If our sin is what separates us from God, our shame is what keeps us from God. But the truth is, “we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope” (Tim Keller). 

Possibly one of the most poignant demonstrations of this in the Bible is the life of Peter. He denies knowing Jesus for the third time, and when he does so, the rooster crows, and Jesus looks right at him. Can you imagine the shame Peter felt at that moment? The Bible says, “he went outside and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62). In that cultural moment, to deny knowing one’s rabbi was to heap mounds of shame on them. One could say Peter was experiencing a double dose of the worst kind. What did Peter carry with him as he gathered with the other disciples over the next few days? 

But then, In chapter 21, over a charcoal fire much like the one Peter hovered over when he denied his Rabbi (John 18:18), Jesus beckons the disciples from their fishing boat to come to eat with Him. And in the conversations that followed, Jesus brings honor back to Peter and reminds him of His love.  

We are loved beyond anything we can ever comprehend, and there is nothing we can do to separate ourselves from the love of God once we turn from our sin to follow Him.