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INTRODUCTION
In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul says, "Do you not know that YOUR BODY is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore, honor God WITH YOUR BODY."
The Bible teaches us that God created us, which includes our bodies, in the image of God and that, since God created us this way, we reflect Him and that is good. Unfortunately, because of sin, man gained a new, negative attitude about himself, God's good work, and now nearly everyone associates nudity with a sense of shame, embarrassment and fear. Such negative attitudes are now so prevalent that most people tend to associate nudity only with sex (because that is generally the only time it is accepted). Even so, is it possible to have a higher and nobler attitude regarding nudity? I believe so. Is it possible that God's attitude is higher and nobler? I know so!
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PURPOSE
To compare our attitude toward nudity with God's attitude toward it, to show how these attitudes relate to and affect our lives, and to show how chaste nudity can actually reflect God's "good" work.
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IT IS GOOD
"God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that the light was good." Genesis 1:3
God created "earth" and "seas" (Genesis 1:5-9). "And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:9
God created "plants" and "trees" (Genesis 1:11-12). "And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:12
God created space and time; He created the "lights in the sky" (moons, planets, stars) and "seasons and days and years" (Genesis 1:14-17). "And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:17
"God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly...' ...So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems... And God saw that it was good." Genesis 20-22
"God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.' And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:24-25
"God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness... '" Genesis 1:26
"God saw ALL that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31
"EVERYTHING created by God is good." 1 Timothy 4:4
- According to these scriptures, God declares how He views what He created. How does God "see" He creations? That is, how does He feel, or what does He say, about them?
- How much of what He created is good?
- According to 1 Timothy 4:4, "everything" God created is good. But which part of His creation did He make to look like (or reflect) Himself?
- Would you say that being a reflection of God is good or bad?
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ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING
"EVERYTHING created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving." 1 Timothy 4:4
"I praise You [Lord God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalms 139:14
- Since you are made "in the image of God", how should you feel about yourself and what should your response be? How should you feel about everyone else and what should your response be concerning them?
- According to 1 Timothy 4:4, how much of what God created should you "receive with thanksgiving"?
"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13
- If you saw someone completely naked, how would you feel? Would you "receive it with thanksgiving"? Would you think it was good or bad? Certainly, the answers may depend on what they are doing, but what if they are not doing anything specific or just doing normal every day activities?
- According to Hebrews 4:13, and again, Genesis 1:31, how much does God see and how does He respond to what He created? How does His response compare to your response?
- Would your response reflect the heart of a person who "receives with thanksgiving"?
- If you say negative things about His creation, associate it only with sex, perversity or shame, or prefer to hide and/or not see His creation, would you be agreeing with (or believing) God that it is good, or not? Would such an attitude reflect the heart of a person who "receives with thanksgiving"?
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SHAME NOT THE SAME
Before sin entered the scene, that is, while still perfect or as God made them, or while still obeying Him, "The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." Genesis 2:25
- How did God dress the people He created?
- Considering how God feels about His work and how He chose to dress them, how do you think God feels about what they were wearing? Would God have declared their state of undress good or evil?
- How did Adam and Eve originally feel about being naked?
- At this time, would you say that Adam and Eve's nakedness honored God or dishonored Him? What about their attitude...did their attitude toward nakedness honor God or dishonor Him? Did it agree or disagree with Him that "it is good"?
After disobeying God, "Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." Genesis 3:7
"Adam said, 'I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.' ...they hid from the Lord God..." Genesis 3:10
- Whose idea was it to wear clothes, God's or man's?
- What was man's reason for clothing himself?
- Since fear and shame were the motivating factors in man's clothing himself, did their clothing or attitude toward it honor God or dishonor Him? Did it agree or disagree with Him that "it is good"?
- How is your attitude toward being naked different from Adam and Eve's attitude or is your attitude the same? Does your attitude honor God or dishonor Him? Does it agree or disagree with God?
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YOUR CONCLUSION?
- How does God feel about the naked human body? How does the way He acted concerning it, that is, by not clothing it, reflect His attitude?
- How do you feel about the naked human body? How does the way you act concerning it reflect your attitude?
- According to the Bible, man's attitude about nakedness changed after his first sin. Did God's attitude about nakedness change? Did He change His mind? Christ was without sin, so would He feel ashamed? Even if He changed His mind about us, as Christians, we believe God reconciled man to Himself through Christ, which means He restored us back into the right relationship we had at first.
- Does your attitude about nakedness agree with God's attitude or sinful man's? Is it one of reconciliation through Christ, or one of sin?
- God has an enemy who hates even the image of God. If you have a dislike for the image of God, even seeing the naked human form negatively, then aren't you agreeing with God's enemy?
All scriptures NIV unless otherwise noted.
Written: Friday, October 18, 2002