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Why Do We Wear Clothes? Foundations in Genesis

4/27/2021

I’ll be real frank with you. This question seems a little strange and a little too basic at first, but…

“Why do wear clothes?
Why do we, for the most part of society, promote wearing them?”

Even though it’s strange and basic, many today have never really stopped to think about why we wear clothes. Is it just for practicality and comfort? Warmth? Protection? Certainly not in tropical climates! Many have never stopped to think about why we feel the need to wear clothes in the first place. This shouldn’t surprise us though because there are many big decisions we make in life before we know the foundational reasons why.

For example, many people every day get married who reject God and Christianity and want nothing to do with the Bible even though marriage is something thoroughly biblical. God designed it to reflect our relationship with Him (Gen. 1:26-27; Eph. 5:22-33) and rests on the truths of Genesis, going all the way back to the first man and woman. Many decisions are made each moment that are unfounded.

In his book called The Lie: Evolution/Millions of Years, Ken Ham says,

“Ultimately, the only reason for insisting that clothes must be worn is a moral one.
If there is a moral reason, it must have a basis somewhere.”

What is that basis? God’s character. Where is the basis explained? Genesis chapter 3.

Not knowing the Genesis foundations, more than one teenage daughter has been told to change her clothes and put on something a little more modest before going out of the house. The typical response from the teenager is, “Ugh… why!? What’s wrong with my clothing?” And the typical parental response is something along the lines of, “Because that’s just what we do as Christians. We dress modestly.” Furthering the response from the teenager, “You guys are so old-fashioned!”

Parental responses like these are an unreasonable response that cause these kinds of reactions from children. This is because our children need real answers and foundational reasons why we do what we do and believe what we believe. I’m afraid that too often, because we don’t really know why, we’ll get defensive and threatening, or shout even louder back at them to demonstrate our authority. Or, we become legalistic about it and tell them, “Just do what I say,” as we quote Ephesians 6:1 or Exodus 20:12. But be careful with this because even though it's an easy way out, imposing standards our children without any basis is what leads many to rebel.

Yes, children are exhorted to obey their parents, but how necessary is it for parents and children to recognize that the ultimate authority doesn’t originate in the parents, but in God and His Word! Parents and children need to know that neither of their opinions or the culture’s opinions are what matter. What matters is God’s opinion. A better response to the questioning teenager would be to ask them to change and tell them you will sit down with them another time and explain from Genesis why we wear clothes in the first place.

And it’s not only the teenagers who question why we wear what we wear. The “progressive” culture we live in is asking the same question. Listen to this quote from Harrianne Mills:

“Since the demise roughly one hundred years ago, of the biblically based theory that clothes are worn because of modesty, various theories have been put forward by anthropologists concerned with the origins and functions of clothing.”

Even secular anthropologists want to know the historical answer to our question. And with the path that our LGBTQ+ culture is on, I wouldn’t doubt that we’re going to have to defend why clothes are necessary and not just some product of western society - that it's not cultural, but theological. Now, I hope this is not prophetic, but in a morally relativistic society with no God as the basis for standards, anything goes! Where does it stop without God? Hey, I’m just being realistic here. There are places already where clothes are… excused.

The foundational reason for clothes really began back in Genesis, chapter 2-3. Before the Fall, the last verse of chapter 2 tells us,

“And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed."

Adam and Eve had both a physical nakedness and spiritual "nakedness". Adam and his wife Eve had an openness and innocence about them. They were in harmony with each other and unashamed, something only experienced between a husband and wife today doing things God's way. Notice too, their focus was on their spouse and their relationship with God before the Fall. However, notice where their focus goes the minute they sin against God:

“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings."

Where did their focus go? From serving their spouse and a relationship with God, to themselves. Their perfect relationship degenerated, and they noticed they were naked. It was no longer proper and guilt ensued because sin distorted nakedness. Now, with man having a sin nature, we are tempted to lust. Jesus said,

“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully
has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

When Jesus said this, He was upping the standards of the Pharisees who thought they were “good enough” and were keeping God’s Law. He was showing them that they too, are sinners like everyone else. Remember that we are tempted to lust. Temptation is not sin but when we go back for a second look and succumb to the temptation, it becomes lust and is then sin that must be confessed and repented of (1 John 1:9).

