Unlimited: Never Be Put To Shame

Aug 29, 2022 1081

And hope does not put us to shame (Romans 5:5a)

Mediterranean societies in the first century were “shame-honour” cultures. This meant that the concept of shame was absolutely central to a person’s identity and community. Everything a person did in Paul’s culture either brought them honour or shame. People would do all that they could to attract honour, and they would go to extraordinary lengths to avoid being shamed in their communities. Paul’s appeal to avoid shame was a powerful one in his culture.

However, shame, though not necessarily in a formal sense, is still a power force in the lives of many people today. There are countless millions of people today whose thoughts and actions are shaped by the guilt and shame that they feel for what they have done, or what was done to them, in the past. But when you hope in Jesus, you will never be put to shame.

When you hope in Jesus, you will never be put to shame.

The first believers in Jesus understood in the most practical sense what this meant. They had put all their hopes in Jesus. But when he died on a Roman cross, for a time all their hopes had died, and they thought that they would be put to shame. But when Jesus rose from the dead, all their hopes were fully vindicated. So it will be for all who trust in him today.

Spiritual Application

For the world, “hope” is a vague concept. Things might or might not work out the way you hope they will. But for a Christian, “hope” is always 100% certain. Just think about that for a while!

– Eliezer Gonzalez

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