Author: Gary Witcher

Naked

	"Then the eyes of both of them were opened," Genesis 3:7-11 records, "and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.  Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?'  And he said, 'I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.'  And He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?'"
	Adam and Eve have a problem.  Like many people today, they are running around naked.  And, again like many today, they don't even realize it.  But they suddenly become aware of their condition when they learn the difference between good and evil.  No, we're not going to be examining current trends in television and movies, although that would be a valid topic for discussion.  What we are going to look at is something that is much deeper.  We're going to talk about real nakedness.
	"Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head," 1 Samuel 17:38-40 notes, "and he clothed him with armor.  And David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested {them.} So David said to Saul, 'I cannot go with these, for I have not tested {them}.' And David took them off.  And he took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in {his} pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine."
	You see, David is more naked when wearing Saul's armor, and better dressed when wearing shepherd's clothing, a stick and a sling with five stones.
	"You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin," David explains to Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:45, "but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted." 
	David understands what few ever have.  His attire is not that which he wears on the outside but rather that which comes from God and is worn on the inside.  The prophet Samuel has just learned this lesson in the previous chapter when he goes to David's home to anoint the future king.  Samuel does not know the identity of the new ruler.  He only knows that it is one of Jesse's sons.  He assumes that it must be the oldest son, since he is the strongest and best looking.
	"Then it came about when they entered," we find in 1 Samuel 16:6-7, "that he looked at Eliab and thought, 'Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him.'  But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God {sees} not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" 
	God does not look at the outside.  He wants to see whether or not we are properly clothed on the inside.  Now, this is not license for immodesty.  God expects His people to be examples of modesty.
	"And let not your adornment be {merely} external," 1 Peter 3:3-5 indicates, "braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but {let it be} the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.  For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands." 
	"Likewise, {I want} women to adorn themselves with proper clothing," 1 Timothy 2:9-10 instructs, "modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments; but rather by means of good works, as befits women making a claim to godliness."
	God's people must dress modestly, even though they realize that God looks beyond external appearances.  We should understand, though, that God often sees fancy clothing as being immodest, not because it is revealing but because it is ostentatious.
	"My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with {an attitude of} personal favoritism," James 2:1-4 warns.  "For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, 'You sit here in a good place,' and you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,' have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?"
	Perhaps we should open our eyes and discover that we may be naked when we are clothed.

	Are we naked when we think we are clothed?  With what should we be dressing ourselves in order to be properly clothed?
	"Finally, be strong in the Lord," Ephesians 6:10-17 urges, "and in the strength of His might.  Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual {forces} of wickedness in the heavenly {places.}  Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil {one.}  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
	A properly dressed Christian is clothed with truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith, salvation and the Word of God.
	The middle part of the body is one of the most exposed and therefore one of the most vulnerable.  So the Christian's loins are girded with truth.  False doctrines abound.  The Christian must protect against false teaching by cultivating a love of the truth.
	"And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming," Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10, "{that is,} the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved." 
	The chest is the home of the heart, the fountain of life and the symbolic seat of emotions.  The Christian protects this area by wearing the breastplate of righteousness.  What does this involve?
	"But since we are of {the} day," 1 Thessalonians 5:8 observes, "let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation."
	The breastplate of righteousness is a breastplate of love and faith.
	"You have been severed from Christ," Paul explains in Galatians 5:4-7, "you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.  For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.  You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?"
	Our feet are so important for our well-being.  Some people select shoes for their strength, others for their appearance.  The feet of a Christian are covered by the preparation of the Gospel of peace.  And what a powerful and beautiful covering this is!
	"For I am not ashamed of the gospel," Paul states in Romans 1:16, "for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
	"How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed?" we read in Romans 10:14-15.  "And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!'" 
	One piece of armor provides movable protection.  It can be shifted to guard against danger from any direction.  The Christian carries a shield of faith.
	"By this we know that we love the children of God," 1 John 5:2-4 instructs, "when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.  For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith."
	The brain directs the entire body.  The eyes see and the ears hear.  The mouth provides nourishment.  So it is critical that the head be strongly protected.  The Christian wears a helmet of salvation.
	"You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of," Paul advises in 2 Timothy 3:14-15, "knowing from whom you have learned {them}; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
	Finally, a weapon is required to defend as well as to defeat.  It provides the power to conquer.  The Christian carries the sword of the word of God.
	"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword," Hebrews 4:12 promises, "and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
	A properly dressed Christian is clothed with truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith, salvation and the Word of God. But there is one more article of clothing that is even more important.  In fact, a person cannot put on the Christian armor without first being dressed with this.
	"For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ," Galatians 3:27 tells us. 
	Above all, a Christian is one who has been clothed with Christ through baptism.  And then, with the help of God, that person continues to be clothed in truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation and the Word of God.
	What did God do for Adam and Eve after they recognized their real condition? 
	"And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them," Genesis 3:21 says.
	God helps clothe those who see and admit their nakedness.  He is ready to clothe us not only here but throughout eternity.
	"For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down," Paul comments in 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, "we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For indeed in this {house} we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven; inasmuch as we, having put it on, shall not be found naked.  For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.  Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord-- for we walk by faith, not by sight-- we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.  Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."
	Are you naked or clothed?  Can you tell the difference?  Have you been clothed with Christ through baptism?  Are you wearing the Word of God, salvation, faith, the Gospel, righteousness and truth so that you may be set free?

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 Used by permission."