But point being, man was designed to be respond to one woman (his wife) and that is necessary for procreation (reproduction). However, sin has distorted that perfect relationship and clothes are necessary to guard against the sin of lust and adultery that wrecks relationships. This is not a form of punishment, but the means by which a man and woman can enjoy a healthy and abundant marriage God’s way in a sinful world. To disregard the moral need for clothes or modest clothes, results in disaster. As one man said, even soft porn plays hard ball. It destroys families.

The fig leaves Adam and Eve sewed together for loin coverings weren’t going to last long so God, in verse 21, makes new ones that are much superior.

“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife,
and clothed them.

Leather clothes made of animal hide will provide a much superior covering than fig leaves. This was also the first blood-sacrifice for sin, a type that would be carried out throughout the entire OT until Christ comes and offers Himself as the most superior, acceptable offering to cover sins for all time (Heb. 10:10). By faith in Christ we have a perfect righteous covering for our sin that lasts, unlike the "fig leaves" of our own works. It is Christ’s work that saves, not our own.

But now that we have a perfect and righteous standing or position before God, it should be our desire in Him to see our condition catch up to that position. Romans 13:14 now encourages us to keep from giving the flesh (our sin nature) unnecessary opportunities to be tempted.

“Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh.

Christ is the new clothes we wear in a spiritual sense (we are clothed in His righteousness), and one of the things we can do to prevent unnecessary battles with the sin nature is to stop making provisions for it (the flesh). Certainly, modest clothes-wearing is part of that, and could be applied in a number of ways to keep us from being a stumbling block to others, or others to us.

Pastor Justin

4/25/2021

Cited: Ken Ham, The Lie: Evolution/Millions of Years: 25th Anniversary Edition (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2012), 103-105.

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Why Do We Work? Foundations in Genesis.

4/20/2021

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There's no milk without manure!

Maybe some of you were reminded of this phrase more than once as a grumbling child that was forced to scoop manure and feed the animals. Before today where most of us buy our milk from the grocery store, more people had to take care of dairy cows and they are hard work! They require a lot of time and energy but when you go drink that milk or eat the cheese, it makes it all worth it. Everything good in life seems to come with a cost. It takes a toll on us but it’s worth it. Proverbs 14:4 puts it this way,

“Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.”

Keep in mind that when this was written, the ox was the diesel pickup and John Deere of the day. It would haul heavy loads and pull the plow, doing the hard work that saved your back and brought an increase in harvest, but you had to put up with mess the ox makes and do the regular maintenance oxen require.

I have scribbled in the margin of my Bible next to that verse, “Sometimes you’ve got to make a mess to get things done.” As a man who likes a clean shop and every tool in its place and wiped clean of grease, I knew that there were times during the busy seasons where that just wasn’t going to be the case and that’s fine. The shop floor would have to get dirty and tools would have to be scattered around the shop benches, but there’s no profit without the mess.

Most of us don’t enjoy the maintenance work on vehicles, but we’d rather drive than walk! We don’t like vet bills or buying bags of food for the animals, but we enjoy the company of our pets that bring life and joy to our homes. We don’t like the upkeep required on our homes, but we sure enjoy a warm and safe place to live. Kids seem to make everything in the house sticky, their toys clutter the house, their diapers fill the trash cans, but they become the pride and joy of your life. Having a spouse requires us to give up some of our own wants or desires, but it sure is wonderful to have a companion to go through life with. It’s hard to get to church on time some Sunday mornings, but the fellowship in the Word is so good.

Remember that when it comes to hard work and discipline: good things come with a cost. That’s one of the reasons God created work in the first place. He created it for us to find a sense of purpose, accomplishment and reward in. In fact, if you study Genesis 2:15, you’ll see that we were created to work!

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden
to cultivate it and keep it.”

