Unashamed to Being Shameful
As it is written, God created man in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:21). He created them male and female and put them in the Garden of Eden. There they could experience the very presence of God. We are told from the Scriptures that "they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed (Genesis 2:25)". The concept of nakedness was not known to them at that time. They didn't mind their nakedness but they were blessed to be able to walk and live with God in the Garden. No shame was felt by them, nor did it come to their minds. Since they were unashamed, all that there was was their relationship with each other and with God.
But sin came into the world through the cunning serpent when he deceived Eve to take the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil which the Lord told them not to eat. Now, what was the immediate result of their disobedience? Sin entered the world and death through sin (Romans 5:12) and one of the devastating results of sin is shame. We read in Genesis 3:7:
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
Genesis 3:7
The knowledge of their nakedness began after they sinned. They took coverings for themselves and they hid themselves from the Lord.
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:8
Before their fall, they were unashamedly enjoying the presence of the Lord but now they were hiding from Him. Shame began to fill their being that it also produced fear in them. We see here that shame and fear always go together.
Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
Genesis 3:9-10
Shameful Sin
In this narrative we also see the grim reality of sin. Sin is shameful. Sin not only produces shame in man but it is also shameful in itself. Man does not need to sin a lot to be greatly ashamed for one sin is enough for him to be covered with shame. There is nothing honorable in sin. It is vile and loathsome. There is no beauty in it. There is nothing desirable in it. In fact, since man is a sinner, even his best deeds are considered like filthy rags before the Lord:
But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags
Isaiah 64:6
Our sin is like a leprosy that though we dress ourselves in white garment or wash ourselves with clean soap, its stain will still surface. Job testified,
If I wash myself with snow water, And cleanse my hands with soap, Yet You will plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes will abhor me.
Job 9:30-31
The Lord Himself said the same thing through the Prophet Jeremiah,
“For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap, Yet your iniquity is marked before Me,” says the Lord GOD.
Jeremiah 2:22
Being a shameful sinner, we can surely hide like what Adam and Eve did. But in the sight of the Holy God, no sin is hidden. The sinful heart of man is exposed before Him. Our God sees it all.
A First Glimpse of Redemption
Going back to the Garden in the Fall narrative. It was an event full of maladies. The LORD cursed the deceitful serpent. He cursed the woman by making her child-bearing too painful. He also cursed the ground for Adam's sake. But after all was said by the LORD, He did a gracious act of covering Adam and Eve.
Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
Genesis 3:21
Note that they were already dressed with their man-made fig leaves coverings but the Lord changed their dressing into a tunic made from an animal skin. The man-made covering for shame was replaced with one that was made and graciously given by God. This is the first glimpse of redemption which would unfold through the Scriptures.
The One Who Redeemed Us From Shame
Now, let us talk about the One who redeemed us from shame. In order for us to be free from sin and shame, Someone had to take our place and had to pay the price that any one of us could never pay. We know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and He came down, sent by God the Father, to dwell among us. Paul wrote,
who (Jesus Christ), being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Philippians 2:6-7
Here we see the King of Glory, deserving of all praise and acclaim, who made Himself of no reputation. He is the King of Majesty by whom all things were created yet He took the form of a bondservant and came in the likeness of men. The Lord of all preciousness, fairest of all became a servant for sinners' sake.
This is how, as the suffering Servant, the Lord Jesus Christ suffered:
Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men;
Isaiah 52:14
Isaiah saw how the Lord suffered at Calvary. The horrors as well as the glory of His sufferings were revealed to him. He wrote that the Lord's visage or appearance was marred more than any man. The word "marred" means impaired, disfigured, or ruined. Moreover, Isaiah tells us,
For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
Isaiah 53:2
The one who formed all things became of no form. The one who is King of majesty became someone without any beauty. The one to whom every good affection should go became someone who is not desirable. He was truly rejected and despised by men.
All this shows is how shameful sin is. Remember that all our iniquity was laid upon the Lord Jesus (Isaiah 53:6) and that He was numbered as a transgressor though He committed no sin (Isaiah 53:12). Having bore our sin, He also bore the shame that was due to it. He was put in an open shame and all who saw Him mocked Him and utterly despised Him. Another Messianic prophecy that was told is the following:
But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
Psalms 22:6
The suffering Servant is the one who is speaking here. He said of Himself, "I am a worm, and no man". Do you know someone who is full of shame that his resolve is to call himself a worm, or no man? I know someone. His name is Jesus Christ. He was literally full of shame as He suffered. But this shame was not due to His own sin for He had no sin of His own. It was all due to our sin. The wickedness of our sins was made manifest as He suffered for our sake.
He was made sin, He was made curse
The suffering of the Lord Jesus revealed how wicked our sin is and how great and damning the punishment we deserve due to our sins. We can further understand the depth of His suffering as we survey the Scriptures - the things writtern concerning Himself. We know that He bore our sin so He was numbered as a transgressor. We also know that in bearing our sin, He ought to receive the due curses that we deserved. And He totally bore our sins and our curses. But there's more to it than that. Paul wrote:
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21
The Lord Jesus was not only the bearer of our sins. The Father made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us. Our sins were not only laid upon Him but that He became sin. Furthermore,
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)
Galatians 3:13
It is quite clear from that text that the Lord Jesus Christ was not only our redeemer from the curse of the Law. In fact He did the redeeming by becoming a curse for us. Yes, He was cursed but He also became a curse for us. He became sin and He became a curse for our sake. Now if we will go back to what He said of Himself in Psalm 22:6,
But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
Psalms 22:6
Or in what Isaiah spoke concerning Him:
For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
Isaiah 53:2
We will surely understand why He became someone of no beauty nor majesty. He became someone who is not desirable but only worthy of reproach. He had no beauty as He suffered for He became sin which had no beauty in it. He became undesirable for He became a curse which is never desirable. Everything that He has become as the suffering Servant was due to our sinfulness.
Despised the Shame for the Joy set before Him
But you know what? He did all these things willingly to save us from all our sin and shame. The author of Hebrews exhorts us:
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2
As He was being put to open shame, there was a joy set before Him. I believe He could see us, for whom He suffered, finally free from shame and enjoying once again the presence of God just like in the Garden of Eden. We are the joy that was set before Him. We are the reason why endured the cross and despised its shame to the glory of God. It is the Lord's will to redeem us from sin and shame for we are created for His own glory and we ought to glorify Him by enjoying Him forever.
No more hiding, just enjoying
The result of sin is shame and this caused man to fearfully hide from God and to cover his own nakedness. It is for this reason that man lost his privilege to unashamedly enjoy God's presence that he turned to other things which are so much less glorious. But now because of the Lord Jesus Christ who suffered shame for our sake as He bore our sin and became sin, and as He redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us, we are now free from shame by faith in Him. Thus, there is no more veil, walls, or any chasm that can hinder us from making much of Him. Having been redeemed and truly set free from shame, we ought to hide no more from Him but to boldly approach His throne (Hebrews 4:16) with confidence knowing that our nakedness is now covered by the very righteousness of Christ.
Beloved, no more hiding, just enjoying Him by making much of Him for you and I are freed from sin and shame.
