrote. When we confess our sins and turn away from them, we no longer need to live in the shadow of shame.

Question 3

How do I know if my shame is healthy or destructive?

Accepted Answer

Isaiah 54:4“Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you. You will no longer remember the shame of your youth.”If you have been victimized through no fault of your own, you do not need to feel shame. Often people who have been bullied, abused, molested, or raped carry undeserved shame. God can remove your burden of shame and set you free to live victoriously again.Romans 5:8God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.2 Timothy 1:7God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.Hebrews 4:16-17This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.1 John 4:16-18We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. . . . And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. . . . Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.Whenever shame causes us to doubt God’s love for us or the sufficiency of Jesus’ sacrifice, it is not healthy or helpful shame.Luke 15:17-19“When he [the prodigal son] finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’”The prodigal son was deeply ashamed of how he had acted, but that shame did not cause him to fear and avoid his father. Instead, that shame reminded him of how much he loved, respected, and trusted his father. Healthy shame inspires repentance and restoration; it never leads to fear and isolation.1 Timothy 1:19Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.Our consciences are a gift from God, an instinct he placed inside us to make us aware of our sins and give us an appropriate sense of guilt and shame. To keep our conscience working properly, we must seek forgiveness from God and others and try to make things right. Ignoring our conscience dulls it and allows sin’s consequences to grow unchecked without our feeling bad about it. This is like ignoring warning lights at a railroad crossing when a freight train is approaching.1 Corinthians 8:7-12Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do. But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. . . . when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ.Our conscience often works in tandem with the Holy Spirit, but it is not infallible like the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, we may be unsure if something is right or wrong. In such cases, we should err on the side of caution. We should also be respectful of those with a more sensitive conscience and avoid influencing them to go against their convictions.Romans 14:1-4Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.1 Corinthians 10:31So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.Many issues are a matter of conscience, rather than an explicit command from God. Perhaps you refuse to drink alcohol in order to better honor God with your body. That is honorable—but don’t shame others for drinking. Suppose you enjoy alcohol in moderation and with thankfulness. That is honorable—but don’t shame others for refusing to drink. There are some situations where what we are allowed to do is less important than the attitudes of our hearts and the needs of the people around us.Galatians 5:3-4If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.In the early church, some people believed that new Christians had to follow all the Jewish laws, including circumcision. Rather than accepting Christ’s perfect fulfillment of the law, they began trying to earn salvation on their own—and shamed those who didn’t follow their standards. Whether others are pushing legalism on us, or we are pushing it on ourselves, legalism is a powerful source of shame and has been an enemy of the gospel from the beginning.Galatians 5:1So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.If you struggle with legalism, read the letter to the Galatians. In Galatians, Paul explains in detail how legalism is a shame that humans often choose to carry—yet a burden from which God desires to set us free.Ezekiel 34:2-4“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. . . . You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty.”Titus 1:10-11There are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money.Sometimes, legalism spreads out of a sincere desire to obey God. Other times, legalism spreads through corrupt shepherds with ulterior motives—such as a desire for power, control, or wealth. Such corrupt shepherds often use shame to manipulate their flocks.Jeremiah 6:14-15They [ungodly leaders] offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush!2 Timothy 4:3A time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.In contrast to legalistic leaders, false prophets tell us what we want to hear—which can include encouraging others to sin. Having our consciences numbed through false teaching and sin is just as dangerous as legalism.1 Corinthians 15:33Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”Galatians 1:10Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.Friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances sometimes use shame to pressure us. That pressure does not always push us in the right direction. Our ultimate standard of what is admirable or shameful should not rest on human opinion.Psalm 119:105Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.Acts 17:11They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.2 Timothy 3:16All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.The best way to know if our shame is healthy is to view it through Scripture. The wisdom of trusted pastors and other teachers is valuable, but check what they are saying against the Bible itself. Ask questions. If your question is about a specific Bible verse, don’t just read that verse by itself; also read the context around it.John 14:26“When the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”2 Corinthians 3:17-18The Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. . . . And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!Studying the Bible will feel more intuitive if we are doing so prayerfully, seeking the Spirit’s guidance. When we are living in step with the Spirit, we will also be more joyful in our obedience. Rather than simply feeling ashamed of what is wrong in our lives, we will grow a desire to pursue what is good.John 8:44“When [the evil one] lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”Romans 8:1So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.1 John 1:8-9If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.1 John 3:20Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.When our confessed sin or past hurts continue to provoke shame, Satan may be trying to torment us. Those memories have been redeemed and forgiven. Continue to trust in God’s faithfulness and rest in his healing.