So much of the world has us thinking that work is a drudge and something to be thrown off. Man is tempted to despise work and desire the rewards of hard work without the work. But notice that right there, in the beginning, God created Adam and placed him in the garden to work at cultivating it. Notice this was before the Fall into sin! Work is a good thing and a major element God designed to be a part of our lives.

Also, we work because God works and we’re made in His image. He worked hard for six days creating the world and is always working (Jn. 5:17). God wants us to enjoy the work of our hands as He does.

Work is a good thing.

We work because God works.

Now, granted, work has become much harder after the Fall into sin. The land was harder to cultivate for Adam and weeds sprang up, making us work by the sweat of our brow (Gen. 3:17-19). But the preacher of Ecclesiastes says hard work makes sleep pleasant (Ecc. 5:12). He was the wisest man who ever lived and said that it is good for man to eat and drink and enjoy his labor under the sun – it’s his reward (Ecc. 5:18)! Our Savior worked as well in some form of construction while He lived!

The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians some firm words, telling some of the unproductive citizens to work and not be lazy, and to bring shame to Christ’s name. He commanded them to keep away from a brother in Christ who was leading an unruly life by not working. Paul himself, by working night and day and not eating anyone’s bread without paying for it, set a good example for them to follow.

“If a man is not willing to work, then he is not to eat either.
For we hear that some of you are leading an undisciplined life,
doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.
Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ
to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.”

2 Thessalonians 3

He actually goes on to say we shouldn’t associate with someone living an undisciplined life. Not being a productive individual for Christ is sin.

On the contrary, work is worship when it is done with a heart for God. In whatever we do, we are to do it for the Lord, as serving Him and not men. Our work is part of our calling in life and our intention should be to glorify God (Col. 3:23-24). This puzzles many who just don’t find satisfaction in work. But let me ask you: have you prayerfully asked God what He would have you do with the gifts and talents and interests that He has given you? Have you asked Him to accept your work as worship?

With a right heart before God, work is worship

Looking back, before I trusted Christ, I remember only working for the money – go for the biggest bucks and best retirement. That’s a good way to waste your life and your unique, God-given gifts, talents, and interests. As a pastor, I encourage people to do what God made them to do. When I became a Christian, I was empowered to be able to leave the job I didn’t enjoy to do something I did. Even though I didn’t make near as much, it was still worth it! I’ve never regretted it and God has blessed.

But what about beyond this life? Many people seem to think that Heaven is going to be one big retirement party where was just sit around on clouds and drink wine and play harps. In fact, I’ve heard people talk as if the idea of work in Heaven or on the New Earth is repulsive and if we get there and find work, we’ll want to leave! On the contrary, I think the Bible makes it clear that we will be serving God uniquely as individuals, as His servants throughout all of eternity. It won’t just be one giant, eternal worship service of singing songs. On the New Earth, the curse will be totally lifted and work will be even more satisfying than ever (Rev. 22:3).

Revelation 22:3 says about the New Heaven and New Earth,

“No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God
and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him.

Serve is a verb. It is active. And sometimes it [latreuo] is translated worship and work. We will be work-worshipers! Maybe this illustrates for us again the idea that work and worship shouldn’t be separated. As one man said,

“None of us can separate our lives into sacred and secular,
worship and work.
We do not cease to worship when we work.
We are called to do all things for the glory of God,
including– perhaps especially – our work."

People who serve have tasks and things to do that keeps them busy and finding reward in. Those who are faithful in this life with what the Lord gives them will actually be put in charge of more work to do according to Jesus’ teachings (Matt. 24:19; 25:23).

“Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things;
I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master's happiness!

In other words, if you are faithful, you are entrust with more! In a world where hard work is despised or man is tempted to greed and laziness, Christians ought to stand out by the way they work hard for the Lord with joy! We should be the most creative and boldest workers in the world! It’s part of our fruit-bearing in this life! In the Creation Mandate of Genesis 1:26-27, God said to Adam and Eve,

“Be fruitful and multiply.”

Let’s be fruitful vocationally, treating work as a calling for God’s glory!

