God Made a Pattern?

Objection 4:
If God covered Adam and Eve after the Fall, this sets a pattern we should follow.

And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 

Genesis 3:21

It seems like common sense that God would condone Adam and Eve’s sinful decision to cover themselves by replacing their fig leaves with animal skins. 

It’s also commonly believed that since God clothed Adam and Eve, He also put in place a commandment for people to always be clothed. 

Not so. When God hand-sculpted Adam and Eve nude, He “saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” 

The goodness of God’s creation did not change.

Two Important Facts Stand Out

First, when God clothed Adam and Eve, there was no one on Earth from whom to hide their nudity. Otherwise, we would logically determine that married couples must never be nude in front of each other!

Second, there is no Scriptural support for the assertion that the garments God gave them were designed to correct a moral problem. God covered Adam and Eve out of His providence.

Rather, Scripture shows that clothing was provided to protect their vulnerable bodies from the new and hostile environment outside the Garden.  With its cold and thorny terrain, the skins God provided demonstrated His great kindness.

Up until modern times, clothing was understood to be used ornamentally and situationally. Our ancestors realized this.

We can also know that through the redemption of Jesus Christ, we are invited “back to the Garden” — into God’s presence — where we can again be “naked and unashamed.” 

The only “pattern” God made was that clothing is a gift – a tool to be used when it is needed. It is not, however, a requirement.

MIND RENUDE:
From His love and providence, God gave them clothing for the harsh new environment.