Breaking Free From the Power of ShameSample

DAY 2: Naked and Not Ashamed

There was a time long ago when shame didn’t exist, and everything was perfect—no guilt or embarrassment. But then sin entered and brought shame along with it.

Genesis 2:25 says, “and the man and his wife were both naked and not ashamed.” What’s the point here? The Bible is communicating that even in their most vulnerable state—being naked—Adam and Eve felt no shame. They had nothing to hide from God or one another, no reason to be covered up. They walked with God and each other with utter confidence and no fear about being found out. They were pure, transparent, and naked.

The word naked means more than just nudity. It means that they were totally open and exposed before God and man. They had no sin and nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing mentally, physically, or emotionally. There was pure intimacy.

But it didn’t last long. By chapter 3 we see this bond of intimacy destroyed because of sin. Adam and Eve disobeyed God, bringing sin into the world. That sin shattered the intimacy Adam and Eve had between each other, but most importantly, with God. In Genesis 2, we saw that they were without shame and had nothing to hide. In chapter 3 they are now ashamed, hiding from God, and covering up.

Ashamed and afraid they hid from God. But there is something we can’t miss in Genesis 3:8. Although their sin caused them to feel shame and want to hide, God didn’t hide from them. In fact, in this text, His personal name is used, Lord God. This is God’s personal name that shows His intimate relationship with His people. Yes, their relationship would soon be distorted because of the sin that entered, but God didn’t run and hide from them. What Adam and Eve experienced is what humanity will experience until Christ comes back. Any time sin enters the picture of our lives, shame is a close cousin who comes along with it. It reminds us that we failed and we should hide and cover ourselves just like Adam and Eve did. It’s a natural response to our sin. Welcome to the life long battle. But there is hope.

You are not some sort of freak or failure as a Christian because you still battle sin. As Paul outlines in Romans 7, there will be a war within us that we all fight. For some it will be sexual immorality and impurity that we struggle with. For others it may be envy, jealousy, arrogance, pride, or idolatry. It might be gossip or people-pleasing or an obsession with the opinion of others. No matter what it is, we will all have a battle. And Satan’s goal is to condemn and shame us when we fail.

Another name for Satan is Accuser, and that’s exactly what he does: he accuses the children of God. He attempts to condemn us and make us think we’re worthless. He reminds us of our past and present sins, hoping it will leave us paralyzed and drowning in our shame. The enemy is an accuser and condemner, but we don’t have to submit to his power. Shame doesn’t have to win, and you don’t have to hide. You can have victory!