Did you ever wonder why your being uncovered in front of other people is a shameful experience? It’s because you were meant to be clothed.
Genesis 2:24-25 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Now at first glance at the text
you may think that Adam and Eve were naked. They were naked in the sense that
they did not have any material clothing on. But I think that there is a
sense in which they were “clothed.”
Genesis 3:8-11 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
When you read the text you’ll see
that something changed after Adam and Eve sinned. Sin brought about a
change in their spiritual condition but also their physical condition.
The image of God was marred and death set in their bodies. Is it possible
that the marring of God’s image had a physical affect on them in such a way
that they perceived their own nakedness when prior to the fall they could not
perceive their nakedness? Now I think one of two possibilities are at
play here: either Adam and Eve got smarter after the fall and became aware of
what nakedness was OR Adam and Eve’s physical appearance somehow changed so
that they could actually see their own nakedness. I think a clue to this
perceiving of nakedness is found in the Lord’s two questions to Adam and
Eve. “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you not to eat?”
In other words, “You were already naked, but if you were to know that then someone would have to tell you that because you surely couldn’t see your nakedness UNLESS you ate of the tree that I told you not to eat of.” In simpler terms, nakedness had to be disclosed or revealed: either by someone who knew they were naked or by their sinning. Since no one disclosed their nakedness to them we are left with the idea that somehow their sinful actions caused a revealing of their nakedness so that their eyes could actually see the nakedness that was already there. The end result was their embarrassment and shame. It’s my opinion that prior to the fall, being in the perfect image of God, they were clothed with glory, with righteousness and with splendor. When sin entered in, that glory was snuffed out so to speak so that they could see their nakedness. Being unclothed or stripped of righteousness led to the affect of their eyes being able to see what was already there. It’s like Adam and Eve were stripped of their spiritual glory and their nakedness was exposed.
Immediately after the fall we see God creating clothes for Adam and Eve. That’s an important clue to glean from as well. God didn’t tell them to adjust to their nakedness. He didn’t say, “Get over it. It’s natural. Just love your body. Be proud of it.” Rather, He clothed them with skins from an animal or animals. We were meant to be clothed with something. Our natural clothing reminds us of our sinful condition. Our need for clothing reminds us that we were meant to be clothed with something greater.
Take a look at Luke 9:28-32. Jesus goes up a mountain to meet with the Father and notice what happens.
In other words, “You were already naked, but if you were to know that then someone would have to tell you that because you surely couldn’t see your nakedness UNLESS you ate of the tree that I told you not to eat of.” In simpler terms, nakedness had to be disclosed or revealed: either by someone who knew they were naked or by their sinning. Since no one disclosed their nakedness to them we are left with the idea that somehow their sinful actions caused a revealing of their nakedness so that their eyes could actually see the nakedness that was already there. The end result was their embarrassment and shame. It’s my opinion that prior to the fall, being in the perfect image of God, they were clothed with glory, with righteousness and with splendor. When sin entered in, that glory was snuffed out so to speak so that they could see their nakedness. Being unclothed or stripped of righteousness led to the affect of their eyes being able to see what was already there. It’s like Adam and Eve were stripped of their spiritual glory and their nakedness was exposed.
Immediately after the fall we see God creating clothes for Adam and Eve. That’s an important clue to glean from as well. God didn’t tell them to adjust to their nakedness. He didn’t say, “Get over it. It’s natural. Just love your body. Be proud of it.” Rather, He clothed them with skins from an animal or animals. We were meant to be clothed with something. Our natural clothing reminds us of our sinful condition. Our need for clothing reminds us that we were meant to be clothed with something greater.
Take a look at Luke 9:28-32. Jesus goes up a mountain to meet with the Father and notice what happens.