Question 4

What can I do with my recurring feelings of shame?

Accepted Answer

1 Kings 19:3-4Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”Jeremiah 17:15-16People scoff at me and say, “What is this ‘message from the Lord’ you talk about? Why don’t your predictions come true?” Lord, I have not abandoned my job as a shepherd for your people.Jeremiah 20:18Why was I ever born? My entire life has been filled with trouble, sorrow, and shame.The prophets Elijah and Jeremiah were both publicly shamed and threatened. Both served faithfully and preached God’s message, yet Israel did not return to the Lord. Both prophets were forced to wrestle with their apparent failure and the shame and doubt that came with it. They even experienced suicidal thoughts. However, instead of hiding themselves from God or trying to ignore their shame, these prophets shared everything they were experiencing with God. We, too, can speak honestly with God about our doubt and shame.Jeremiah 18:18Then the people said, “Come on, let’s plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don’t need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let’s spread rumors about him and ignore what he says.”Romans 8:31If God is for us, who can ever be against us?Galatians 1:10I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.People responded to Jeremiah with slander and mockery, and he felt ashamed. People hated him, and his ministry seemed to be a failure. Yet Jeremiah’s shame was undeserved. Jeremiah shared the message God gave him. It wasn’t his fault that people chose to mock and ignore that message. Today, we remember Jeremiah as one of the great heroes of our faith. Human opinion and worldly measures of success pale in comparison to the lasting honor God gives his servants.Matthew 5:44-45“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.”Acts 26:1-2So Paul, gesturing with his hand, started his defense: “I am fortunate, King Agrippa, that you are the one hearing my defense today against all these accusations made by the Jewish leaders.”Romans 9:2-3My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.1 Peter 3:9Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.When others have shamed us, it can be tempting to seek revenge to regain our self-esteem. Revenge causes us to obsess over our shame and gives another person power over our self-worth. Worse, it hijacks our Christian witness to the world with pride and hatred. Paul stood up for himself against the slander of the Jewish leaders, yet his resistance never turned to hatred. Paul felt a deep love for his Jewish people and longed for them to come to Christ. When we resist the false shame people place on us, we should do so in a way that honors God and witnesses to his presence in our lives. When we do this, shame loses its power over our actions.

