Naked Truth
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” (Genesis 3:6-10)
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. (Isaiah 64:6)
All of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:27)
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. (Isaiah 64:6)
All of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:27)
Yesterday we talked about the lies the Devil tells us. He loves to make us doubt that what the Word of God says is true. One of his biggest lies is that the Lord will overlook our sin. Surely God is too kind to hold our wrongdoing against us, we reassure ourselves. He loves us, so surely he would never judge us! Well, take a look at what happened to Adam and Eve. Up until this moment, they had lived perfect lives. They had never once sinned, yet God’s justice demanded that one sin was enough for them to be ejected from the garden.
Another lie the Devil tells us is that we can make it up to God for our wrongdoing. This deception lies at the heart of all manmade religion. Muslims, Jews and many churchgoers believe that if they act religiously then God will be morally obligated to overlook their sin. Adam and Eve were the first to attempt this, when they tried to hide the guilt and shame of their sin under clothing that they had sewn together out of fig-leaves. Take a look at what happened when the Lord actually arrived. In spite of his fig-leaf clothing, Adam confesses, “I was naked; so I hid.”
Denying the seriousness of our sin is always fatal. Attempting to cover it up through religious endeavour is always fatal too. Our only hope is to allow the Lord to clothe us in the righteousness of Jesus. We do this by Admitting our sin to him, by Believing in his death and resurrection, and by Committing our lives to him as our new Master. We demonstrate our newfound faith in him by being baptised in water, as a picture of our death and resurrection with him. The Apostle Paul encourages us: “All of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
Another lie the Devil tells us is that we can make it up to God for our wrongdoing. This deception lies at the heart of all manmade religion. Muslims, Jews and many churchgoers believe that if they act religiously then God will be morally obligated to overlook their sin. Adam and Eve were the first to attempt this, when they tried to hide the guilt and shame of their sin under clothing that they had sewn together out of fig-leaves. Take a look at what happened when the Lord actually arrived. In spite of his fig-leaf clothing, Adam confesses, “I was naked; so I hid.”
Denying the seriousness of our sin is always fatal. Attempting to cover it up through religious endeavour is always fatal too. Our only hope is to allow the Lord to clothe us in the righteousness of Jesus. We do this by Admitting our sin to him, by Believing in his death and resurrection, and by Committing our lives to him as our new Master. We demonstrate our newfound faith in him by being baptised in water, as a picture of our death and resurrection with him. The Apostle Paul encourages us: “All of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
1) What things do you find yourself doing in order to try to put yourself in a good place with God?
Clue: If you have days when you feel God loves you and days when you feel he is angry with you, what makes the difference? What do you find yourself doing when you feel that he is angry with you?
2) Why do you think that Adam’s fig-leaf clothing seemed so insufficient to him when God came into the garden?
3) Have you Admitted, Believed and Committed? Have you been baptised in water, as a picture of dying and being raised to new life with Jesus? If so, then thank God that you have been clothed with Christ!
Clue: If you have days when you feel God loves you and days when you feel he is angry with you, what makes the difference? What do you find yourself doing when you feel that he is angry with you?
2) Why do you think that Adam’s fig-leaf clothing seemed so insufficient to him when God came into the garden?
3) Have you Admitted, Believed and Committed? Have you been baptised in water, as a picture of dying and being raised to new life with Jesus? If so, then thank God that you have been clothed with Christ!
Father God, I thank you that you didn’t leave Adam and Eve fooling themselves that their fig-leaves could ever cover over their guilt and shame. Thank you that you clothed them with the skin of a sacrificial animal, as a picture of Jesus sacrifice for us today. Thank you that you have clothed me with Christ and that I now stand clean before you. Amen.
If you have time, consider carrying on your conversation with God using one of our helpful Prayer Pathways.
Today’s Everyday Devotions have also inspired a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube channel.
Today’s Everyday Devotions have also inspired a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube channel.