Genesis 2:25— “Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.”
God designed us to live in perfect harmony with Him and His creation. What joyful bliss must have been experienced in that garden, at least for a moment. In their nakedness Adam and Eve were not יִתְבּשָׁ֑שׁוּ—(original Hebrew), “ashamed of each other.” There existed a purity of mind that had no prior knowledge of corruption, no forward path of immorality to consider..
To reinforce the reality that Adam and Eve were created in God’s image and not merely as puppets, the opportunity for free-will had to exist; thus, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil stood as a monument of this loving free-will and opportunity to trust God.
Unfortunately, humanity chose poorly.
Upon rejection of God’s counsel Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened to their nakedness—no longer image-bearers of God but carnal humans. They hid from God, and the disconnect was so profound God asked metaphorically, “Adam, where are you?” God knew where Adam was and what he and Eve had done, and He was brokenhearted. The query was meant to highlight the break in the relationship. Adam’s response was equally torturous: “I was afraid because I was naked” (Gen. 3:10b). Here the word “ashamed” is replaced with “afraid” (Heb. וָאִירָ֛א), meaning “in absolute, utter, complete fear”—i.e., shame on steroids.
So, what’s the point?
Those in Christ need no longer be ashamed or in fear of God’s reprisal.
Whereas Adam and Eve, in an attempt to resolve the manner in their own strength, applied fig leaves to cover their nakedness, in love and mercy God replaced those leaves with the skin of a slain animal—a sacrifice more perfectly resolving their shame, and yes, a picture of Jesus’ future sacrifice on the cross. Moreover, it was God’s enduring love that cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden to keep them from eating again of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and being forever separated from God. A new “tree” would arise in the future—one that would open the door to everlasting life again with God.
Of course, there are things for which believers in Christ should be ashamed—we do make mistakes. Yet such shame is no longer our identity but rather a conviction of the Holy Spirit that confirms we belong to God; for neither our flesh nor Satan will ever convict us of sin. In this we should greatly rejoice!
Pondering 