Week 7 – Do You Feel Naked?

^{And He said, “Who told you that you were naked?” Genesis 3:11a, (NASB 1995)}

^{Many of us remember when we “lost our innocence”. I don’t mean our virginity, I mean our innocence. It was when, as a child, we realized that some words adults spoke were “bad” words, or the first time we accidentally saw an inappropriate scene in a movie that made us blush, or maybe it was the first time we told a lie, and knew something was wrong. There is a moment in time for all of us when our innocence is lost, and what we were exposed to can never be undone.}

 ^{Adam and Eve lived in an ideal environment with the perfect triune God, yet they lost their innocence when they succumbed to Satan’s temptation. In six days, God created the earth and the beautiful Garden of Eden. Eden was a paradise with all kinds of trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food (Genesis 2:9). Can you imagine how delicious the fruit must have been from God’s perfect garden? There was no rain because streams rose from the ground to water the entire surface of the earth (Genesis 2:6). Every day was sunny, warm, and beautiful. Then, God created Adam in His own image and placed him in the lovely garden to cultivate and enjoy it (Genesis 2:8). Finally, God made a suitable helper for Adam, Eve, with whom he could live in perfect harmony. Eve was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. They were the perfect couple, living in an ideal environment, with our perfect God. They lived in perfect unity with God, nature, and one another. They were naked and unashamed, so how could anything go wrong?}

 ^{In the center of this beautiful garden filled with fruit-bearing trees, God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He told Adam that he could eat from any tree in the garden except for one, warning him that if he ate from it, he would die. Later, Eve was tricked by the serpent (Satan) into eating from the tree. She then offered a bite to Adam, who also ate. The consequences were devastating. Many ‘deaths’ occurred that day: loss of innocence, the end of their perfect relationship with God, nature, and each other, the end of work done effortlessly, the end of simple and straightforward marital roles, the end of a relatively pain-free childbirth, and eventually, the physical death of Adam and Eve. Satan tempted them, watched as their perfect environment was destroyed, and then moved on (bearing his own consequences). Satan’s goal for Adam and Eve was achieved, but God’s plans remained unstoppable.}  

^{We are born with a sin nature passed down from Adam and Eve. Once we sin in any way, Satan is there to try to negate the forgiveness and restoration offered to us through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. He constantly reminds us of our wrongdoings. Satan is the “accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10), and he roams around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). If you are a Christian who has fallen into sin, yet confessed and repented, Satan wants to redefine who God says you are. He wants you to believe that you are not a person who has sinned, but your identity is now defined by the sin you committed. He tells you that you are sexually immoral; you are an idolater; you are a prostitute; you are a homosexual; you are a thief; you are a greedy person; you are a drunkard; you are a slanderer; you are a swindler. Satan’s sole purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy everything God has designed us to be and everything He has purposed us to do. He is a liar, and His nature is to lie to us (John 8:44). God says that when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We may still struggle from time to time with old sins, but we are no longer controlled by them, because we are being renewed day by day by the Spirit of God (2 Corinthians 4:16). When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11). If you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, don’t let anyone label you by what you used to do. You no longer need to feel “naked and ashamed” because the blood of Jesus now covers you. You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God (1 Peter 2:9).}