“Now the man
and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame...At that moment their
eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they
sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves” (Gen. 2:25; 3:7).
Why do you wear
clothes? And why do you wear the clothes that you do? Are there certain types
of clothes that people should or should not wear? For some of us, we could
think about styles that we don’t care for, or things that clash, or things that
are too revealing (or not revealing enough). Or perhaps you think of clothing,
jewelry, or hair styles that you don’t think anyone, especially Christians
should have.
The topic of
clothing affects us all. For some, they don’t see a problem with any style,
including wearing virtually nothing in public. Thus, some people advocate
nudist colonies, beaches, or just open nudity period. Others believe that very
little should be exposed: including necessity for head coverings, long dresses
for women, and possibly even veils. Most people believe somewhere in between
these two extremes. Yet what does the Bible have to say?
Before we can
address this topic, we need to understand why we wear clothes in the first
place. Yes, some will make the case that it provides warmth; yet that is not
the reason why clothing first appeared. The reason that people first began to wear
clothing comes back to the topic of shame of one’s sin. This was the reason
that Adam and Eve first began to wear clothing.
Understand, it is
not shameful for a husband and wife to be naked in each other’s presence. In
fact, enjoying one’s spouse sexually is ordained by God, and celebrated in
certain areas of the Bible. On the other hand, nudity in anyone else’s presence
is considered to be shameful. This was the case with Noah’s son, Ham, seeing
his father’s nakedness (Gen. 9:22-28). Again, the reasoning comes back to shame
of one’s sin. Noah sinned by getting drunk, and then he uncovered himself in
his tent. After which, Ham looked upon his father’s nakedness. However, what is so wrong about Ham
mistakenly seeing his father naked?
James Boice
explains this issue by saying, Ham “could have covered his father as his two
brothers did, but instead he went and told them, apparently making fun of his
father's drunken and uncovered state. It was an attack on his father's honor.
Moreover, it may
have been a repudiation of his father's religion. Robert Candlish makes this
point well: "He [Ham] not merely dishonored him as a parent—he disliked
him as a preacher of righteousness. Hence his satisfaction, his irrepressible
joy, when he caught the patriarch in such a state of degradation. Ah! he has
found that the godly man is no better than his neighbors; he has got behind the
scenes; he has made a notable discovery; and now he cannot contain himself.
Forth he rushes, all hot and impatient, to publish the news, so welcome to
himself! And if he can meet with any of his brethren who have more sympathy
with this excessive sanctity than he has, what a relief—what a satisfaction—to
cast this choice specimen in their teeth; and so make good his right to triumph
over them and their faith ever after."
The only thing
that is worse than committing a specific sin is the devilish delight of finding
out and reveling in that sin in others. This Ham did! His brothers, by
contrast, grieved for their father and did what they could to remove the
indignity” (Boice Expositional Commentary - An Expositional Commentary –
Genesis, Volume 1: Creation and Fall (Genesis 1-11).
When Adam and Eve
sinned in the Garden and realized that they were naked, they tried to cover
their shamefulness by clothing themselves with fig leaves. Yet that was when
the Lord came along, confronted their sin, and properly covered their shame (nakedness)
through the sacrificial death of an animal (Gen. 3:21). Ultimately, that
sacrificial death that the Lord made was a picture of Jesus’s sacrificial death
on the cross.
Receiving what
Jesus did for us is the only way for our shame to be removed. When we receive
what Jesus did for us on the cross through the Biblical plan of salvation, we
are clothed with Christ. “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have
clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal. 3:27 NASB). Furthermore, both the Old
and New Testaments reveal clothing as a symbol of God’s mercy and redemption.
Revelation 19:8 speaks of the Bride of Christ, aka, the church receiving this
special type of clothing. “Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to
wear." Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints” (see
also Ps. 45:13-14).
However, today,
people will try to cover their own shame in a variety of ways: works based
religions, or rationalizing their sins, “Hey, nobody is perfect.” Yes, it is
true that no one is perfect (except God); yet admitting to that is not the same
as receiving God’s forgiveness. On the other hand, some will openly flaunt
their sinfulness, glamorizing it. This is the case of the pornography industry.
Pornography and open nudity deny this need to be clothed with Christ, and
having our shameful sins covered, as the Lord had to do with Adam and Eve. That
is idolatry! Thus, pornography and open nudity stand defiantly against Christ; this
is a serious danger of these things.
Another serious
danger of pornography and open nudity is that it causes people to stumble. The
longer one looks at the nudity, the more they will be enticed sexually. Jesus
stated that whoever even looked lustfully at a person has already committed
adultery in their hearts (Matt. 5:27-28). The Bible warns that sexual
immorality will lead a person to hell (1 Cor. 6:9-11; Rev. 21:8).
A third danger of
pornography and open nudity is that it can bring pleasure for a period of time,
yet it is fleeting and destructive.
Proverbs 6:32 says, “A man who commits adultery lacks judgment;
whoever does so destroys himself.” Viewing pornography is committing
adultery in one’s heart. The Bible teaches that we are to not let anything have
mastery over us (2 Peter 2:19); however, sexual sins can be very addictive.
Proverbs 4:23–27 commands us to do the following. “Above all else, guard
your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity.… Let your
eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths
for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or
the left; keep your foot from evil.”
A fourth danger
of pornography and open nudity is that it leads to betraying your spouse and
children. It is breaking your promise to be loyal to them. You are betraying
them with the mental images of another person, committing adultery in your
heart. Thus, it can ruin your marriage.
There are many
other dangers associated with open nudity and pornography. Yet, it never ceases
to amaze me how society flaunts it, yet when its negative consequences take
place, society shames you. This is where the grace of our Lord comes in. He
covers our shame with His righteousness. Therefore, every day when you get
dressed, let it serve as a reminder to you of God’s grace covering your sin and
shame
In His service,
Matt
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