Do you struggle to do the right thing? Do you do things you don’t want to do?
You’re in good company!
St. Paul wrote of himself, “I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway” (Romans 7:19, MSG).
Really think about this: Here’s one of the greatest apostles of Christ and the author of much of the New Testament saying that he struggles with the same challenges we do! Paul went on to say, “I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me?” (Romans 7:24, MSG). Have you ever felt this way? Have you tried everything you can think of to rid yourself of your shame? Work? Sacrifice? Religion? Paul did and I know I have.
Finally, Paul concludes this seventh chapter of Romans, stating, “The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ acted to set things right in this life of contradictions” (Romans 7:25, MSG). What Paul is saying to us is that through His death and resurrection, Christ paid the price for our continued wrong-doing. We may have to pay the consequences of our humanly actions just as Paul did at times, but we don’t have to carry the burden of shame because we don’t always do what we know is right.
In Romans 8:1, Paul states, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (NIV). “Condemnation” includes that general feeling of shame – of being worthless and unworthy – because of our human-ness that we all experience. But our God doesn’t see us as unworthy: He made us human and He loves our humanity no matter how many times we mess-up. He loves us so much that even while we were messing-up, He sent his Son to take away our shame.
The Message says this even more clearly, “With the arrival of Jesus, the fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous low-lying dark cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing us from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2, MSG).
Where Does Shame Come From?
We were never supposed to carry the burden of shame and condemnation. At the end of Genesis 2, the Bible says that the man and the woman were unashamed.
The beginning of Genesis 3 says that there was a clever snake in the garden, and by the end of Genesis 3, we had shame, fear, and a whole host of other maladies. The serpent of old is the thief and liar who comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). That liar gave us his shame: Satan wanted to be God, and he told us that if we disobeyed God, we would be like God and know everything good and evil (Genesis 3:5).
Because of their free-will, Adam and Eve took the bait and ate the forbidden fruit (and because of our strong-will, some of us continue to do so daily). As that liar promised, we now know all about good and evil, and we now carry the knowledge and shame of the things we should not do. As a result, we carry the burden of condemnation. Because of this burden, the first man and woman were ashamed, and they fearfully hid from their loving Father. Don’t we do the same today?
Adam and Eve had to leave the paradise God had planned for them: not because He is a bad or unforgiving Father: He did so to guard them against eating of the other tree in the garden: the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:24). God did not want them to live forever with their shame. He wants to do the same for us and He loved us so much that sent his Son so we could have eternal life free from shame (John 3:16).
How Can We Be Free from Shame?
Thanks be to God that Christ paid the price of the burden of shame on the Cross! When Christ died and rose from the grave, Satan’s dominion over the earth was destroyed (Daniel 7:12-14), but he was not: today Satan’s greatest weapon against us is the feeling of shame, and he uses it to keep us from being all that God wants us to be.
Because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, we (like Paul) don’t have to carry this burden. Because of Christ’s actions “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Those of us who look to Him are not ashamed (Psalm 34:5) and we have overcome the accusations of the serpent of old by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Rev 12:11).
To those of you who have surrendered your life to Christ, the next time that you in your human-ness mess-up and don’t do what you did not intend to do, remember that while you may suffer the consequences of your actions here on earth, you were never meant to carry the burden of shame. Rebuke this shame by quoting Romans 8:1 to that lying snake and experience the freedom you already have.
To those of you who have not yet surrendered your life to Christ, do you want to let go of the shame you were never meant to carry? All you must do is pray this simple prayer, “Jesus, I believe in you, I believe you died to freely forgive my sin and shame forever, and I receive you.” If you said that prayer and you really meant it, you are now free of the shame of the accuser now and forever. Congratulations!
What Does Freedom from Shame Mean to Us?
Free from the burden of shame, Paul tells us that our struggles can be used for good. He says that God’s strength is shown through our weakness (2 Cor 12:7-10). No one knows for certain what St. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was, but some have suggested it might be impulsive anger. If that is true, God used Paul’s anger as passion: his passion is clear in all that he wrote. Just like Paul, your struggles can become your greatest strengths with your Savior’s help.
Finally, you can live and even thrive despite the consequences of your struggles. Paul passionately tells us that God’s grace is sufficient for the mistakes we make (2 Cor 12: 9). We can also live with the consequences of our struggles. Paul did. Writing from a Roman prison, he filled us in on the secret of being content in every situation. Through Christ who gave him strength, Paul was able to live with and without his needs being met (Phil 4: 11-13). Free from the burden of shame, you can too!
My Prayer for You
It is my prayer that this article gives you hope. If you are a parent of a “Romans 7:19 child” or if you are one yourself, I pray that you will use these thoughts of a fellow struggler to free yourself or your child from the burden of shame.
If you need help applying these concepts, contact us to make an appointment.
© 2016, Monte W. Davenport, Ph.D.
THE MESSAGE (MSG). Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
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