Unashamed Christian Living

“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:20–23, ESV)

Ashamed of the Christian Life

Wednesday, I wrote about how many people are ashamed of their past. As I thought about this more, I couldn’t help but think about how many Christians are actually ashamed of their present. There are many Christian who are actually ashamed of their Christian life. 

A Story from My Past

I was convinced/convicted of this reality as I hung around a bunch of friends one evening. In my early twenties, I had a tendency to overdo it when it came to alcohol. I wasn’t an alcoholic, but I occasionally went out with friends and got drunk. As I woke up one morning groggy and hung-over, I decided I was done getting drunk. I finally realized it wasn’t actually that much fun, I was miserable the next day, and that I was destroying myself. I would not do it anymore. 

Later, I found myself hanging out with friends—everyone had a beer in their hand and I had a coffee. As people noticed my coffee, they made comments. As they made comments, I felt myself beginning to feel shame. As my feeling of shame increased, I realized I was feeling ashamed of making a Christian decision. I was ashamed of the Christian life. Ouch!

A Typical Scenario

I don’t believe I am the only person who has ever experienced this. Actually, as I’ve pastored teenagers and adults for the past decade, I’ve noticed it is a common experience. Teenagers and adults feel shame when they try to live out their Christian faith and it causes them to stand out from the rest of the world. They feel shame because they are different from the rest of the world.  

Unashamed Christian Living

Yet, isn’t this crazy? Why would we feel shame for turning away from destructive actions? Why would we feel shame for living a life that leads to meaning, purpose, holiness, and eternal life? We shouldn’t. Rather than feeling shame for not being like the rest of the world, we should feel pity for them because we know they are throwing their lives away and living in despair. It should also motivate us to share the gospel with them so they can find the freedom and life that Christ offers—so they can live a life of which they are unashamed. 

We should unashamedly life the Christian life because it is the life we’ve been created to live. We should unashamedly live the Christian life because it is the only life that leads to meaning, purpose, holiness, and eternal life. So, let us no longer wander through life with our heads down, ashamed of our Christianity, but let us walk with heads held high, loving the life Christ has given us, and showing others how they can live unashamed.