Adam and Eve, because of their willful sin and disobedience to God, not only hid from Him but attempted to cover their nakedness with an assortment of fig leaves. There’re multiple things here we do not understand. Their anxiety over their exposure of their private parts caused them to fashion the fig leaves to cover their nakedness. Some have suggested they covered their privates because the sin they actually committed was engaging in sexual relations, but this is patently absurd on at least two counts: First it was God Himself who told them to be fruitful and multiply. Apart from the normal husband/wife sexual relations, multiplying and reproducing themselves in their progeny would be impossible. Secondly, it was also God who designed and intended the physical act for mating purposes as well as for the mutual enjoyment of male and female. Sexual relations are in no way a taboo, but, like all else that God created and pronounced very good, sex, apart from its marriage commitment, is subject to corruption and abuse.
We are persuaded, however, that there is something mysterious and not well understood about human nakedness. After all, the species of the animal kingdom wear their birthday suit for their entire lives, but man, at least what we call civilized man, wears clothes to cover his nakedness. And, it appears that the sense of guilt was connected with their nakedness which led to the feeble attempt with the fig leaf fiasco. Guilt is realized only when a moral standard is present and violated. Exposure of our moral failure often results in shame and embarrassment. It has been said that, of all the creatures God created, only man has the ability to blush, or needs to.
Now that the original sin was committed, what could be done to rectify it? Undoing it was not possible. While simply eating forbidden fruit seems to us to be a petty offense… I mean, what’s the big deal? So, they ate something they shouldn’t have. Yes, it does appear to be a very minor offense, but we must not lose track of the major point, and that was their clear-cut disobedience and betrayal of the very One who gave them life. Eating the fruit was merely the vehicle through which the disobedience was acted out.
Acting contrary to the express will of the One who created and sustained all things really is a big deal. The biggest of big deals, if you will. In fact, the offense of disobedience was of such magnitude, something truly extraordinary would need to be implemented to counter it. What could that possibly be? It is all found in the principle of sacrifice, substitution of the innocent dying for the guilty. But that’s not fair! You’re right, it isn’t fair. It’s grace. Pursuing grace and experiencing it is the most critical thing a human can do. We shall see.
CC 09-12
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