Genesis 2 and 3 - Why was nudity suddenly a shame for Adam?
Genesis 2:
Adam was created from mud, and Eve was created from one of Adam's ribs. Both had remained naked in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 2:25
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (KJV).
Genesis 3:7
"Then the eyes of both [Adam and Eve] were opened and they realised that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." (NIV)
Genesis 3:9-11
9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? (KJV).
Question: What was it about eating from the Tree of Knowedge of Good and Evil that made Adam suddenly ashamed of his nudity when he was not ashamed before? ( Details here )
1. Question Restatement:
In Genesis, why did Adam and Eve become ashamed when they realized they were naked after eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?
2. Possible Answer - It is shameful for the one who knows good, but does not do it:
The Tree of Knowledge was Knowledge of BOTH Righteousness AND Evil:
NKJV, James 4:17 - Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
It was not revelation of some sin that they had done that made them ashamed.
But rather, it was knowing the "Good" that they had not clothed themselves in, that made them ashamed, (the "Good" imitation of the love and mercy of God - righteousness).
At the very least, even if the narrative isn't teaching to clothe oneself in "good work" or "righteousness", then it is at least affirming that clothing your body is a "Good" thing.
So, compared with the goodness of God - they were likely ashamed of how their own "goodness" measured up to God's own.
NKJV - Revelation 3:15-18 - “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. ... 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
3. Explanation: The Spiritual / Mystical Symbolism of Clothing:
Although Scripture might speak to "modesty", Scripture elsewhere affirms nudity - "before the Lord".
Scripture shows justification for more extreme, and public, displays of nudity:
NKJV, 1 Samuel 19:24 - And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
NKJV, 2 Samuel 6:20-21 - ... And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king ... uncovering himself ... as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord ...
In Scripture, "Garments" Are Metaphorical for "Works", BOTH Righteousness AND Evil:
NKJV, Isaiah 59:6 - Their webs will not become garments, Nor will they cover themselves with their works; Their works are works of iniquity, And the act of violence is in their hands.
NASB, Isaiah 61:10 - I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
NKJV, Daniel 7:9 - “I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;
People are NOT "spiritually naked" - when they do evil:
Note: This is an objection to another answer that asserts that nakedness is a metaphor for sinfulness - but even "sinful people" are "clothed".
NKJV, Zechariah 3:4 - Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
Adam and Eve, (like infants), were in a unique situation: they were neither clothed in goodness, nor evil. Although they had disobeyed God, this text seems to show that their disobedience was not on the same level of "evil / filthy garments".
I have been thinking about this answer since I read and accepted it all that time ago; and the more I think about it the more I accept it as scripturally accurate - particularly the 3rd explanation. To me, reading the passages, it is like the fact that disobedience and sin is always clearly visible to God, and not hidden by any lies (false clothing if you like) as disobedience and sin is always “laying naked” before God’s eyes. I wish I could give more than 1 upvote.
Some cultures, especially Western ones, emphasize innocence vs. guilt in their moral paradigms. This is while others, especially Eastern ones, emphasize honor vs. shame in theirs. Kind of like your point about the garments being a metaphor for works and such, you can probably see the Bible speaking to both innocence-and-guilt and honor-and-shame paradigms, at the same exact time.
1
... A major difference between them is that the first emphasizes what you do, while the second emphasizes what you are. You do things like putting clothes on or off, and the clothes you actively wear are a (replaceable) depiction of what you are. In terms of depicting what you are...Are you clothed with sin, or are you clothed with Christ? Everybody, including Christians, makes mistakes all the time; but do you embrace sin, or do you embrace/accept Christ (as He leads you to the next, heavenly life, which will be void of sin)? Dirty vs. clean garments speak to this symbolically.
My dad, who is a pastor, has an interesting theory as of why. He says that prior to the Fall, they were clothed in light as a result of walking with God. They were physically naked, but because they were clothed in God's glory, they couldn't see that they were naked.
This idea is rooted in Exodus 34:9-25, where Moses' face was radiant from being in God's presence, talking to the Almighty "face to face". Considering this, it is possible that Adam and Eve were also radiant from being with God all the time.
When they disobeyed God and contaminated themselves with sin, their radiance wore off, and they saw that they were naked and hid themselves.
(Exodus 34:9-35, New International Version
9 “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.”
10 Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. 11 Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 12 Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.[a] 14 Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
15 “Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. 16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same.
17 “Do not make any idols.
18 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt.
19 “The first offspring of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. 20 Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem all your firstborn sons.
“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.
21 “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.
22 “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering at the turn of the year.[b] 23 Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel. 24 I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the Lord your God.
