DARE TO BE HOLY

BEING VISIBLE THROUGH CHRIST AND FOR CHRIST

(Breaking Free From Sinful Addictions and Enjoying the Abiding Presence of God)

Main Reading: Genesis 2: 15, 16; 3: 1-20, 1 Corinthians 15:33, Matthew 5: 14-15

When Adam and Eve had been misled through EVIL COMMUNICATION to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, they realized that they were naked, they were struck with fear and they hid from the gracious presence of God. They sought to cover their nakedness by hiding. They chose to be INVISIBLE. God helped them to cover their nakedness by providing a covering made with animal skin, gave them hope of prevailing in against the curse they had activated, and drove them out of the Garden of Eden. This story in the chapter of Genesis though literal, sums up how man slips into sin (SPIRITUAL INVISIBILITY) and the steps he needs to take to get out and be restored to the joy of salvation (SPIRITUAL VISIBILITY). This unprecedented communication age threatens to flood out everything spiritual, and feed us with tons of corrupting information, but the power of the Word of God has greater communication capacity than all the unquantifiable mass of today’s corrupt communication and it still shines through.

Slipping Into Sin by Unclothing

Three levels of clothing against sin can be seen in the story; the spiritual, the mental and the physical. Adam and Eve shredded the more powerful two and slipped into sin.

1. Physical Clothing

1. Mental Clothing

1. Spiritual Clothing

Ironically, as you take off the clothing you become invisible.

Physical Clothing: Though this is most obvious in the skins that God made for them, it is the one that appeared last. Most probably, the nakedness that Adam and Eve felt was sexual attraction that they became aware of, and could no longer control, since the sustaining power of the two more powerful clothing were out of the way.

Mental Clothing: This had been put in place by God. He had reasoned with them that eating the forbidden fruit would give them an experience of evil and cause them to die. This clothing was destroyed, when Eve spent time in conversation with an animal that was intent on setting aside what God had said. She allowed herself to be unclothed mentally: she took in the visual appeal of the fruit, its potential to give satisfaction or pleasure to the body, and raise their status by making them like the Creator. The evil communication she exposed herself to stripped her of mental power to stay pure, and she was ready to reason and act against God. Her appetite was whetted not only for something she did not need, but for something she knew by the word of God to be ultimately harmful to her. More powerful clothing had been removed through evil communication.

Spiritual Clothing: This was the first to appear and the most powerful: The Word, fellowship and work of God. God had not only reasoned with Adam about the potential harmfulness of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; He said also “you shall not eat”. He had also asked them to keep busy tending and keeping the garden. And He also made Himself available for their fellowship by His presence moving in the Garden. If Eve had chosen to be content with the presence of God, or had been busy working as told, rather than idling, she would not have kept the alternative company of the serpent for long enough to be deceived. Moreover, after all the reasoning, the word of God, “you shall not eat” was there to be as the brightest light against the creeping darkness.

Getting Out of Sin by Dressing Up

God commenced by putting the three levels of clothing back together for them:

1.       The Skin Covering: In itself a very weak barrier to sin, but powerful as a symbol of the need to keep a covering on:

a.       The animal that was slain for its skin to be used as a covering is symbolic of the Lamb of God (Christ Jesus) who was slain for our sins (Rev 5:12) and whose righteousness we have become (2 Cor 5:21)

b.      God covers our sin (nakedness) since we believe that is what is making us afraid and should keep us away from Him. By this He is implying that though we have sinned and are prone to sin, He is always ready to receive us, and we have NO EXCUSE to stay away from Him (Is 1:18, Mt 11:28)

c.       Unlike Adam and Eve who tried to cover their sin (feeling of nakedness, guilt) with fig leaves, we should never try to cover our sin (Prov 28:13). That will just be regret, which is very weak against repeating the offence; like leaves they will soon dry up and fall away, and the desire to sin again becomes irresistible. When we confess with repentance, we obtain mercy (forgiveness) and grace (active power of God, working through our obedience) to overcome temptation (Heb 4:16). 

After the covering of skin had been put on Adam and Eve, it was their duty now to put into effect the two inner and stronger clothing – mental readiness (guarding their hearts and minds See Prov 4:23 and Php 4:7) and spiritual readiness (Keeping active in Word, presence and work of God), which were available.