Pastor Justin

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Foundations in Genesis - Gospel Exclusivity

4/13/2021

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In this Sunday’s sermon, we learned that the most important question someone must answer is, “Have I trusted in Christ as my Savior?” Our answer to this question determines both where we will spend eternity and the motives for everything we do that is related to God. As we saw in the illustration of the two men who had very similar lives – both born about the same time, both grew up in the same town, same church, both tithed, both were baptized, both took communion, both served in church and in their communities - but at the end of their lives God only accepted one of them because everything they did was from two very different motives. One did what he did for salvation, in his own effort, having rejected Christ’s free gift of eternal life while one did what he did from salvation, by depending on God’s Spirit he received when he trusted Christ alone as his Savior from sin.

God is not pleased with us trying to “work” for or “earn” His grace. Grace, by definition, is free. It is undeserved favor from God and not based on what we do, but upon what Christ did for us! The good news of the gospel says that God has offered us one “life-raft” – that is Christ – to be saved from our sins. Filled with the Spirit, Peter preached to the religious leaders in Acts 4:12 the same exclusive message,

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

It’s settled, then. If Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, then there is no other way, truth, or life. But is this kind of gospel exclusivity found in the first few chapters of Genesis? I think it is, and specifically in Genesis 4:3-8.

“So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.’ Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”

So just like the two men in our sermon’s illustration, one man’s offering (Abel’s) was accepted but the other man’s (Cain’s) was rejected. God accepted one and excluded the other. But why? To be honest, the exact answer will have to wait until heaven, but there are some solid clues we can pick up on in Genesis and a comment on it from Hebrews.

For one, God may have set the standard for acceptable sacrifices in Genesis 3:21 by offering a blood sacrifice to cover sin. He slaughtered an animal to make clothes for Adam and Eve, a covering of His own choosing and a much superior covering to their fickle fig leaves of their own making. By offering fruit of the ground instead of an animal, it may not have been an approved sacrifice for sin at this time.

Secondly, it could have been that he didn’t offer a quality sacrifice. Abel, we know, offered the firstlings of his flock but we don’t know if Cain honored God with the first fruits of crop. Maybe he was just giving God some leftovers and not of the top. In the Law, it was the first of a certain harvest or flock that was to be given, typifying Christ the first fruit and the first and only Son of God. Another mark of quality was that the sacrifices had to be without blemish or defect like our spotless Lamb too (Heb. 9:14).

It may have been a combination of things that didn’t make Cain’s sacrifice acceptable, however, I think Hebrews 11:4 gives us the sufficient clue we need. It says,

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”

If the gift of a blood-sacrifice was required for sin like in the Law, sin was something clearly standing in the way between Cain and God (Gen. 4:6). So not only was it likely not an approved sacrifice, but it was also not offered with the right motives – God’s way, and by faith.

When Abel looked at his sacrifice, he saw his own sin and that he deserved death. He saw his helpless condition as a sinner and his need to be saved by it – his was by faith. Cain, however, it just doesn’t seem saw the seriousness of his sin problem. He was offering the work of his hands and wasn’t taking sin seriously – he does, after all, murder his brother after this out of a fit of jealous rage! Something tells me this man’s heart was unrepentant and offered his sacrifice with religious pride – by works.

Many works-based and not faith-based sacrifices are offered to God every day by those going through the motions of church activity and religious service. They don’t understand that things like communion, baptism, tithing, witnessing or serving is to be done from salvation and not for salvation. Whatever the exact case with Cain and Abel, it does reminds us that we must approach God His way and not our own, and His way, the Bible says, is by grace through faith in Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Pastor Justin

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Is the gospel in Genesis?

4/6/2021

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The other day my wife called me from the store and asked if I wanted any seeds for our garden. Even though I’d already purchased some last fall, I realized there were some seeds I still needed if I wanted to have a fruit-filled garden. This time of year has a lot of folks thinking about planting seeds which, biblically speaking, could remind us as believers of Christ and the first time the gospel was ever alluded too.

