Finding Freedom in JesusSampel

Freedom from guilt and shame

When God created Adam and Eve, they were perfectly at ease with each other and with their Creator. Genesis 2:25 says, “the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” There was simply no reason to be ashamed.

But sin changed everything. When God walked in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, they hid themselves from his presence. When God called for them, Adam explained: “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:9-10). Sin had damaged man’s relationship with his Creator. It was not Adam’s nakedness (which had been there before), but his sinfulness that filled him with shame.

The only solution, again, is to put your faith in Jesus. When He died on the cross, He took away our guilt and shame. Therefore, the apostle John encourages us: “Abide in him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming” (1 John 2:28). If your sins have been washed away by Jesus’ blood, you need not hide yourself in shame, but may await his coming with joy.