Nice outfit Eve!
THE COVERING OF GOD
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Romans 8:35 NASB.
This is a beautiful scripture but one word in it made me wonder, the word: “Nakedness”*. What does it have to do with this verse? The clear meaning of the word is to be without clothes but there is a deeper spiritual meaning, which I will attempt to explain. Let us go way back to the Garden of Eden and the fall of Adam and Eve. When they sinned, their eyes were opened, their innocence gone, conscience began!
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings (Genesis 3:7 NASB).
Their first act was to cover themselves with fig leaves, a picture of man’s attempt to hide his sin and be righteous by works. I call this the Church of the fig leaves, the beginning of “Man’s” Religion. They heard the Lord walking in the Garden and hid. Sin brings fear and separation of fellowship with God for believers, for others, an eternity of separation from God.
Note: I believe hearing the Lord walking shows He had taken on a human form; a Spirit would not be heard walking. It reminds me of Abraham seeing the Lord as three men (Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day Genesis 18: 1-14 NASB).
Now we can understand the word “Nakedness” as used in Romans 8:35. It is related to sin, being uncovered before the Lord and the shame of that. Not even our own sins can separate us from the Lord. Willful sin in the believers walk separates them from fellowship, not salvation.
What did the Lord do after their sin and attempt to cover it? He slew animals, blood was shed, and He covered them with the skins and preached the good news of a Savior, Jesus. He told them Satan would bruise the Lord’s heel (The Crucifixion) but Satan would suffer a fatal head wound (Totally defeated, cast into the pit for all eternity). The skin coverings were a temporary covering of sin until Jesus the Lamb of God paid the ransom for our redemption. God did it all, in the Garden He sought them, covered their sins with the garments of salvation (The skins being a picture of the actual act) with blood shed. His Word as a guarantee they would have Eternal Life. Jesus said: “Adam died, yet he still speaks”. He and Eve are in Heaven. The Lord is today seeking to save sinners, you may be covering your sins with religion but salvation is found in a person, Jesus. He will cover you with His righteousness as He did with Adam and Eve. To me, the fig leaves represent a “Works” salvation. Adam and Eve had to pick the leaves and form a covering by sewing them together. (But this stitch in time saved no one). They hid from the Lord; their covering did not take away the guilt and fear that was the result of sin. To someone in that same condition I plead, come to Jesus, and come as you are, repent of your sins. He will wash away your sins; He will through His Spirit give you joy and peace, beauty for ashes.
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool (Isaiah 1:18 NASB).
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28 NASB).
* I would like to add an e-mail conversation I had with my Son on the subject of nakedness.
Being naked is not a sin if you are in a state of innocence as a young child. You would be like a baby who doesn’t have a problem with nakedness! In the fall, they became aware of sin which brought shame. I believe it was Jesus who walked with them in the Garden, He was clothed as even the Angels have their covering. I think when Adam and Eve eyes were open to sin they knew the Lord was clothed and they were not, so they hid from Him. Remember the Lord asked them: “Who told you that you were naked?” (The beginng of guilt through consience). It was Satan, as the one who deceived and lied about God’s word. Their sin separated them from perfect fellowship with the Lord, now aware of their nakedness (Sinfulness) before Him. Not that being naked itself was a sin but it became a symbol of shame and for the first time they were convicted by a conscience. We wear clothes today for the same reason, Satan has perverted the world, especially in regards to sex through the fallen human race. Until the fall, Adam and Eve didn’t have a conscience to convict them of sin and shame (Total innocense). Because of the Fall every human being has a conscience that can experience the same shame as Adam and Eve. I believe He created them naked to prove to us how innocent they were, just like babies. Look how one would feel reading about their nakedness in today’s world where Satan the tempter is at large. Thank God He covered Adam, Eve and all the Saints with the Garments of Salvation that covers our sin and shame. Jesus hung on the cross naked, despising the shame of nakedness. Did you know you can be wearing clothes and still be naked before God? Like fig leaves, our covering of clothes cannot cover our sin and shame (for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Romans 3:23 NASB) (The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9 KJV) The Good News is God can cover your sin and shame as He did for Adam and Eve (“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool Isaiah 1:18 NASB). The Covering from God is the righteousness of Christ imputed to the believer through Faith. When we are covered with the Garments of Salvation, the Father only sees Jesus when He looks at us. ( Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is 1-John 3:2 NASB).
God bless, Dad
God bless all who read,
Ken
January 2012