Question 5

What can I do to step free of the destructive shame I experience?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 3:8-11When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”When we read of how Adam and Eve tried to hide from God, it’s almost laughable. How could they expect to hide from God? Yet we often do the same thing. When we have sinned, we feel so ashamed of what we’ve done that we become afraid of God, fearing that we’re not worthy of another chance. As it turns out, we aren’t worthy—but God offers forgiveness anyway. When we are ashamed, God longs for us to turn toward him, not away from him.Genesis 3:12The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”Sometimes, such as with bullying or rape, the shame we feel is not our fault. Other times, though, it is our fault, and we try to pin the blame on others to escape our shame. Such behavior harms our relationships with others and prevents us from repenting and learning from our mistakes.Luke 15:12-19“The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’”The prodigal son rejected his father and lived a shameful life, wasting everything his father had given him. It wasn’t until his situation became truly desperate that he decided to acknowledge his shame and face his father. Vulnerability can be terrifying, yet it is often the only way to move past our shame and be reminded of how much we are loved.Luke 15:20-24“So he [the prodigal son] returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.”Shame can make us feel damaged, broken, weak, and worthless. And the truth is, we have each done many things that are shameful. Yet the thought of rejecting a repentant child never crosses our Father’s mind. When we lay our shame before him, he runs to us, rejoicing that we have returned to him. We are priceless and beloved in his sight, and no amount of shame can change that.Exodus 3:11Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”Judges 6:15“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”Moses and Gideon both experienced trauma. They had both been unable to protect their people from oppression, and they felt helpless, worthless, and ashamed. Yet one step of obedience at a time, they both learned to root their identities in God and his calling. Their understanding of who they were outgrew their shameful pasts.Titus 3:4-5When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.Feelings of shame are usually the result of sin, our own or someone else’s. Shame increases with unreleased guilt. God wants to release us from shame and restore us to a pure and holy relationship with himself. When we confess our sin to God and ask for his forgiveness, he takes our shame away.Psalm 32:5Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.Psalm 51:1-3Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.Shame is a relentless weight. For a long time, David tried to hide his guilt. Perhaps he ignored thinking about it; perhaps he made excuses that others had done worse; perhaps he tried to justify it—after all, he was the king, wasn’t he? All this only increased the burden of his shame. Once David acknowledged his sin and confessed to God and others, he was offered forgiveness and a restored relationship with God. Vulnerability and repentance were his path to freedom.John 4:6-7Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water.The woman at the well was likely burdened by shame, and so she went to the well at the hottest time of the day in order to avoid meeting others from her village.John 4:7-20Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” . . . The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. . . . “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”In Jesus’s conversation with the woman at the well, he uncovered all her shame—not only her shameful relationship history, but also her shame for being a Samaritan. Samaritans were partially Jewish, but they had a long history of enmity with the Jews. The Samaritan woman and her people were used to being treated with contempt by Jews. In order for the woman to open her heart to Jesus’ message, she first had to acknowledge her shame, fear, and bitterness.John 4:21-23Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews.”Jesus didn’t minimize the woman’s shame or deny its reality. He never excused her broken relationships. He even warned her that her Samaritan culture did not understand God. Ultimately, he acknowledged everything that made her feel inferior and worthless—but he still treated her like she had value. By choosing to speak with her and showing her respect by answering her questions, Jesus showed the woman that she was far more than her shame.John 4:23-30“The time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. . . .” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!” . . . The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him.The woman at the well began that day avoiding everyone to hide her shame. She ended that day admitting her shame to her entire village in order to spread the hope of the gospel. In the Gospel of John, this is the first time Jesus explicitly reveals he is the Messiah—to a woman everyone else had written off. No matter how broken or worthless we may feel, God offers each of us a future of hope and purpose.Psalm 32:5Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.Romans 3:24God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.2 Corinthians 5:17Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!Shame sometimes traps us into making sin our identity—but this trap is a lie. Our identity is built on what Christ has done for us, not on our shameful pasts or our current struggles.Philippians 1:6I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.Philippians 3:12-14I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. . . . No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.Paul wasn’t perfect. Neither are we. But dwelling on shame and failure distracts us from the good things God is doing in our lives. When we make mistakes, we can learn from them. When we sin, we can repent; then we should stand up and run toward Christ.Joshua 2:8-12Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them.Hebrews 11:31It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.Matthew 1:5-6Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David.Rahab was the last person you would expect to be listed in the genealogy of Jesus. She was part of an idolatrous and evil nation, an enemy of Israel. On top of this, she was a prostitute. Yet Rahab saw God’s power, and she believed in his mercy. She put everything on the line in faith, and her life was changed. In place of shame, she received a greater honor than she could have ever imagined. Repentance requires faith—a faith that God can change us.Psalm 25:2-3I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.Psalm 119:31I cling to your laws. Lord, don’t let me be put to shame!Psalm 119:39, 80Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good. . . . May I be blameless in keeping your decrees; then I will never be ashamed.1 John 2:28Now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.The best way to avoid feeling shame is to avoid the sin that fuels shame! When we obey God and live a clean life, we will rarely feel shame. The pain of past shame should be a great motivation to strive for honesty and integrity in all areas of life from now on.