Luke 9:28-32 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
Remember that Jesus was made in
the likeness of man (Philippians 2:7). There was a veiling of His deity
when He became flesh. On the Mount of Transfiguration we see that Jesus’
actual glory was momentarily unveiled. We see that His face was altered
and His clothing became dazzling white. I think it’s safe to assume that
if His face became altered and bright then so did his neck and chest and
legs—the rest of His body. This glory radiating through His skin caused
His clothes to be dazzling white at well. This was a brightness and
whiteness that the disciples were not accustomed to. Jesus’ glory was
being unveiled. Jesus is the perfect man and I believe this is what Adam
and Eve may have looked like before the fall—reflecting the perfect glory of
God as they were made in His image. And when you look at Moses and Elijah
you see that they appeared in glory too! So we see Jesus in glory and Moses and
Elijah in glory…all three of them free from the effects of sin.
Now glance over at 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 and see that God has a future clothing for us to put on!
Now glance over at 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 and see that God has a future clothing for us to put on!
2 Corinthians 5:1-5 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
A putting on of our heavenly,
restored, glorified bodies is a reversing of nakedness. The new body
Christians will receive is called a “further clothing”. I think the theme
running through Scripture is that we were meant to be clothed with honor,
righteousness, perfection, holiness and glory. All this comes from God’s
perfect image in us being restored in Christ. I think this glory is real
and physical, not just intellectual or a theological abstract. The glory
of Christ is physical in some sense in that it radiates brightness. It is
not a merely a spiritual reality described with earthly analogies. He is
bright…He is the true light!
Now there is some application for these truths. Do you ever wonder why it wrong for Christians to be indecent in their clothing, exposing their bodies in sensual ways? It’s because you were meant to be clothed. Exposing yourself for others to see is shameful, not because God made something bad but because our nakedness is a result of the fall which removed our righteousness and dazzling clothing!
Do you see why endless hours of preparation adorning the outward appearance means nothing to the Lord? He is concerned with inward holiness! Granted there is a modesty somewhere in the middle that is appropriate for God’s people. We don’t need to be dressed for a runway fashion show, but we don’t need to don burlap either. Scriptures focus is to take care of the spiritual above all. We are to wear holiness and righteousness.
Now there is some application for these truths. Do you ever wonder why it wrong for Christians to be indecent in their clothing, exposing their bodies in sensual ways? It’s because you were meant to be clothed. Exposing yourself for others to see is shameful, not because God made something bad but because our nakedness is a result of the fall which removed our righteousness and dazzling clothing!
Do you see why endless hours of preparation adorning the outward appearance means nothing to the Lord? He is concerned with inward holiness! Granted there is a modesty somewhere in the middle that is appropriate for God’s people. We don’t need to be dressed for a runway fashion show, but we don’t need to don burlap either. Scriptures focus is to take care of the spiritual above all. We are to wear holiness and righteousness.
1 Peter 3:3-6 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.
Now take a gander over at
Revelation because ultimately Christ fixes our clothing issue. If Genesis
opens with the story of sin and nakedness, then Revelation ends with the story
of righteousness and clothing.
Revelation 7:9-10 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Christ is the one who clothes us
in white robes. Now these robes may be symbolic and it’s possible they
may be actual real robes that are dazzling white. I tend to lean towards
the symbolic use of white robes because of the counsel that Jesus gives the
church at Laodicea.
Revelation 3:18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
The Lord is not telling this
church to buy actual gold for actual riches. He’s not telling them to buy
ointment for their eyes so that they can actually see. Jesus isn’t
literally selling garments to people to make a profit so that they’ll have
white garments. Rather He’s beckoning this church to come to Him for
healing, for salvation, for restoration, for righteousness, for real and
eternal riches. These riches are there to restore us to a righteous
relationship with God that resembles the pre-fall relationship God had with
Adam and Eve. We need white garments…we need our sinful robes washed in
the blood of the Lamb. We need to be purified and not only declared
righteous (justification) but we need an actual transformation (glorification).
We need to be glorified. We need GLORY. Scripture makes it abundantly
clear that we will share in the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Timothy
2:10, 2 Peter 1:4, John 17:22). So in light of Adam and Eve’s fall and their
awareness of nakedness, in light of our current need for clothing, in light of
our embarrassment that comes from being exposed, in light of our future need to
be clothed and glorified, let us consider our actions, decisions and thoughts.
