avatar
Cole Feix
avatarCole Feix2 min read  

Podcast: Questions in Genesis

Check out the So We Speak podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Genesis tells us the story of beginnings - how the world and humanity were created by God to be “good.” The world God made was perfect without sin where Adam and Eve could live in harmony with God. In Genesis 3, we read of humanity’s downfall into sin and shame. After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they realized their nakedness and fled from God and each other.

From this point on in Genesis, the book chronicles broken relationships with God and among families because of sin: Cain and Able, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc. These individuals attempted to fix this broken relationship with God in their own strength rather than relying on the covering that was theirs in Christ.

Guilt and Shame

Guilt can be defined as, “I did wrong” whereas shame says, “I am wrong.” Guilt becomes shame when it is internalized and not dealt with. Jesus finds us in our shame and guilt and redefines our standing before God.

In Christ, our shame is done away with because we are new creatures (1 Corinthians 5:21). When we repent, our guilt is released by the perfect work of Christ on our behalf.

Regeneration

In regeneration, Christ’s perfect righteousness is applied to our debt so that we receive the fullness of Christ’s inheritance as we are made alive in Him. This is done through the Spirit of God who gives life to that which was once dead.

Adam and Eve could not fix the sin problem. This attempt to hide and fix the shame problem only caused further pain. They attempted to cover, blame-shift, and appease God’s wrath through those means outside of Christ.

Conclusion

All of this points to the fact that God has made a covering for us in Jesus. We have no need to mediate, manage, or manipulate because we can come to God through Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1-2). When we try to fix this issue on our own, we condemn ourselves further. We can rest in Christ where there is true peace from guilt, shame, and anxiety. He gives peace not as the world gives and admonishes us to not be afraid (John 14:27). Christ alone can clothe us in righteousness.

Brittany Proffitt lives in Dallas and is a writer and content manager for So We Speak.

Give

Subscribe to the Daybreak Devotions for Women

Be inspired by God's Word every day! Delivered to your inbox.

More from Cole Feix

  • avatarCole Feix
    featureImage

    What does it mean to have childlike faith?

    What do you think of when you hear the word “childlike?”For many of us, “childlike” might bring to mind something immature, foolish, or naive. Yet when Jesus talked about childlike faith, he wasn’t asking us to be any of these things. He was inviting us into something pure, trusting, and real. This week, I got to help lead worship at a kids' camp. Watching the kids worship was such a beautiful reminder of what childlike faith truly looks like. These kids worshiped, prayed, and talked about God.

    4 min read
  • avatarCole Feix
    featureImage

    The Pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and…Beauty? Suggested Reading on Arts and the Christian Life

    When someone mentions “the arts,” what do you think of? I believe a typical picture includes an “anything goes” attitude, whether in the artist’s lifestyle or in the art’s production itself. The arts typically get relegated into a culturally liberalized category, often leaving Christians scratching their heads, wondering if bringing art in any form into the church is a wise decision. Before I jump into book recommendations on this topic, let me begin by providing a brief survey of beauty in wors

    9 min read
  • avatarCole Feix
    featureImage

    Podcast – Villains of the Bible: Herod

    Check out the So We Speak podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Herod is one of the most well-known villains in the Bible. Without the biblical accounts, historians might have convinced us that he was a successful ruler. Born in 73 BC and dying in 4 BC, Herod lived through significant events in Roman and Middle Eastern history. He rose to power through his alliance with Mark Antony, who supported him in exchange for the wealth Herod could generate through taxation.Herod had no royal lineage to ju

    2 min read
  • avatarCole Feix
    featureImage

    The Ḥesed of God, Part 1: Hope and Joy in the Midst of Despair

    Hesed.Hesed is a rich Hebrew word and unfortunately it is extremely challenging to find a word that even comes close in English. The closest our Bibles come to is steadfast love, lovingkindness, or mercy. Yet even these fall short. Hesed is viewed as God’s covenantal, loyal and enduring love for his people, a love that pursues his people when they have done nothing but reject him (think the Israelites in the wilderness). It’s a covenantal loyalty that is unwavering and not based upon the conditi

