Dr. Steve Petit shares how shame works and how it can be overcome. He states the reality that shame is stubborn, going back to the Fall of Man in Genesis 3, where it exposed sin and doubt of God’s character. Petit then shares that shame is despised. He shares that it is a painful experience, and that even Jesus despised it, as Hebrews 12 describes.

Scripture Texts

Genesis 2:25; Hebrews 12:2; 1 John 1:9; Psalm 51; Isaiah 61:7

Main Points or Ideas

1. Shame Discovered

• The first human emotion revealed in Scripture is the absence of shame—Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed (Genesis 2:25)
• Shame fundamentally means being exposed or uncovered, followed by humiliation and dishonor
• Shame entered through the serpent's tactics: creating doubt about God's goodness and denying God's truth
• Satan portrayed God as a narcissist who only cares about Himself, leading Eve to feel ashamed for trusting God
• When Adam and Eve's eyes were opened, they experienced shame awakening and did what we all do—they ran and hid
• Shame is being seen in your failure, exposed in your weakness, uncovered in your sin, unprotected by dignity, unable to hide
• Shame is not merely psychological but spiritual, a direct result of sin

2. Shame Despised

• We all despise shame and hide things not because we don't know what we did, but because we don't want anyone else to know
• People carry shame from many sources: sin, failures (family, career, moral, marital, financial), abuse (verbal, physical, sexual), addictions, not being enough, sickness or weakness
• God despises shame even more than we do—Jesus "despised the shame" of the cross (Hebrews 12:2)
• Jesus experienced shame from birth to death: born under scandal and in poverty, raised in despised Nazareth, rejected by His people, disbelieved by His brothers, labeled insane and demon-possessed, homeless and dependent on others
• In His arrest: betrayed, denied, abandoned, spit upon, slapped, beaten, publicly mocked
• In His crucifixion: stripped naked, hung on a tree (under God's judgment), mocked by all, forsaken by the Father
• Christ counted shame as nothing because of the joy set before Him—the joy of bringing redeemed sinners with Him into glory
• Jesus came to bear our shame, remove our shame, redeem our shame, and give us His glory

3. Shame Defeated

• Peter's experience: denied Jesus three times with curse words, then Jesus looked at him and Peter was crushed with guilt and broken by shame

Recognize the presence of shame in your life - Shame grips you when you don't want anyone to find out; guilt says "I did something wrong" but shame says "I am bad"—shame attacks your identity

Confess the shame if it's related to sin - Not all shame comes from sin, but when it does, confession is the door to freedom; shame says hide from God, but grace says run to God (1 John 1:9 promises both forgiveness and cleansing)

Immerse yourself in your true identity - Satan is the accuser who attacks identity, but Jesus is the advocate who bore and buried your shame; replace shame's lies with gospel truth: shame says you're naked (God says He's clothed you), shame says you're bad (God says no condemnation), shame says you're dirty (God says you're washed and justified), shame says you're a failure (God says He'll give you a double portion)

Live in gospel community - Shame thrives in silence but dies in the light; confess your faults to someone (pastor, counselor, friend) for healing through transparency

Conclusion

Jesus restored Peter after his denial by asking three times "Do you love me?" and commissioning him to "feed my sheep." Jesus doesn't just forgive us but rewrites our story, turning cowards into preachers and broken people into bold witnesses. We don't overcome shame with our own strength but rise because Jesus has conquered our shame, and once redeemed, that shame becomes part of our testimony where God's grace shines brightly.