Clothed with the New Man

FROM CLOTHING OURSELVES WITH LEAVES TO BEING CLOTHED WITH THE NEW MAN

In Genesis chapter 3, you may recall that after Eve was tempted by the serpent, ate the forbidden fruit, and sinned, Adam listened to his wife, also ate, and sinned. 

Genesis continues in verses 7 and 8: “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound 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 among the trees of the garden.” (NKJV)

When we know we have done wrong, the first reaction is often a sense of shame over our sinful actions, followed by attempts to hide and avoid responsibility, and then blaming others.

But the point I want to focus on is what follows in the story in Genesis 3:21: “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” Notice carefully: first, the Lord took animal skins; second, He made tunics for them; and third, He clothed them. The most striking part is “clothed them.” Adam and Eve were adults—they knew how to dress themselves, and earlier they had already sewn fig leaves together to cover themselves. Why didn’t God simply make the garments from animal skins and hand them over for them to put on themselves?

God replaced the clothing Adam and Eve had made for themselves with new garments that He Himself made, and He personally clothed them. The use of animal skins implies that death occurred—an early picture pointing to atonement through blood, which would later be fully fulfilled in the Lord Jesus. This becomes especially meaningful when we read in the New Testament, Ephesians 4:21–24: “21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

”Paul’s language of “putting off the old man” and “putting on the new man” in Ephesians 4:22–24 strongly echoes Genesis chapter 3.

Paul uses the Greek word anthrōpos (man/person), not a word that simply means “self.” Some modern translations render it as “old self / new self,” which can be misleading and lead readers to imagine an ongoing internal battle between two “selves” within the believer. In reality, Paul is emphasizing a change of identity: from the person belonging to Adam (the old) to the person belonging to Christ (the new).

Believers were taught that they are to (and have) put off the old way of life and put on the new man—that is, to live in a manner consistent with the new creation already made in Christ. When they trusted in the Lord, they were clothed with Christ; from that new identity they receive power and motivation to walk in obedience. Through Christ, believers have both the ability and the motivation to keep God’s commandments.

At times we fail to live in a way that pleases Him. When that happens, we often lose the motivation to please Him. So how can we as Christians obtain the power to live lives that please God? Where does the motivation to please God come from? Ephesians 4:21–24 helps us understand this clearly.

When we fail, we do not need to reach for “fig leaves” to hide, justify, or shift blame. We trust in the abundant grace of the Lord that is greater than our sin. We return to Christ and confess our sins (1 John 1:9). And from there we rise again to walk in obedience and sanctification.

Reflection:

Take a moment to meditate on your position in the redeeming work of Christ.

Do you truly believe that the Lord has made you a new creation, clothed with Christ?

Why do we so often struggle to obey God’s Word? Remember: We do not obey in order to become new people. We learn to obey because God has already made us new in Christ. This is Good News, also the true source of power and motivation for the Christian life.

Human beings try to cover their shame with what they themselves can do. But God, in His grace, provides what people cannot fully or perfectly supply for themselves. And in Christ, He does not merely cover us. He makes us new.

Amen.

Long Ho