2.       Mental Readiness: He showed them how they had fallen – by evil communication and going against His word (Because you listened to your wife’s voice and ate … which I commanded you, “Do not …” …). By implication, they should in future avoid and never underestimate the power of:

a.       Watching forbidden things, for they have weakening and corrupting appeal

b.      Listening to voices that address them to set aside the word of God, such as

                                                               i.      Directly question the word of God (Has God really said?)

                                                             ii.      Counter the word of God (You will not surely die)

                                                            iii.      Urge us to act against God’s commands (Take and eat)

c.       Entertaining suggestions of incompleteness and the potential to be superhuman.

In this age of highly sophisticated means of communication, we must be alert enough to choose our sources, or risk shredding our mental clothing over and over again.

3.       Spiritual Readiness:

·         Activating the Word: Keep the Word in your heart as the motivation and gatekeeper for all action (Ps 119: 11). Study, apply and pass on the Word (2 Tim 2:15 cf. Joh 1:3). i.e.

a.       the seed of the woman (Christ) has been given power to strike the head of the serpent (silence him, and his nullify his power to deceive). Seek the Son or remain deceived (lost)!

b.      men will naturally dominate women – and this is not necessarily a curse. It is the Divine partnership order that is perfected through love and submission (Eph. 5:22-33)

c.       man will legitimately sustain his earthly body only through hard work (2 Thess 3:10)

·         Keeping the Presence of God: The companionship of God transforms: When God walked with Abraham, his character changed. He saw how sacrificial God Himself was, and developed the capacity to offer his all (even up to his only son). When Jesus walked with the disciples, it was later testified that their insight and boldness had come from Him. When Jesus was leaving He promised the abiding presence of God the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit (Joh 14:23, 26; 16:7, 12-15, Lk 24:49, Mt 28:20). That is to say God is now closer to us than He was with Adam (somewhere in the Garden), with the disciples (when they could not conceive of Him beyond his physical presence). He lives in each one of us; He motivates us to live right from within:

a.       When there is a salvation chance provided by a believer living or preaching the Word, the Holy Spirit convicts the inner being (knocks on the heart) of the sinner and leads him to repentance (Joh 16:8, Ac 2:37).

b.      When a believer is slipping back into sin, the Holy Spirit alarms him of the danger by making the believer feel His uneasiness and leads him to set things right (Ac 5: 3, Eph 4:30).

c.       When a believer studies the Word of God, the Holy Spirit guides Him and interprets the Scriptures to him (Joh 14:26; 16:13, Joh 2:20, 27).

d.      When a believer prays, the Holy Spirit helps him sometimes even beyond what known words can say (Ro 8:26, 1Co 14:14). He guides the prayer by clarifying the situation according the Word of God that He brings to memory. He takes full control (fills us with boldness), when we wait on God in prayer and fasting concerning the advancement of His work (Ac 4:29-31)When believers embark on the Work of Christ, the Holy Spirit provides extraordinary power working through the various gifts for service that He gives .

We must therefore “activate” and keep the presence of God through preaching the Good News, accepting His correction, studying the Scriptures, praying selflessly, and embarking on the Great Commission (responding to His motivation to do good works and make disciples).

·         Doing the Work of God: Like Adam and Eve as soon as they were created, and like the woman at Jacob’s well, as soon as she was born again, God does not have a moment of idleness for His children: We start work of ministry right away, and we grow in the ministry. In Romans 12, for example, Paul teaches that every member of the body of Christ is gifted to contribute to the Lord’s work; each should work according to the measure of his faith. To wit, none should keep idle! (Gen 2:15, Joh 4:28-29, Mt 11:28-30). It is also called, walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:16)

Conclusion:

Sin made us choose to be invisibility, blending with the crowd and doing what everyone else is doing. Sin came because we communicated with doubtful sources and we were deceived. It is not God’s will that we remain spiritually invisible while on earth. When we are born again, God needs us to stand out as saving lights in a dark world. He has provided all the clothing we will need to stay holy, through the work of Christ. We must now accept and work to keep all our clothing on in order to be visible through Christ and for Christ. Amen!