When Your Friend Has an Abortion

Have you ever seen someone get shamed in public? Scornfully pointing out people’s faults or putting down their differences is a sad part of our broken world. Whether on the news, on the Internet, or at school, we’ve all seen someone be shamed. It may be for their beliefs, or a perceived wrong choice, or even just because they seem different. But shaming others effectively denies the cross, because shaming forgets that we are all equally in need of God’s forgiveness.

Paul knew the damage shaming could do. He was guilty of shaming others to the point of persecution—even death—for believing in Christ. This was before Paul came to know Jesus through a miraculous encounter with Him. When Paul began sharing the gospel, he knew from experience that Jewish people held so tightly to their rules, they might miss the gift of salvation God offered through His Son. Many of them didn’t believe God’s offer of salvation was for all people (not just the Jews). So Paul encouraged them to accept the inclusivity of the gospel.

Paul even went so far as to say this: “Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’†(Romans 10:12-13). In Christ, we are all equal and equally beloved by God, so why would we shame each other?

Jesus went through the worst humiliation possible on the cross so that shame would be erased from our lives for good. He took that shame willingly, then resurrected from the dead so everyone who believes in Him would have the greatest gift of all—eternal life with Him. So the next time we have a front-row seat to shaming, let’s remember we are all equally sinners. Because Christ died for the ugly sin in our lives, we can identify with the one being shamed, turn away from shaming, and share Jesus’ love instead. • Kristine Brown

• Hebrews 12:2 and Psalm 34:5 remind us to keep our eyes focused on Jesus. How can this help us when we see shaming happening in our world today and when we ourselves feel shamed?

• Christians are called to lovingly and gently remind fellow Christians how Jesus calls us to act, walking beside each other as we live into the new, forgiven identity Christ gives us (Matthew 18:15-17; Galatians 6:1-3). How is this different from shaming?

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Hebrews 12:2 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Psalm 116:1-9; Lamentations 3:21-23; Romans 12:9-15; Galatians 6:1-2