25 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Festival remain until morning.
26 “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.
“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.
The Radiant Face of Moses
29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.
33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.)
This perspective is compelling in light of the role of clothing in scripture. Revelation mentions white robes several times as gifts. Revelation 19:8 indicates that the white clothing is the righteous works of those who were (already) sanctified. Adam and Eve did not yet have righteous works, but God replaced their leafy aprons with garments of skin, which might have been from white sheep sacrificed for their sin.
The sudden shame for Adam's (and Eve)nakedness is an allegory, the physical of the spiritual. Not just the gained knowledge from eating the fruit.
First, they were commanded not to eat the fruit from the tree, nor touch it (Genesis 3:3) This is confirmed when the Lord went searching for Adam in Genesis 3:11 "And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?"
Second, Eve saw "that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise." (Genesis 3:6) and ate of the fruit of the tree. Eve was tempted with sin (by the serpent who represents Satan) the lust of the eyes (pleasant to the eyes) and pride of life (to make one wise). She also gave the fruit to Adam and he ate. In verse 7 it explains how once they ate the fruit (disobeyed God) their eyes were opened and they knew that they were naked.
Nakedness, was the physical representation of their disobedience to God engulfed with the shame and knowledge of that disobedience.
In that shame, they both tried to hide from God who was walking in the garden. (Genesis 3:8) This is the first sin of man. And with that sin comes shame and "nakedness" the exposure of our sin.
That feeling that we want to "hide" our sin, knowing that it is/was wrong and against what we know is right. You know, how when you are a child and you drink a beer for example. You know that it is wrong and something that you are not supposed to do so you hide the fact that you drank that beer. You brush your teeth, run straight up to your room, close the door and try to hide from your parents so they will not find out that you had some beer. Once they find out, you become "exposed" or naked before them.
The physical nakedness of Adam and Eve represented and still represents the spiritual exposure (or nakedness) of who we really are to God from whom we cannot run or hide from either in our hearts, minds, spiritually or physically.
Here are some other "naked" examples in scripture.
I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.-- Revelation 3:18 NKJV
Your nakedness shall be uncovered, Yes, your shame will be seen; I will take vengeance, And I will not arbitrate with a man.-- Isaiah 47:3 NKJV
So just to clarify, it was spiritual nakedness, (not physical nakedness) which they were ashamed of?
1, I agree with you that it was a form of "Spiritual Nakedness", but, I disagree with you that "nakedness" is a representation of "being sinful", but rather a representation of "No Righteousness". They are very different things. So, I posted a very similar answer - from this other point of view, that "spiritual nakedness" is absense of "righteousness". After all, you are NOT spiritually naked if you do evil: NKJV, Zechariah 3:4 - Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.”
There is nothing in the Genesis account to indicate that this was an allegory.To do so it would mean to undermine the Word of God.
Your perceptive question is addressed by almost all the biblical commentaries… On the second verse you quote, "Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realized that they were naked," Even a blind person knows when he is naked.So what was it that they realized here?
Little children are notorious for trying to shed their clothes and run around naked. This is done with total innocence; the two-year-old does not see any difference between his face, his knees, and the parts of his body which we adults insist that he cover. Only adults feel that certain parts of the body must be covered. Why? Because those are connected with physical lust and passions, and should not be exposed.
Prior to their sin, Adam and Eve knew good from bad, right from wrong, but they had not internalized an evil inclination. So they could choose to do right and wrong, and were held responsible for their choices, but the urge to do evil did not come from within. This urge was represented by the serpent—the external tempter. Since the evil did not reside within them, they were "naturally" good, and their nakedness was innocent and in no way sinful. They saw no difference between a hand, whose purpose was to give charity and to do good deeds, a mouth with which one praises G‑d and says kind words to others, and the parts of the body which are used to "be fruitful and multiply." With every organ they could fulfill the will of G‑d or vice versa, so no organ was shameful, nor did anything need to be covered.
When they ate of the Tree of Knowledge, the evil inclination became a part of them. No longer did they need an external tempter to incite them to sin—now, that tempter resided within their psyches. And specifically, sexual passion – a passion which is much stronger than the desire to give charity or praise G‑d, a passion which is much more encompassing and has the potential to be seriously misused – became a part of them as well.
Hence the abovementioned verse. "The eyes of both of them were opened" – they became aware of physical lust "and they realized that they were naked" – and only now it was inappropriate for them to be unclothed.
Agree that a this particular combination of Evil/Good had to be 'taken in' from the outside. Other ancient texts give explanation for this. Also appears that the same thing happened in the Jacob-'Messenger' story. The Unique Benjamin was born after Jacob's encounter - he (Jacob) was 'added to'. As if a Being was keen to have her Special child included in not only Creation on Earth, but inserted into the line of the Tribes of Israel going forward.