    3 min read
  • avatarCole Feix
    featureImage

    The Power of Praising God in Prison

    Life can be challenging at times. Jesus made it clear that following him doesn’t exempt us from suffering. In fact, following Jesus guarantees suffering and persecution. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18). As followers of Jesus, we will face trials, rejection, and hardship. So, what do we do when life gets tough? Throughout the Bible, we find stories of faithful people enduring trials not because they disobeyed God, but because they followed him. One of th

    3 min read
See all from Cole Feix

Editor's Picks

  • avatarSharon Jaynes
    featureImage

    When God Throws a Little Bit of “All Things” in Your Life

    I love Romans 8:28. Now, let me be honest…sometimes I don’t. When I am going through a dark time of loss or disappointment, and someone throws a sloppy coat of Romans 8:28 on my open wound, I just want to scream. There. I said it. Paul wrote: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, Read more...

    4 min read
  • avatarCole Feix
    featureImage

    What does it mean to have childlike faith?

    What do you think of when you hear the word “childlike?”For many of us, “childlike” might bring to mind something immature, foolish, or naive. Yet when Jesus talked about childlike faith, he wasn’t asking us to be any of these things. He was inviting us into something pure, trusting, and real. This week, I got to help lead worship at a kids' camp. Watching the kids worship was such a beautiful reminder of what childlike faith truly looks like. These kids worshiped, prayed, and talked about God.

    4 min read
avatar

Cole Feix

More from Cole Feix

  • avatarCole Feix
    featureImage

    What does it mean to have childlike faith?

    What do you think of when you hear the word “childlike?”For many of us, “childlike” might bring to mind something immature, foolish, or naive. Yet when Jesus talked about childlike faith, he wasn’t asking us to be any of these things. He was inviting us into something pure, trusting, and real. This week, I got to help lead worship at a kids' camp. Watching the kids worship was such a beautiful reminder of what childlike faith truly looks like. These kids worshiped, prayed, and talked about God.

    4 min read
  • avatarCole Feix
    featureImage

    The Pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and…Beauty? Suggested Reading on Arts and the Christian Life

    When someone mentions “the arts,” what do you think of? I believe a typical picture includes an “anything goes” attitude, whether in the artist’s lifestyle or in the art’s production itself. The arts typically get relegated into a culturally liberalized category, often leaving Christians scratching their heads, wondering if bringing art in any form into the church is a wise decision. Before I jump into book recommendations on this topic, let me begin by providing a brief survey of beauty in wors

    9 min read
  • avatarCole Feix
    featureImage

    Podcast – Villains of the Bible: Herod

    Check out the So We Speak podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Herod is one of the most well-known villains in the Bible. Without the biblical accounts, historians might have convinced us that he was a successful ruler. Born in 73 BC and dying in 4 BC, Herod lived through significant events in Roman and Middle Eastern history. He rose to power through his alliance with Mark Antony, who supported him in exchange for the wealth Herod could generate through taxation.Herod had no royal lineage to ju

    2 min read
  • avatarCole Feix
    featureImage

    The Ḥesed of God, Part 1: Hope and Joy in the Midst of Despair

    Hesed.Hesed is a rich Hebrew word and unfortunately it is extremely challenging to find a word that even comes close in English. The closest our Bibles come to is steadfast love, lovingkindness, or mercy. Yet even these fall short. Hesed is viewed as God’s covenantal, loyal and enduring love for his people, a love that pursues his people when they have done nothing but reject him (think the Israelites in the wilderness). It’s a covenantal loyalty that is unwavering and not based upon the conditi

    3 min read
  • avatarCole Feix
    featureImage

    The Power of Praising God in Prison

    Life can be challenging at times. Jesus made it clear that following him doesn’t exempt us from suffering. In fact, following Jesus guarantees suffering and persecution. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18). As followers of Jesus, we will face trials, rejection, and hardship. So, what do we do when life gets tough? Throughout the Bible, we find stories of faithful people enduring trials not because they disobeyed God, but because they followed him. One of th

    3 min read
See all from Cole Feix