5 Shame-Killing Truths about God's Redemption

Redemption is buying back or repurchasing what was previously forfeited or lost. God will redeem our lives in every situation and circumstance because of the simple truth that we are God’s to begin with. We are God’s idea, and we belong to Him. So, of course, He will always redeem and restore us, no matter the situation or circumstance.

According to Ephesians 1:4-6, God had a plan for our lives before the beginning of time. In the light of that truth, we can assume He knew every mistake and mistake we’d make. He knew the exact moments of our story and parts of our hearts needing redemption, and He still calls us His “masterpiece.”

Sounds beautiful and freeing. But this is where shame comes into play. Redemption frees the sinner from bondage and captivity. At the same time, the enemy uses guilt and condemnation to keep us from seeking God’s help or even recognizing the many constant “way-outs” around us daily. We may start thinking we’ve made too big a mistake this time. We may think we’ve screwed it up so badly this time that God cannot possibly fix our mess or turn our life around.

Whatever you’re feeling stuck in, oppressed, or chained by, know God can and will redeem you. Which leads to the next point:

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Before experiencing redemption, we need to know and trust the redeemer. If we don’t believe we deserve God’s grace, mercy, and kindness out of a close and personal relationship with Him, we’ll be less likely to ask for or receive His help. Sometimes, we may need to recommit our hearts to the Lord or ask for forgiveness before getting into a place of restoration. Remember, God’s kindness leads to repentance… never shame or accusation.

We all know God never forces himself on us. I’m here to attest he most certainly will let you fall on your face and flounder around in our sin and rebellion until we’re ready for change. If redeeming means re-claiming, we need to first admit to ourselves we’re lost, or at the very least not living abundantly in the areas of life we’re not surrendering to Him.

Take time to pray and meditate on the source of whatever it is that’s leading you astray from Him and keeping you in bondage repeatedly through the years. The beauty of redemption is that we often become so thankful and grateful when we’re free that we never return to the sin, idol, bad habit, or vice that held us down to begin with.

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Often, shame and self-loathing keep us believing the lie that this time, in this way, we’ve used up all our chances. We’ve made that same mistake again, disobeyed yet again, and ran ourselves into a ditch one too many times. God cannot possibly pity us or come to our rescue this time. This is where we really need to cling to the Word. Because it’s truly full of a bunch of redeemed screw-ups just like us, proving the enemy wrong.

Before becoming Paul, Saul was redeemed from a life of loveless hypocrisy. God restored all that Job lost and gave him twice as much as before after suffering for years. God restored Jacob’s heart and healed his relationship with his brother Esau. So many other examples help us remember that we are not alone in our struggles. Romans 3:23 says “all fall short of the glory of God.” We’ll all experience varying levels of failure and regret in this life. It’s inescapable.

It doesn’t matter how far off the path you’ve veered or how long you’ve been stuck or stewing in your bad choices. God loves to show up when we need it most, providing a rescue of sorts that we never could’ve imagined. We don’t deserve His help, and that’s precisely the point. As good parents forgive and offer assistance to their children with limitless mercy, God is one hundred percent willing, able, and eager to turn every single circumstance around for our good.

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When most of us think of the word “redemption,” we think of a one-time deliverance situation. We usually hear phrases in church like “we’ve been redeemed by the power of the blood,” referring to our salvation. Yes, God redeems our lives from the moment we commit our hearts to Him, but He also continues to redeem us whenever we stumble or fall because we’re not in heaven yet.

Sanctification is a process. God’s delivering us from ourselves, our sins, and our bondage daily. Shame wants us to believe God grows tired of forgiving and feels irritated and disappointed when we constantly need restoration in our lives. This is when we need to lean into the Word, reminding our hearts and minds of God’s true nature. According to 1 Corinthians, God’s love is patient and kind. By nature, He’s long-suffering and gracious. He’s always there waiting for us to turn to Him for deliverance and freedom from whatever is holding us back. Don’t ever believe the lie that you’ve exhausted God’s ever-present desire and ability to redeem.

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When God pulls us from the pit of our filth, misery, and self-destruction, we're given a gift. We get to live the rest of our days with a profoundly deep sense of gratefulness and joy we would’ve never experienced without veering mightily off the path. I’m not advocating that we glamourize our past moral failures in any way, but if your story is similar, then it’s time to take back your voice and celebrate.

When Jesus overheard the condescending disciples whispering about the woman who broke her alabaster box at His feet, he defended her by saying, “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Friends with a “darker” past…even if your extreme sins are recent or happened since being saved…if you’ve repented, you’re forgiven. And so, you have a gift.
 
 Shame says we must present squeaky clean versions of ourselves to appear worthy or “Christian enough.”  But our complicated, messy stories are the exact narratives the world is dying to hear. Not only is our testimony more powerful when we embrace how far we’ve come, but I believe we’re meant to produce fruit from those dark, shameful things we’ve been delivered from.

There’s a reason God allowed Saul, a Christian-killing hypocrite, to encounter Jesus and eventually carry the Gospel personally. It’s the same reason God chose David, another murderer with a weakness for bathing women, to claim the sole honor of being called “a man after God’s own heart.” Sin isn’t their most important commonality. It’s their unbelievable love and joy in the Lord because of how much they’ve been forgiven.
 Don’t let the enemy censor your beautiful redemption story. God reached down further into the mire, searched longer through the night, and worked harder for your rescue…and that is a truth worth posting. We may never bring Him perfume in heaven, but I can’t wait to run to Jesus’ feet someday, screaming in gratitude. I might never leave.

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