Sin and Shame Exposed

Something happened recently that really broke my heart. I found out an an friend from any years ago got caught up in serious criminal activity and faced the full force of the law.

It was everywhere, the papers, blogs etc. All the indiscretions exposed. Obviously where all of you is being exposed, the vultures come out. The comments from some people including former friends and acquaintance of the individual concerned got to me, some were propellers of this story and even some very ridiculous rumours were born.

I, on the other hand, felt compassion, not because I feel the law or media was being unfair,  but because it had me thinking of how much shame Jesus has shielded me from. It reminded me to thank God for the blood of Jesus.

Imagine if all our former indiscretions were being exposed for all to see. Or every sin we've ever committed or about to commit is played in the media. It made me realise how much the blood of Jesus that was shed means. When God sees us, he does not see the former adulterer, fornicator, thief, murderer, slanderer, liar, gossip, idol worshiper but sees Jesus. The grace that was given through Jesus now covers our shame. Isn't God wonderful?

The way the courtroom plays on earth is not any different from how it plays out in heaven. There is a judge, the advocate, alleged offender and the accuser.  Revelations 12:10 describes Satan as the accuser of brethren, Zechariah 3:1-2 tells us that Satan stands by ready to let us know what we have done wrong. The judge, God the Father, listens to the case as a judge ought to, Jesus our Saviour will come out to be our advocate and because God honours His word that Jesus saves, we will be speared, every record wiped off because Jesus has spoken.

So, when we are about to give someone else the side eye about their indiscretions, we should remember that we are also sinners (Romans 3:23) and by the blood of Christ we have been set free from accusations of Satan (John 8:36). Sin is sin before God, so because your sin has not broken the law of the land does not mean that the accuser in the heavenlies is not ready to drag us to the court of God.

It will take nothing for God to expose us it the public but because of mercy He has chosen to hide our nakedness, Genesis 3:21 gives a perfect example of this. It tells us that after Adam and Eve disobeyed, their eyes were opened and they realised they were naked, they felt ashamed. Despite this, God in his infinite, merciful self covered them up.

So, lets pray for one another irrespective of what kind past or present we have, let us thank God everyday for hiding our sin and shame, let us remember plead for mercy over our life and life of others. In prayer, we should also ask God to help us to put on His full amour so that we may be able to withstand the schemes of Satan (Ephesians 6:11).

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”   Ephesians 2:4-7