As I mentioned in the last devo, I want to take us back to Genesis to rediscover the foundations for what we believe. And since we talked a lot about the gospel from 1 Corinthians 15, I thought we’d go back to the gospel in Genesis. Since the Bible is one giant story about God’s plan to create, redeem and restore man via the gospel of Christ, we should not be surprised to find it prophesied as early as Genesis 3.

Remember that in the first 2 chapters of Genesis God created a world that was good and perfect and sinless. It was paradise! Adam and Eve were happily married, and they were cultivating fruit in the garden God had put in their care, meanwhile enjoying fellowship with God. They only had one command: to not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They had all the freedom in the world and the ability to eat from all other trees except this one, maybe to express their love of God by obeying Him.

As we know, paradise is lost. Satan came along in the form of a serpent and deceived them into eating the forbidden fruit. Because of this disobedience God was forced, by His holy and just nature, to bring the curse and this is referred to as the Fall. Now, in Genesis 3:14-24, the criminals, Satan, Adam, and Eve are all standing before God. God curses the serpent and tells Satan,

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise Him on the heel.”

This is sometimes referred to as the Proto Evangelium, or first gospel. They didn’t understand the gospel as we do with such clarity, but they did understand a redeemer was coming in their line of descendants.

What you find throughout the course of history and described in the Bible is just what God has said – a battle between two different seed lines. Satan is always trying to squash the godly seed line through which Christ the “Seed” would come, just as he wars against the Church today in various ways (Matt. 3:7; John 8:44; Rom. 16:20).

At times it appears as though Satan has won! One such occasion was when Israel was taken into captivity for 70 years in Babylon. But even though the “tree of David” is felled, left as a stump (Is. 6:13), God said the “holy seed is its stump” and a “shoot” would spring forth from the “stem of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1). This “Shoot” is none other than Christ, who came from the family of David, son of Jesse (1 Sam. 17:12).

The “Seed” is not a small or insignificant type of Christ in Scripture. Paul even argues over the singular use of the word “seed” in Genesis 22:17-18, that the nations would be blessed through the “seed of Abraham” that is Christ (Gal. 3:1). Jesus also describes Himself as a seed that must die in order to bear much fruit (John 12:24). To bear much fruit, the “seed of the woman” who is Christ must have His “heel” bruised by His real but temporary death but in so doing, He delivers Satan a fatal blow to the “head”. A bruise to the heel is much less a wound than a blow to the head. Christ triumphed over Satan through the cross and rendered him judged (John 16:11). We rejoice in this!

The seed element is not the only gospel expression in Genesis 3 either. I think it’s also seen in the way that God removes the self-made fig leaf clothes of Adam and Eve (self-righteous coverings) and provides garments of skin (animal hide) as a superior covering of His choosing, which meant an animal had to be slain for them. The point is, we cannot cover our sins by our own works but by the work of God, the Lamb slain. Covering for sin requires a death because death is the wages of sin (Rom. 6:23) and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22).

Another act of gospel-centered grace was for God to drive man out of the garden and appoint an angelic-cherubim to keep man from eating of the tree of life in his fallen state (3:24). It’s a sign that God doesn’t desire us to live in sin forever, but to be restored and redeemed from it. For everyone who trusts the “Seed” of Christ who was slain as the Lamb of God to provide covering for sin, they will be born again and allowed access the fruit of the tree of life forever in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:2)!

It’s no wonder Satan has tried so hard to discredit the Genesis record of the history of the world. Even atheists know that without it, all Christian doctrine crumbles and become meaningless. The good news that Jesus came and died and rose again is pointless without paradise and the Fall of Genesis 1-3. In a world of evolutionary theory, let’s rebuild these Genesis foundations for our children because as Psalm 11:3 says,

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

Working to rebuild the Genesis foundations,

Pastor Justin

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Why Do We Wear Clothes? Foundations in Genesis

Why Do We Work? Foundations in Genesis.

Foundations in Genesis - Gospel Exclusivity

Is the gospel in Genesis?

CHADRON BEREAN

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