Clothed with
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With loving care the Lord God formed the first man and woman in His own image. “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (Gen. 2:25 NKJ). Soon after, Adam and Eve disobeyed God: they ate forbidden fruit. “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings” (Gen. 3:7).
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As soon as they heard the Lord God walking in the garden, the two guilty humans hid among the trees. Adam explained to his Maker,“I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” (v. 10). For their own good, the Lord God had to expel the man and woman from Eden. Before He sent them away, however, God gave His beloved human creatures two gifts. First was the all-important promise of a Savior who would crush the enemy that had tempted them to sin (Gen. 3:15). Second was the gift of clothing: tunics the Lord God Himself fashioned of animal skin (v. 21). Blood was shed for the first time in God’s good creation in order to cover the shame of human sinners. They felt shame at their nakedness because God’s Law was at work condemning their sin. Later, God would take upon Himself their flesh and shed His own blood to provide them with forgiveness. Since mankind’s fall into sin, it has been important for humans to clothe their bodies decently. For that reason, the current trend in clothing for teenage females is distressing. Models for a moderately-priced department store smile happily while they reveal cleavage, a few inches of bare midriff, and six or more inches of thigh topped by a form-fitting skirt. This scanty look is suggested for the classroom. Their eyes may not be casting a come-hither look, but the clothes these young women sport are seductive. They model for today’s teenagers clothing that only prostitutes would have taken to the streets twenty years ago. Christian young women are tempted to follow this trend and do so. Their sin of baring their flesh is like