This is why we must not parade our naked bodies around for others to see. This is why pornography is wrong. This is why indecency amongst God’s people should never be named. This is why calling others to notice the physical appearance of your spouse is sinful. You are tempting others to consider people in an unclothed condition which God never intended.
This is why a restroom policy that opens the door for nakedness to be seen by the opposite sex is totally inexcusable. Our President and world have no qualms about the possibility of seeing others naked. Some will say that we are prudish for being so old school and outdated. The world says, “If you got it, flaunt it.” Social media sites are littered…LITTERED with images of Christians who are exposing their bodies for all to see as if it’s ok. I have to say that they do not have a proper theology of clothing and nakedness. It’s one thing for a husband and wife to see each other that way. But it’s quite another thing for everyone else to see you that way.
So if you’ve every wondered why you instinctively scream when someone accidentally barges in on your bathroom stall or you instinctively cover up if the bedroom door opens up while you’re changing, it’s not because any particular physical harm will come to you by someone seeing your nakedness. It’s because God never intended you to be seen naked. He always intended you to be seen covered with the glory of God---and when you are exposed without clothing it is a terrible reminder that we need the salvation of God in Christ Jesus. Our embarrassment that comes with nakedness is a condition of the fall. And our lack of embarrassment when we parade our nakedness for others to see simply means that we do not understand just how bad sin is. If we are OK with others seeing us in clothing that tempts others to lust then we don’t understand what a lack of clothing demonstrates. It shows that we are sinners without righteousness. How we need the righteousness and glorification that only Jesus can provide us.
Therefore, dress modestly and contend for modesty policies in our world. Husbands, protect the privacy and decency of your wife and/or daughters. Men, keep your eyes from evil things. Women, protect the privacy and decency of your husband and/or sons. Help them to see the connections between sin/nakedness and righteousness/clothing and what this all has to do with Jesus Christ. And never forget to preach the gospel to sinners in need of white robes.
This is why we must not parade our naked bodies around for others to see. This is why pornography is wrong. This is why indecency amongst God’s people should never be named. This is why calling others to notice the physical appearance of your spouse is sinful. You are tempting others to consider people in an unclothed condition which God never intended.
This is why a restroom policy that opens the door for nakedness to be seen by the opposite sex is totally inexcusable. Our President and world have no qualms about the possibility of seeing others naked. Some will say that we are prudish for being so old school and outdated. The world says, “If you got it, flaunt it.” Social media sites are littered…LITTERED with images of Christians who are exposing their bodies for all to see as if it’s ok. I have to say that they do not have a proper theology of clothing and nakedness. It’s one thing for a husband and wife to see each other that way. But it’s quite another thing for everyone else to see you that way.
So if you’ve every wondered why you instinctively scream when someone accidentally barges in on your bathroom stall or you instinctively cover up if the bedroom door opens up while you’re changing, it’s not because any particular physical harm will come to you by someone seeing your nakedness. It’s because God never intended you to be seen naked. He always intended you to be seen covered with the glory of God---and when you are exposed without clothing it is a terrible reminder that we need the salvation of God in Christ Jesus. Our embarrassment that comes with nakedness is a condition of the fall. And our lack of embarrassment when we parade our nakedness for others to see simply means that we do not understand just how bad sin is. If we are OK with others seeing us in clothing that tempts others to lust then we don’t understand what a lack of clothing demonstrates. It shows that we are sinners without righteousness. How we need the righteousness and glorification that only Jesus can provide us.
Therefore, dress modestly and contend for modesty policies in our world. Husbands, protect the privacy and decency of your wife and/or daughters. Men, keep your eyes from evil things. Women, protect the privacy and decency of your husband and/or sons. Help them to see the connections between sin/nakedness and righteousness/clothing and what this all has to do with Jesus Christ. And never forget to preach the gospel to sinners in need of white robes.
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