Nudity = SIN... IT DOESN'T HAVE TO
Ok, everyone knows that the bible, God's word, says that nudity, especially public nudity is wrong, and calls it a sin, right?
WRONG!
Nudity (nakedness) is mentioned many times in the bible, and most times its referenced with being ashamed. Lets dig into this subject a little.
Before we get rolling to far, lets look at Genesis 1:26a;
"Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;"
Ok, God is a spirit, so how can we be made in God's likeness? Look again at this verse, it says that man was made in OUR likeness. I personally believe that refers to the TRINITY, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Now God the Son (Jesus) wasn't born yet, but I believe that he was at the beginning, with God, during the creation of the universe. Jesus had a body, and even though he wasn't "born" into this world then, he was with God at this time.
Now lets look at some verses pertaining to nakedness. This is not going to be a complete, exhaustive list of each time nakedness is mentioned, but just some of the areas that really nailed this issue down for me.
This verse states that Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed. Well of course, they were in the garden of Eden, and were living in a perfect world, without sin! No sin means no shame. They fellowshipped with God in the garden, while nude!
Unfortunately Sin entered the world, when the serpent got Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit (no where does the bible say it was a apple) from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This is the first sin. After eating the fruit, their eyes were opened to sin, and they knew they had done wrong. They made a covering of themselves, scripture doesn't say that they covered their genitalia, which is what most will tell you what they covered. I believe that they made a covering to hid themselves from God, so they wouldn't be seen.
Looking farther along, God clothed them, so this obviously means that God didn't intend for us to be naked. But what happens at the same time that he provided "Tonics of skin, and clothed them"? God sent them from the garden of Eden, into what will be a much tougher environment, with there were thorns, and other items that they would need protection from.
Wait a minute, so if God feels the need to clothe Adam and Eve, then He must still feel the same way now! Didn't God say earlier that he looked at all of his creation and said that it was good? Yes He did, lets look at Genesis 1:31;
"Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
So if He made man (Adam and Eve, though at this point Eve wasn't created yet) naked, and he called his creation GOOD, what changed between Gen. 1:31 and Gen. 3:23 when He sent them out of the garden? Well, sin entered into the world, and as a result, their living conditions changed, meaning they no longer lived in the comfort of the garden of Eden, but now lived in a harsh world. I feel that God clothed them for their protection against the environment they were going to be calling home.
I realize that these are my thoughts, but since the bible isn't specific about why God clothed them, but rather left it sort of gray, this tells me that I don't think it mattered what they wore or didn't wear! If God had intended us to be clothed at specific times, or when around other people, don't you think He would've mentioned it in the bible?
"2 at the same time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and remove the sackcloth from your body, and take your sandals off your feet.” And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. 3 Then the Lord said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia,"
WAIT A MINUTE, GOD DID WHAT?
He spoke to Isaiah and told him to walk naked and barefoot, and Isaiah did it for 3 years! How can God, who hates sin, command someone to sin? God used Isaiah by walking naked for 3 years, as a sign against Egypt and Ethiopia, and how they would be ashamed for their actions. Ok, so God used Isaiah's nudity to prove a point, that nakedness causes shame! Wrong, the shame wasn't caused by their nakedness, but by the fact that they were prisoners of the king of Assyria. History shows that during this time, prisoners where held captive naked. So the shame wasn't from their nakedness but rather from their captivity.
Shame as it's associated with nakedness throughout the bible isn't caused by the nakedness, but rather what was being associated with the nakedness. I would add that as you study God's word, and come across nakedness and shame, look closely at that passage, and study it, you will find that my statement in the first sentence of this paragraph is true.
I will add to this page from time to time. But these 2 areas of God's word is what convinced me that simple non-sexual nudity, even in a social/public setting, is not sin.
WRONG!
Nudity (nakedness) is mentioned many times in the bible, and most times its referenced with being ashamed. Lets dig into this subject a little.
Before we get rolling to far, lets look at Genesis 1:26a;
"Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;"
Ok, God is a spirit, so how can we be made in God's likeness? Look again at this verse, it says that man was made in OUR likeness. I personally believe that refers to the TRINITY, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Now God the Son (Jesus) wasn't born yet, but I believe that he was at the beginning, with God, during the creation of the universe. Jesus had a body, and even though he wasn't "born" into this world then, he was with God at this time.
Now lets look at some verses pertaining to nakedness. This is not going to be a complete, exhaustive list of each time nakedness is mentioned, but just some of the areas that really nailed this issue down for me.
- First off, the first mention of "naked" happens in Genesis 2:25;
This verse states that Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed. Well of course, they were in the garden of Eden, and were living in a perfect world, without sin! No sin means no shame. They fellowshipped with God in the garden, while nude!
Unfortunately Sin entered the world, when the serpent got Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit (no where does the bible say it was a apple) from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This is the first sin. After eating the fruit, their eyes were opened to sin, and they knew they had done wrong. They made a covering of themselves, scripture doesn't say that they covered their genitalia, which is what most will tell you what they covered. I believe that they made a covering to hid themselves from God, so they wouldn't be seen.
Looking farther along, God clothed them, so this obviously means that God didn't intend for us to be naked. But what happens at the same time that he provided "Tonics of skin, and clothed them"? God sent them from the garden of Eden, into what will be a much tougher environment, with there were thorns, and other items that they would need protection from.
Wait a minute, so if God feels the need to clothe Adam and Eve, then He must still feel the same way now! Didn't God say earlier that he looked at all of his creation and said that it was good? Yes He did, lets look at Genesis 1:31;
"Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
So if He made man (Adam and Eve, though at this point Eve wasn't created yet) naked, and he called his creation GOOD, what changed between Gen. 1:31 and Gen. 3:23 when He sent them out of the garden? Well, sin entered into the world, and as a result, their living conditions changed, meaning they no longer lived in the comfort of the garden of Eden, but now lived in a harsh world. I feel that God clothed them for their protection against the environment they were going to be calling home.
I realize that these are my thoughts, but since the bible isn't specific about why God clothed them, but rather left it sort of gray, this tells me that I don't think it mattered what they wore or didn't wear! If God had intended us to be clothed at specific times, or when around other people, don't you think He would've mentioned it in the bible?
- Would God command someone to sin?
"2 at the same time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and remove the sackcloth from your body, and take your sandals off your feet.” And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. 3 Then the Lord said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia,"
WAIT A MINUTE, GOD DID WHAT?
He spoke to Isaiah and told him to walk naked and barefoot, and Isaiah did it for 3 years! How can God, who hates sin, command someone to sin? God used Isaiah by walking naked for 3 years, as a sign against Egypt and Ethiopia, and how they would be ashamed for their actions. Ok, so God used Isaiah's nudity to prove a point, that nakedness causes shame! Wrong, the shame wasn't caused by their nakedness, but by the fact that they were prisoners of the king of Assyria. History shows that during this time, prisoners where held captive naked. So the shame wasn't from their nakedness but rather from their captivity.
Shame as it's associated with nakedness throughout the bible isn't caused by the nakedness, but rather what was being associated with the nakedness. I would add that as you study God's word, and come across nakedness and shame, look closely at that passage, and study it, you will find that my statement in the first sentence of this paragraph is true.
I will add to this page from time to time. But these 2 areas of God's word is what convinced me that simple non-sexual nudity, even in a social/public setting, is not sin.