Why We Wear Clothes

The story of the Fall in Genesis 3:1-6 is bracketed in Genesis 2:25 and 3:7 by references to shame and nakedness. We noted in our study a few weeks ago how these references are frequently misconstrued, which results in some rather bizarre interpretations of certain parts of the story. The bottom line is that the original readers of the story would have been shocked to learn that two people could be naked and not feel shame. To them, nakedness was associated with certain inappropriate/immoral relationships. It also was associated with humiliation and judgment; in particular, with God's judgment. Consequently, it wasn't long before nakedness became associated with shame, which is "the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable or improper."

The "something dishonorable" done by Adam and Eve had nothing to do with any sexual impropriety on their part. It's just that prior to the Fall, the differences between them as male and female did not indicate anything different than the overall perfect and selfless harmony God had designed into their relationship with him and with each other. After they ate the forbidden fruit, everything changed. The differences between them reminded them of their selfishness. It reminded them of the loss of their otherwise perfectly harmonious relationship. They felt the dishonor and impropriety of that loss; and thus, through their nakedness, they felt shame.

Later on, according to Genesis 3:21, God made "garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." It doesn't seem that God did this in order to teach us the importance of wearing clothes. The real lesson is that it took God's craftsmanship to provide a solution for Adam and Eve's shame. They were incapable of solving their problem on their own, as are we. More about this in an upcoming study.

Ok, so the main point of all the emphasis on nakedness, shame, fig leaves, and garments of skin is not to teach us the importance of wearing clothes. Nevertheless, wearing clothes is important. As I indicated at the beginning of this blog entry, ever since the Fall, nakedness has been closely associated with humiliation and judgment and with improper and immoral relationships. It would be more accurate to say that such are the connotations of nakedness except when it comes to certain contexts. For example, there is the context of marriage, medical and surgical treatment, bathing, changing diapers, etc. I don't think I need to list every possible exception.

The point is, without being overly prudish, there are contexts in which nakedness is shameful, not because there is something wrong or dishonorable about the human body, but because of nakedness' association with humiliation and judgment or with improper and immoral relationships.

The latter of these two is especially relevant in our culture outside of the contexts referred to earlier. Christians, on the other hand, should be concerned about having moral and proper relationships. After all, this is one of the purposes for which the Lord has saved us. Therefore, being modestly clothed in the contexts of our daily interactions with others is a reasonable expectation. Consider these words from Ephesians 5:3: "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity...."