Surely, you have had "the naked dream"! You know....the one where you are out in public somewhere and, inexplicably, you find yourself completely unclothed? Scandalized and horrified, you seek cover wherever you can find it. Why do we dream such anxious things as this? Who knows? I had a psychology prof who claimed that dreaming was God's way of cleaning out our brains, getting rid of the junk so that we could wake refreshed the next morning. That's as good an explanation as any, I suppose.
The first time we encounter nakedness in the Bible is in the Garden of Eden. Apparently, before the forbidden fruit incident of disobedience, Adam and Eve were in the Garden unclothed. They did not realize this to be an issue. None of the animals wore clothes, and neither did they. Life was good. Interestingly, in their first interaction with God after sin entered into humanity through them, they hid from God because they were "naked". God, who already knew what the Serpent had done, asked them rhetorically, "Who told you you were naked?" The story is found in Genesis 3.
Our verses for today are Hebrews 4:12-13 (ESV) - -
12For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Unbelievers hate the Bible. That is why when you meet people who have rejected Christ, the first thing they put to you is how the Bible is "just a book" and "who builds his life on a book?"
The Bible testifies of itself here in verse 12. Now, literally, in the way animals are "alive", the Bible is not a living organism. However, it is the living Word of God, in the sense that its supernatural words are as relevant and powerful to people today as they have been for the past several thousand years. It is through the Bible that we learn of our own sinfulness...as a race of humans, and as individuals.
The Bible exposes us and our sin. It removes our ignorance about our sinful condition. It shines a bright, piercing light on the great gulf between us and a holy God. Such revelation either drives us toward God or away from Him. There is no "in-between".
Don't be fooled into Satan's lie of "secret sin". There is no such thing. It's not a dream, naked or otherwise. God sees all.
"Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?" declares the LORD. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:24 (NIV)
"It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him.
Daniel 2:22 (NIV)
If you are an unbeliever, you can throw all kinds of arguments at me as to why the Bible is "just a book", and I can show you proof after proof to demonstrate to you why it is much, much more! But, you know what? That's not the issue. The issue is sin....favorite sins so cherished they are chosen over a living, eternal relationship with the one, true God.
That is the issue which must be settled, the eternal choice which must be made.
And, that's The Naked Truth.
Dear Holy, Loving Savior, I thank you that the first objective of grace is not to cover our sins but rather to confront us with them. We cannot repent until we first acknowledge that we are utterly sinful and, simultaneously, helpless to rescue ourselves from sin's bondage. Open our eyes, Lord, and at the same time, soften our hearts so that your saving, transformative grace can flow in. In Jesus' name, amen.
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