Song Spotlight: Finished Work of Christ
by Makayla Guzman
Have you ever experienced shame so deep that you truly believed you were better off alone? That is one of the most common human experiences – to be face to face with a shame that tells you that you are worthless. How do we overcome this emotion and stop it from overwhelming our lives?
We have to first acknowledge that there is a difference between guilt and shame. Guilt is usually tied to an event - an objective moment that falls into a who, what, when, where, and why category. Shame, on the other hand, is less logical and often manifests as a deeply felt belief about oneself. Guilt speaks to you and says, “You did something wrong.” And shame says, “That’s why you need to hide. You will never deserve better than this.” While both are the result of sin entering the world and both have the ability to paralyze us in fear and self-deprecation, they are not the same and therefore we must consider how to overcome them differently as we walk with Christ. I appreciate how Daniel Dewitt phrased it: “Guilt is the wound. Shame is the scar.”
Now would be a good time to pause and remember that there is a version of guilt that is a healthy expression of a life that is walking with Jesus. 2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us that “godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” When we sin – when we do anything that goes against the nature and laws of God – we should experience sorrow (aka guilt) in direct response to having wronged the King of kings. If we were able to walk away from a sin we committed without feeling conviction or remorse, then we have a different problem at hand where we either don’t see our sin with enough gravity or we have become desensitized to the conviction of the Holy Spirit (but that’s a conversation for another day). My point is that guilt over our sin can be a useful tool to bring us back into a right relationship with Jesus if we allow it to lead us to repentance. However, the flip side is that if we allow guilt to control us, we might find ourselves in a position where we’ve bought into the lie that Christ’s work was not enough.
The difference between guilt and shame for believers is that while guilt can have a profitable place in the growing Christian’s life, shame will always whisper lies to our heart that separate us from our Savior.
Shame tells you that you are worthless. But the Bible tells us that God said “you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.” (Isaiah 43:4) and that “not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Matt. 10:29-31)
Shame tells you that no one wants you. But the Bible says that “you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession…” (1 Pet. 2:9)
Shame tells you that you don’t deserve to be happy. But we know from the Bible that “in [His] presence there is fullness of joy; at [His] right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Ps. 16:11)
Shame tells you that you are alone. But the Bible says that “when you go through deep waters, [God] will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God.” (Is. 43:2-3a)
Shame tells you that you messed up so badly this time that you don’t deserve to be saved. But the Bible says that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” (Rom. 8:38-39) and Jesus said that “all that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (Jn. 6:37)
So how do we overcome our guilt and shame and fight back against the lies that threaten to disfigure our identity as children of God?
Confess your sin, and believe that God is faithful and just to forgive you. (1 Jn. 1:9)
Find accountability and encouragement in community of other like-minded believers, and in turn you will have a chance to bear their burdens as well. (Gal. 6:1-2)
Remember that Christ’s work on the cross was sufficient and that he gave us a new life in him. (Ps. 103:12, Rom. 8:1, 2 Cor. 5:17, Rom. 5:16-17, Col. 2:13)
One song that never fails to root me in the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice is Finished Work of Christ by Life.Church Worship.
Consider verse one, which beautifully illustrates how we should discard our shame and instead hold tightly to the work of Jesus.
I trade old for the new, I trade lies for the truth
And I throw off these old chains, and hold fast unto You
I cling to the cross where my Savior bled
Where grace found a way to bring death to an end
A beautiful ransom, when love paid my debt
The chorus is a beautiful anthem of praise in response to the amazing sacrifice of a holy God.
So I'll sing Your praise all of my days
Your blood flowing down like oceans of grace
My sin swept away, I'm brought back to life
Here in the finished work of Christ
So I'll sing Your praise with all of my heart
You buried my past so my future could start
I kneel at the cross, I'm held in Your light
Here in the finished work of Christ
In summary, we fight guilt by confessing our sin and believing that Christ’s sacrifice was enough to give us new life. We fight shame by holding tightly to the truths found in Scripture and choosing to believe their message rather than our inner monologue. Praise Jesus that his death and resurrection was enough to cover all of our sin and give us new life!
REFLECTION
Consider if you have hidden sin in your life that needs to be brought to light. Not so that you can wallow in self-condemnation, but so that you can be free of the guilt of unconfessed sin that will isolate you and hinder your walk with Jesus. Start by writing down those sins and confessing them to the Lord through prayer, but take another step in faith to share your struggle with a friend or mentor.
Take a long walk and listen to Finished Work of Christ on repeat. I’m not kidding. I do this sometimes when I really need to be reminded of a certain truth, because music has a way of sticking in our heads and then traveling the distance to our hearts.
Meditate on Romans 8. If you’re up for the extra challenge, work on memorizing the entire chapter to keep the Scriptural truth at the front of your mind. Write it out and stick it to your bathroom mirror, screenshot it and make it your phone wallpaper, etc.
Check out this sermon – Giving Up Perfection by Kylen Perry – to learn more from 1 John 1 about forgiveness.