Free From Shame - How the Gospel Redeems Our Past and PainSample

We can all relate to remembering something embarrassing we said or did a long time ago. Sometimes these memories are small and inconsequential. Other times, our memories are of more profound events that may have shaped the way we see our lives, ourselves, and others. Experiencing shame over the past is difficult. Our past can keep us bound in shame regardless of how much time has passed or how much self-improvement we have undergone.

But God can change this reality. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord loosens the chains of what once was and gives us hope for what will be. God does not erase our past, but He does transform it into a testimony of the power of the gospel. We see an example of this in the life of the Apostle Paul.

Paul is one of the New Testament authors and was a major player in the early church movement. However, Paul had a troubling past. Before he became a believer, Paul, who was also known as Saul, was a vile persecutor of Christians. He intentionally and violently targeted believers in Jesus. However, in Acts 9, we see God radically transform Paul’s life. Jesus appears to Paul, and Paul places his faith in Jesus. The Apostle Paul then becomes a missionary and witness to the gospel. In the same way, God can transform our lives and use our past as evidence of His goodness.

Because of Jesus’s salvation, we are not bound to the darkness of our past. Jesus has shielded us from judgment, and He has shown us compassion. When we place our faith in Him, we can live freely in the present, knowing that God is using our past for His purposes. We can live with expectant hope for the future—confident that God is making us like Jesus. When memories of the past come back to haunt us, we can remember to testify of the glory and kindness of our Savior.

Reflect and Respond

How does faith in Jesus change the way we see our past?