The Victory of Grace Over Shame

Note: The following is article #11 in a series reflecting on chapters in John Piper’s book Future Grace. More information on the book from Amazon.com is available here. A list of all the articles in this series so far is available here.

God’s grace transforms us.  That’s what Piper hammers over and over throughout Future Grace.  Chapter Ten of the book is devoted to the impact of grace on the human experience of shame.  As Piper puts it, “Like everything else that matters, the crucial issue to see is how God fits into the experience of shame.”

There are three causes of shame.  Shame can come from the guilt of doing something that is wrong, the shortcoming of not meeting an expectation, or the impropriety of doing something that is recognized as inappropriate.

The first question that we should ask when confronting our shame is where God is in it.  Are we experiencing the emotion because of our standing before ourselves, before other people, or before God?  Piper states, “much of what makes us feel shame is not that we have brought dishonor to God through our actions, but that we have failed to give the appearance that other people admire.  Much of our shame is not God-centered but self-centered.”

God warns us repeatedly in Scripture not to feel shame for living as a Christian (see Mark 8:38; Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:8; 1 Peter 4:16).  The Bible also shows us the example of Christ, who was repeatedly accused falsely (such as Luke 7:34), as many of us have been by strangers, friends, or family, to inflict the pain of shame on us.  What does grace tell us about such misplaced shame?  To set our minds on Christ and things above, not on anything earthly (Colossians 3:1-4).

However, we all should feel shame when we sin against a holy God.  What does grace say to this shame?  That the pain “ought to be there, but it ought not to stay there.”  We all have the promise of 1 John 1:9 — “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  After our sin is cleansed, our shame can be cleansed too, and we can live in peace.  This is exactly the promise that Christ gave the adulteress in Luke 7:36-50 when He told her, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Whatever the cause, grace is our victory over shame.  All of us can look to Christ and know “Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:11)

You might also enjoy these articles:

1. Future Grace
2. The Priority of Grace
3. God’s Freedom in Grace
4. Pride, Humility, & Grace
5. Battling Unbelief By Remembering Past Grace