God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, “I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Romans 9:33 NLT
Through the grace of Jesus Christ, everyone who receives Him as Savior gets a brand-new beginning and start. It doesn’t matter what sins we have committed, what mistakes we have made, what people know about us, and the secrets we hope we can carry to our graves, we can be done with shame, guilt, and disgrace. Disgrace is erased through the grace of Jesus.
Saul/Paul, the author of the letter to the Romans, knew this truth in the deepest way possible. He was a strong and stubborn man, convinced that Jesus was a fraud and the people who followed Him needed destroyed. He devoted his life to being “the worst of sinners,” chasing and persecuting Christians even to death.
But one day Jesus chased him and caught him on the road to Damascus. Saul’s heart was captured by the grace of Jesus, and he gratefully accepted his new name and identity. But not everyone did. The people who took him in to train him feared him and were suspicious. It took quite some time for most people to believe he had changed. It would be easy to understand Paul operating from shame and disgrace, but he didn’t spend any time there. Through his journey of grace with Jesus, Paul walked with his head held high, not confident in his own abilities, but confident in his identity in Christ.
Paul lived an adventurous life with many challenges to him, his character, and reputation. He was falsely imprisoned, beaten, lied about, and betrayed, but he never felt shame. He was never disgraced. God’s grace erased Paul’s shame and disgrace and gave him confidence and courage to stand before emperors and kings.
A Jesus-follower not nearly as famous as Paul experienced the same magnificent grace of Jesus. She described it this way:
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt! …
Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin! – Julia Johnston
- Jesus’ grace is the way to end disgrace. It’s a permanent erase when we identify fully with Him.