And They Were Not Ashamed
by
Justin Mangonel
Tabernacle Theology Series
It is written,
"And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."
Genesis 2:25
I want to talk with you about true purity and the nature of Christian intimacy. Please understand that if I am blunt, it is only because I truly believe in the importance of speaking directly about this subject that some might be set free.
Have you ever wondered why the first consequence of mankind eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the realization that they were uncovered? This has always seemed a bit odd to me. Perhaps God was trying to convey a basic truth about sin through the story of the fig leaves.
Before eating the forbidden fruit Adam and Eve were both naked and not ashamed. This was how God created them and our Father did not deem it necessary that they hide their bodies. The Bible is explicit that Adam and Eve "were not ashamed." Furthermore the scriptures state,
"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day..."
Genesis 3:8
Today in our world we rarely, if ever, run around naked. Why is this so? In the beginning, when everything was perfect and very good, everyone was bare. The point I am trying to make so shockingly is that they were both naked and it was not sin. The question that must be asked is "why wasn't it sin to be naked?" and more importantly, "why was there no shame?"
The central point of this essay is:
"Where there is no sin in the heart there can be no sin in the action"
(I am aware of sins of omission but for the sake of clarity and brevity I am focusing on sins of commission in this essay)
This principle is found the scripture as follows,
"Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled."
Titus 1:15
If someone is pure (that meaning pure in mind and conscience) all things are pure, meaning all outward manifestations stemming from said purity are holy. Adam and Eve's minds were pure and their consciences where pure therefore their actions were pure. God had never told them they were naked or that it was shameful, so their actions were without sin. This brings us to a very important understanding about the nature of sin. This principle is simply that
"Sin is of the heart"
In modern Christianity there is much emphasis placed upon how we should think and act in order to keep ourselves pure and holy. To be a member of some churches you must meet their basic requirements to, dress conservatively, talk without swearing, and be very careful about your interaction with the opposite sex. All these boundaries are set up to "keep you from sinning" and as long as you keep generally within these guidelines you are considered to be a good Christian. But if we look good on the outside does that really mean we are good on the inside? In Matthew we read:
"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
Matthew 5:28
We learn that sin is not simply an outward act but an inward condition of our hearts. If you lust in your heart you commit adultery. Moreover, if you hate your brother in your heart you commit murder. If you covet a man's sports car perhaps you are a thief and so on and so forth. You sin whether or not it reveals itself in real world action. Actually, more often than not sin remains hidden from view. It is written,
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness."
Matthew 23:27
We are only truly clean on the outside if we are clean on the inside. And if we are clean on the inside by definition we will be clean on the outside no matter how we look or act.
What I have just written is an unusual thought for many people because they are used to considering sin to be what they can taste, touch, hear, see or smell. However, our five senses are not very reliable indicators of sin. It is only the Holy Spirit that can truly judge the hearts and motives of men and women.
This is why Jesus said,
"Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me."
John 8:15,16
All the outward manifestations that we commonly consider to be sin have their beginning within our hearts. This is why Jesus said,
"There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man."
Mark 7:16
It is God's intention, in a spiritual sense, to bring all those who will yield to His Spirit back to the garden. In bringing us back to the garden we will again regain a sinless heart like Adam and Eve possessed before the fall. How does this take place? As it is written,
"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."
Galatians 5:16
Through yielding to the Holy Spirit and letting Him live through us it is possible to become pure. The Holy Spirit, which is in fact the Spirit of our Father, is pure and therefore whatever we do by His bidding is also pure.
For example, normally it is considered improper and sinful for a Christian man to go to a strip club. However, if the Holy Spirit goads a man to go to a strip club and witness to an exotic dancer is this sin? No, it is not sin, because the Holy Spirit in him bid him to perform this mission and thus his actions are pure. Does that mean that he should he linger and take in a show? No, the freedom of the Holy Spirit to complete a certain task does not mean he should not be careful of temptation.
Again, if a lady missionary feels led to witness to a certain tribe of people where their women generally go topless is it sin for her to bare her breasts in order to fit in with those she wishes to evangelize? Of course it is not sin, but how many Christians would be open minded to enough to realize what she was doing is pure?
There will again come a day when we will be "not ashamed". The love of God will again flow through us unhindered and we will spiritually "walk uncovered" before our Lord with purity of mind and conscience. We will do literally anything which God leads us to do and it will not be sin no matter what it looks like on the outward because of the inward purity of our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
At present many are sick among us and some even die because we do not discern the Lord’s body. The reason that we do not discern the Lords body is that we are more concerned about outwardly looking good than doing what is really necessary to help those around us.
Whether we like it or not intimacy is at the core of who we are. Sometimes people act out in inappropriate ways in a desperate search for love. Unfortunately, the only avenues that appear open to them are those which the devil provides because the longings in their hearts, bodies, and spirits cannot be met through present day Christianity which is still largely in the grip of Calvinistic theology and Elizabethan morality.
Truly, since the garden our intimate nature has been askew. As we come back into right relationship with our Father even this fundamental area will be renewed and put right. In the coming feast of Tabernacles God will deal with us intimately and bring about healing to His people. The idea of Holiness carries with it a sense of "wholeness". To become truly whole every damaged area, even our intimate nature, must be healed and renewed.
This is where we all live and these foundational areas need to be set right in order to build His temple made without hands. We can preach about tithing and prayer but those types of sermons never touch our intimate core in a way that can truly help us. Perfect love casts out fear and such divine love is absolutely essential in order to allow His people to trust each other enough to deal effectively with these sensitive areas. A child will only trust their mother to pull out a painful sliver; likewise, removing our fig leaves will also take divine love and profound trust. Healing of our intimate natures will be a major aspect of the spiritual fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles and becoming one with God.
Through the knowledge of good and evil we were taught shame when in fact there was no shame. We are ashamed of our bodies, our reproductive organs, and our sensual nature when God never intended for us to despise or call unholy that which He created and called very good.
Moreover, the Devil has usurped much of human intimacy and turned what God said was "very good" into something that is almost exclusively associated with darkness and perversion. The truth is that the liberty of sons of God even in this area far exceeds anything that Satan has to offer.
Sadly, many who cannot reconcile their intimate natures with current Christian dogma fail to make heaven their home simply because there is no place found for them within normative religion. However, if you can receive it, through the move of Tabernacles God will change that which He wishes to change and make room for what He approves of, and frankly, He approves of a lot more than most people think.
This coming move of God's Spirit will therefore mean that we will not be able to judge one another by the outward appearance anymore. What may look like sin may in fact be in the perfect will of God. You will not be able to condemn another man's servant. We will only judge according to the Holy Spirit; if He says it is bad then it is bad but if He says it is good then His judgment will be final no matter what it looks like.
You may "in principle" agree with a little or a lot of what I say, but most people are ill prepared for how this new move of the Holy Spirit will actually play out in the natural world. Only those, who hear God's voice and trust Him implicitly, will see this revival for what it is: divine healing for a lost and hurting generation. Through the spiritual fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles mankind will collectively emerge from behind the trees, put off their fig leaves, and stand once again before their creator unashamed.