Knowledge of good & evil (kge) made them feel guilty of being naked.
That is why God forbid them from choosing kge.
They were naked (which was sinful before the law or kge) & yet accepted by God for the sake of His Son Jesus.
But they rejected Jesus and chose the law.
Now we are given an opportunity to reject law & accept Jesus (Romans 7:4 , 6).
God had Knowledge of good & evil. Man was forbidden to have it. Why?
Man was forbidden to have kge because God's perfect plan to grant acceptance to people was not based on their conformance to the kge but based on the Person of His Son Jesus.
Adam and Eve BECAME (hayah) naked….that is, they became without works of righteousness (God’s righteousness) to clothe themselves with.
They were put in the garden to work and keep it....that is, to work and keep His commandments which are a delight (the meaning of "Eden") as they are not burdensome. This working and the keeping of His commandments must have become slackened in their lives.
They were not ashamed….that is, the shame of the nakedness had not appeared yet. The shame is the speaking of evil towards another who would come and tell them that they were naked….that their “works” were not the true works of God’s righteousness.
Genesis 2:25 KJV (25) And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Who told you that you were naked?
That would be Jesus: “if I had not come and spoken unto them, they would not have sin, but now they no cloak for their sin”.
They were naked and now their shame appeared before all to see as they responded with hatred toward him as they spoke evil of Him. They confirmed their nakedness by their evil reaction (their exposed shame) towards what Jesus had to say to them.
John 15:22-24 KJV (22) If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. (23) He that hateth me hateth my Father also. (24) If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
It was Jesus who opened their eyes….enlightening the eyes of their understanding… to their spiritually impoverished condition: you don’t know that you are “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” “Laodicea” means “people of the Judgment”. It is then the Day of Judgment when we hear His voice walking in the Spirit of the Day of Judgment. He that has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying in the Day.
Revelation 3:17-19 KJV (17) Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Laodicea…the church that heard the sharp rebuke of the Lord…. was instructed to have faith (gold tried in fire) and overcome and put on Christ….the white raiment of His good works so that they may be clothed.
If we are clothed with good works towards one that will enlighten the eyes of our understanding about our spiritually impoverished condition, then we will not speak evil.
Speaking evil of another (hating without cause) manifests the “shame” of our nakedness.
(18) I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (19) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Yet, the response of Adam and Eve was to sew fig leaves together (saying “Lord, Lord”) and not producing the fruits of His righteousness towards the One who informed them that they were naked.
Leaves only without fruit. They said “Lord, Lord”’ (leaves only) but did not do the will of God (producing fruits of righteousness).
Having fig leaves only (saying “Lord, Lord”) and while not producing any fruit will not save us. Faith alone will not save us if it is not accompanied by good works towards a “stranger” who will come along and tell us we have no true works of righteousness. Our so-called “works of righteousness” will not save us.
They made themselves “aprons”….in other words, they felt secure with their things and condition. They had need of nothing.
They trusted in their own sayings of “Lord, Lord” but yet had no good works to show (no outward manifestation of the evidence of their faith). The eyes of their understanding were opened by the Lord who told them that they were naked…without the works of the righteousness of God.
Genesis 3:7 KJV (7) And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
They heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the “cool”….that is, Spirit…of the Day…the Day of Judgment. Laodicea = “people of the Judgment”.
They are reminded to keep His commandments…which Adam was to work and keep in Eden (delight). His commandments are to be a delight of those who have His Spirit…and they show they know Him by the keeping of His commandments.
They instead “hid” themselves from the presence (face) of the LORD God in the tree (singular) of the garden. They did not show that they knew the Father nor the Son by the doing of His commandments.
TREE = singular tree.
They hid in the tree (singular) of the garden.
This singular tree would by the Tree of Life as they professed that they were “alive” but were really dead. They did not eat of its fruit but hid in the name of being alive in Him.
Genesis 3:8-11 KJV (8) And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife **hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.**
They hid in the Tree of Life…..hiding behind their name that they lived in Christ but were really dead as they did not reach out their hand and eat of the fruit of that Tree.
Where are you? Where is your outward evidence of faith?
Faith alone is dead….we cannot hide behind our profession of faith only. Work is the manifestation of the faith within you. This does not make us “alive”. Professing that one has faith but having no good works is being dead. Faith alone is dead. We must show forth …manifest…our good works as evidence of our inward faith. God had called unto Adam...calling out the evidence (the good works) of our faith in Him.
