Of course, I'm not talking about everyone having to physically undress. However, I am talking about relationships where we are truly exposed to one another. Relationships where we do not need walls. Relationships where we do not need to shrink back. A community that allows us to stand up, fall, & pick ourselves back up. A type of koinonia where I can be me & you can be you. I believe there are a couple of reasons Adam & Eve could stand in that place & feel what they feel. This is the journey I want us to take this morning.
#1 - I believe that Adam & Eve could be naked & without shame because they saw each other for who they really were.
They saw each other in image & likeness. There was nothing distorted. Adam knew that He came from the Father & that Eve came from him. They were a part of one another. There was no distance...no separation. They both had been beautifully designed by their Creator. They were His substance in the Earth. Fashioned from the very nature of God.
#2 - Adam & Eve could stand there without shame because they had not received the knowledge of good & evil.
Immediately, the Bible says, when they ate of that tree, their eyes were opened & they hid themselves. Whatever happened in that moment changed their ability to see one another in light of who they truly were. Rather than having their eyes opened, I believe they began to see through the lens of the lie. They saw one another as lacking. They saw themselves as sinful. Once sin entered the world, shame came upon both of them. The ran. They hid. They tried to cover themselves up. And they set in motion a race that would continually struggle to see themselves through image & likeness.
Now I realize that the Fall goes much deeper than this. However, I want you to notice the immediate effect it had upon them. Not only have they hidden themselves from one another, but they try to hide from the Father. In this existence, they foolishly believe that God cannot handle them in their current state. When asked why they were hiding, Adam says "I was naked." The Father's response? "Who told you?" Then begins the process of the cover-up: Blame, Shame, & Projection. What else can you do when you don't feel secure? How else will we live when we can't be true to ourselves? Most of us know the rest of the story. We know how this played out in human history. What most of us don't know is that Jesus came back to redeem the original design. He came to remove the sin & the shame. He came to restore humanity back to the dream of the Father's heart.
What if you knew there was a community where you didn't need to wear a mask?
What if you knew that there was a place where you could tear down all the walls & allow others in?
What if you could experience a fellowship where people were real?
You see, this is what people are looking for. It's exhausting trying to put on a show. I mean how many people look for opportunities to let their hair down? How many folks are longing for a place to be themselves? Unfortunately, the search often leads people down paths they wish they did not take. Often the definition for just trying to be myself has nothing to do with original design. It tends to have much more to do with a poor understanding of who we really are.
Living with shame leads to defining ourselves out of that shame. We see ourselves for less than we truly are. Gone is the idea of image & likeness. Buried under a lifetime of seeing ourselves through failure, hearing over & over again how sinful we are, and hidden behind the walls of our own design. Paul's statement to the church of Rome was not meant to create a definition of who we are but to demonstrate that we have all been down the same path. "All have sinned & fallen short of the glory of God..." was meant to move us toward compassion, not to create a judgement upon the human race. And, in particular, not to bring judgement on certain aspects of our population. Lost is the context from which these words were written. Ingrained within our minds is the idea that God cannot handle us at our worst. Believed is the idea that He can only handle us in Christ. In other words, He only loves us when we have truly trusted.
Scripture declares, "For God so LOVED the world that He gave..." We also read that it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us. This was the demonstration of the love of God for humanity. Then you go over to Ephesians & you discover that this was God's plan from before the foundation of the world. Once we make this discovery, we can begin to see one another in a different light. Once we understand the heart of the Father for His creation, we can stop viewing ourselves through the lens of the Fall. It was God who came after His image & likeness in us. He had determined to find us in the darkness. He came to seek & save that which was lost. Why is this important? It's important because you discover that He is for you, not against you. There is no reason to hide anymore.
This understanding of the Gospel should lay the framework for our fellowship with one another. It should provide a basis for how we see one another. Worthy of Love. Worthy of Honor. Worthy of Dignity. Redemptive love should create an environment where we no longer feel the need to hide from one another. If Jesus could take on our flesh & dwell among us, then surely we could learn how to live life together. If Jesus could extend mercy, provide grace, and minister to people without condemnation, THEN WHAT IS KEEPING US FROM DOING THE SAME THING?
Naked & Not Ashamed.
Do those words scare you, or do they stir something deep within you that you want to experience?
Your answer will determine who you surround yourself with. You will either choose to fellowship with people who play the game as well as you do, or you will join yourself to a community of people who have discovered the beauty of being real. You will either choose to join those who easily judge those who are "worse than they are", or you will join those who give mercy just as they were given mercy. You will either find a church that operates on the basis of rules, or you will find a church that sees relationships as a reason to gather together. The difference between these two choices is our view of God & one another.
God is love & perfect love casts out fear. When our fellowships are centered around this revelation of God, the greater our opportunity to tear down walls & to live in true koinonia. Are you ready? Can you take off the religious wardrobe & be authentic you? Or maybe a better question would be: Do you want to?
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