Naked and Free

"Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters." Hebrews 2:11

During creation, God made Adam and Eve. After they were created the Bible says, "Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame (Genesis 2:25)." In today's world, generally speaking, being naked is looked at as something that should remain private; behind closed doors. Aside from exceptions like a nudist colony or some primitive tribe living in the jungle, public displays of nudity are often criticized by the general public. In fact, many public figures have been shamed for having been photographed nude or in "provocative" poses. However, does anybody ever ask the question, "Why is being naked such a problem?" There are practical reasons. Our bodies are not designed to withstand the harshness of the world we live in. Unlike the animal world, we are not built to endure the extremes of the climate (hot, cold, rain, wind, etc), the roughness of the environment (rocks, thorns, etc) or the dangers presented by those previously mentioned animals. But, what about the reasons that are not so obvious? In a world where, as former tennis great Andre Agassi put it, "Image is everything," our bodies seem to be the true "window to the soul." We obsess over appearance. Am I thin enough? Do I look fat in this? Don't take the picture. Let me fix myself first. I have to get rid of this gut. How many New Year's resolutions revolve around things like weight loss? It is endless. Do you notice that even when you are comfortable enough to be naked you may still be afraid to look at yourself in the mirror? Even when we are with our significant others, those who "love us for who we are," we are still anxious about being naked; quick to shut off the lights or whatever before we are seen. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, sin entered the world. The Bible records the initial actions of Adam and Eve. "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves (Genesis 3:7)." It would appear that neither of them knew they were naked prior to eating the fruit and were also not ashamed. Shame is defined as "a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior." Therefore, it is safe to say that being naked is a problem because we fear experiencing the pain of humiliation. We may not see the shame of being naked for what it truly is; a direct consequence of sin. But, we often experience shame when we are naked; whether real or imagined. We see being naked as the ultimate form of exposing our inadequacies. We may see it as exposing how unhealthy we are and maybe ashamed that people will think we don't take care of ourselves. On the contrary, if we are in great shape, we may be shamed by others because it may look like we are vain, full of ourselves and only care about the superficial things in life. But, there is another aspect of Adam and Eve being naked that goes unnoticed.

In the book of Hebrews, the author says that Jesus Christ is not ashamed to call Christians His brothers and sisters. Remember how back in Genesis it said Adam and Eve were naked and felt no shame? The parallel in these two passages is sin. Or more importantly how God views us when sin is not taken into account. In Genesis 2:25, when Adam and Eve were unashamed for being naked, it was because sin had not entered into the world. When the author of Hebrews states that Jesus is unashamed of Christians, it is because God is no longer counting the sins of the world against us. Yes, sin is still part of the world and we all still sin. The difference is that because of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, there is now no sin that God is counting against us. We are, in effect, naked before God and unashamed. When we are naked, we are completely exposed. There are no clothes that can "cover" our shame. As forgiven children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, there is no sin being held against us. There is nothing to cover up and hide because we have been completely exposed to God and He sees us as perfect. When God finished His work of creation the Bible says, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good (Genesis 1:31)." Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross dare I say, "God saw all that He did and it was very good." As Christians, we are free in Christ. There is no sin that is left to be forgiven. There is no sin that needs to be covered. There is no sin left that we must perform a sacrifice for. There is no sin that we must fear God holding against us. There is no sin that causes God to look on us in shame. Adam and Eve were naked and free in the Garden prior to sin. God knew them and they knew God without anything coming between them. As Christians, we are no different then they were, but we are in even a better position. They lost what they had because of sin. We cannot lose what we have because of the forgiveness of sins. While sin still is a part of our lives and we should do what we can to avoid it, God will never hold it against us again because of the once for all and eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Shortly after Adam sinned, God cried out, "Where are you (Genesis 3:9)?" Adam replied, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid (Genesis 3:10)." As a Christian, this is a scenario that will never happen again. God knows where you are because He indwells you. You will never have to hide from Him in fear because of your sin. You will never have to be naked and afraid ever again. You are holy because He is holy and you are of the same family.