(9) And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
“Adam” means “red” and “Sardis” means “red ones” and speaks of having faith alone without good works.
Good works completes our faith in Him. Jesus is the author and completer (the Beginning and the End) of our faith as we hear His voice in the Spirit of Truth opening up the Scriptures to our minds and we show our faith by bringing forth good works towards what we hear.
We cannot hide from His face in the Tree of Life….having a name that we are alive but having no good works to accompany our profession of faith. We are “dead” having faith alone without good works.
Revelation 3:1-6 KJV (1) And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Good works completes our faith. The church in Sardis did not produce those good works. The Lord did not find their works complete (perfect) before God.
(2) Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. (3) Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
(2) Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. (3) Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Some in “Adam” (meaning “red)…in Sardis (red ones)…who are "dead" will awaken to His voice and put on Christ and will walk with Him. Adam and Eve heard the Voice (Jesus Christ) walking in the Spirit of the Day….in the Day of Judgment. We are to overcome.
(4) Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
They did not hide in the Tree of Life in name only but actually partook of the fruit of life. Those who will hide in that Tree of Life when they hear His voice speaking to them today (and found not awakening to His righteousness) will have their name blotted out of the book of life.
(5) He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
The Spirit speaks…we hear His voice….and we are to hear and respond according to the instruction. Where is our faith? Where are you Adam? Will our called out works complete our faith? He is calling out the evidence of our faith towards the hearing of His Spirit of Truth.
(6) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
“Are you eating of the tree whereof I commanded you that you should not eat”?.
Genesis 3: (10) And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. (11) And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
The Tree of the knowledge of good and evil speaks of using our tongues being used to speak evil ( others as being “evildoers”) in judgment upon them. Those who do such things think that they are doing God “service” for killing another with their tongues…being judge, jury and executioner supposedly in God’s name.
Professing one’s self as “wise” and speaking evil of another supposedly as a “judge” for God (“For God knows…”) is eating of the wrong tree. There is only One Judge and One Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy. Who are we to judge another using our own carnal commandments of men as a basis for?
James 4:11-12 KJV (11) Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. (12) There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
Whosoever will “kill” you will think that they are doing God service. They eat from the wrong tree as they see themselves as “judges”…that is, “gods” or “Elohim”. They know as judges supposedly for God who and what is “good and evil” according to their own standards….according to their handwriting of dogmas that think are true.
John 16:1-3 KJV (1) These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. (2) They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. (3) And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
They love and practice THE Lie…the same Lie from the beginning:
“you shall surely not die” = by “killing, you shall not die”. They think that they are doing God service and have peace and safety in killing another with their tongues…speaking evil of their brother.
“For God does know” = you are doing this thing in God’s authority.
“Your eyes shall be opened” = you shall be seen as wise. Everyone wants to be seen as the “wise” one.
“You shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” = we shall be as judges for God as we know what and who is good and evil according to my own standard (according to the doctrines and commandments of men that we hold on to and think is true to keep).
Out of the same mouth one blesses God and yet curses other men made in His image. The fruit of this tree is death. The wages of THE Sin is death…death to the mortal body.
Genesis 3:4-7 KJV (4) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (6) And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
So the eating of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil did not open their own eyes per se but by the eating of it caused a response: Jesus came to tell them that they were naked…. without the clothing of God’s righteousness . He opened the eyes of their understanding so that they knew that they were “wretched,
(7) And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
But they did not overcome. All are dead in Adam. We must overcome and put on Christ.
We must “awake” to His righteousness. We “sleep” when we forget to do His commandments. We must arise from the dead….being dead in trespasses and sins. We must depart from those who will not do His commandments when they hear His voice. Christ shall give us light…..the full knowledge of God when we do this.
Ephesians 5:14-21 KJV (14) Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. (15) See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, (16) Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (17) Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
We must not be found “drunk with wine”…that is, drunk on the wine of wrath towards what we hear the Spirit saying. Instead, we are to be filled with what the Spirit is saying…drinking it in.
(18) And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
And rejoicing within our hearts and giving thanks to Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(19) Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; (20) Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; (21) Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
The wages of THE Sin is death...when we continue to eat of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The fruit of that is death to our mortal bodies.
Romans 6:23 KJV (23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So Adam was hiding in the Tree of Life (having a name that he was alive but was really dead). He was prevented from reaching out to take also of its fruit.
Genesis 3:22-24 KJV (22) And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: (23) Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Now we must use the sword of the Spirit to mortify.. deaden....kill...the practicing of the sin in our lives.
Romans 8:12-14 KJV (12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. (13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Genesis 3: (24) So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. ( Details here revelation)
