What is the meaning of a scarlet letter?

TL;DR

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s nineteenth century fictional novel The Scarlet Letter popularized the term “scarlet letter” as a symbol of shame for sin. Those who accept Christ as Savior, though, have been released from the shame of sin and can walk in newness of life with Christ.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

For more than 175 years, the scarlet letter has symbolized public shaming for a person's sin. The term originated in Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne's character Hester Prynne is convicted of adultery and made to wear a red "A" wherever she goes to announce her wrongdoing. Prynne accepts the punishment and at times even proudly wears the "A," which she artistically sews onto her clothes. The novel explores various themes, including those of sin, legalism, and societal norms.

The Bible presents adultery as one of many sins that people commit in disobedience to God. Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God (Genesis 3). The Old Testament is replete with examples of God’s people sinning against Him, which is why He sent Christ to redeem us from certain death (Genesis 3:15; John 3:16; Romans 6:23). Adultery is the most prominent sin in The Scarlet Letter, and the Bible recounts some famous incidents of adultery. David committed adultery with Bathsheba, having her husband murdered because of it and the son from their adulterous affair die as a consequence. Jesus forgave an adulterous woman, pointing out that those who condemned her were also sinners. The Bible teaches that when we come to God in repentance, our sins are forgiven (1 John 1:9); we don’t have to bear a scarlet letter regardless of our sin because of Christ.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God (Genesis 3). Thus, though people do not carry a visible letter on their clothing, they do carry the sin passed down by the first couple.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

John 8:1-11 recounts a woman caught in adultery who was brought before Jesus. The crowd who brought her wanted to stone her to death. Jesus responded, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). Our sinless Lord could have cast the first stone, but He chose to forgive her and tell her to stop sinning (John 8:11). This contrasts with the intentional shame and condemnation the character Hester Prynne experiences in The Scarlet Letter.
Another time, Jesus was admonished by the religious leaders of His day for spending time with "sinners" (Mark 2:16). Jesus replied, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners'" (Mark 2:17). Christians should follow Jesus’ examples and care about sinners by sharing the Gospel with them rather than shunning them.
Our sin is removed when we are in Jesus, when we believe in His divinity and His punishment on the cross for us, and in the power of His resurrection (Ephesians 1:7). There is no scarlet letter for us (Romans 8:1).
We should emulate Jesus and not define people by their sin but by their relationship with the Savior. He tells us to tell other people (all sinners, according to Romans 3:23) about His saving grace (Matthew 28:19–20, Acts 1:8).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the heroine wears a scarlet “A” as public penance for committing adultery. What letter do you wear? Sadly, just one letter wouldn’t cover the varied sins most of us have committed. But unlike Hester Prynne, Christians don’t have to physically, emotionally, or spiritually wear letters to signify our sins. That’s because Christ has wiped them clean. As new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), our sins have been blotted out, and we can “walk in newness of life,” not forever enslaved to our sins (Romans 6:4, 6:17-18).

That joyous truth should compel us to help others be released from their burdens, to show them how Christ can free them from the letters they’ve been internally wearing. Tell someone the Gospel today; help them understand that in Christ, we can walk without shame.

UNDERSTAND

A “scarlet letter” represents public shame for sin, popularized by Hawthorne’s novel.
All people sin, but God offers forgiveness for all who trust in Him rather than permanent shame.
In Christ, believers are freed from condemnation and no longer defined by their past.

REFLECT

For what sins or past failures do you still bear an internal “scarlet letter,” even though Christ has forgiven you?
How does believing that there is no condemnation in Christ change the way you view your identity?
How can you more fully walk in the freedom and newness of life Christ has given you?

ENGAGE

How does a biblical view of sin and forgiveness challenge the way our culture practices shame and cancelation?
Why is it difficult for believers to stop defining people by their sin rather than by Christ’s redeeming work, and how should we ?
How can the church better reflect Jesus’ response to sinners while still taking sin seriously?