Review by anthougo -- Who Told You That You Were Naked?
Posted: 11 May 2019, 16:17
[Following is a volunteer review of "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs.]
4 out of 4 stars
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This book is an excursion into the events that transported sin and death into the world. Initially, God created humans for life eternal. This purpose was invalidated when our first parents flouted God’s order by feasting on the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It was an unassuming test of faith and trust in God. Unfortunately, our first parents failed this assessment.
Who could rescue humanity from the bottomless pit? Luckily for us, out of love, God devised a means of salvation through his Son (the new Adam) to reverse the fall. He also chose another woman, Mary (the new Eve). In addition, He chose the means of the fall as the means of salvation. In the garden of Eden, our first parents failed together under the tree. In the garden of Calvary, our new parents overcame together under the cross. Trees played roles in each event.
While the fruit of the first tree was the knowledge of good and evil, the fruit of the second tree was faith in our salvation through Jesus Christ. Whereas Eve said “Yes” to the serpent’s suggestive leadings, Mary said “Yes” to the angel’s promptings. The knowledge of good or evil which our first parents acquired, though, an asset according to the author, became the basis of our condemnation. After the greedy acquisition, yet, we were unable to become like the One we ambitiously desired to be like.
The author, {b}William E. Combs{/b}, brought dramatization to the Eden story, making it lively with roles and scenes that can be re-enacted at any time. The plot of the book, {i}Who Told You that You Were Naked? – A Refreshing Re-examination of the Garden of Eden{/i} was logically enriched with the author’s personal vignettes.
Right from the fall from pure innocence, a state where a man and a woman could be naked together and would not feel any shame, humanity has experienced unending dilemmas. The door that sin unlocked was the entrance into the abyss. We have discovered our differences and our emptiness before God. We have known shame and disgrace, and our relationship with our creator has remained tattered until the coming of Jesus Christ.
The elements I liked most about the book were the structure into coherent chapters and the effort by the author to ask didactic questions at the end of each chapter. Theology Students have the opportunity to answer revealing questions when studying the Eden account. I recommend the book to every person interested in knowing what actually happened at the Garden of Eden. The book is a must-read as it uncovers pressing issues not disclosed in the Bible.
I particularly gained the admonition that leaders (husbands) must be wary of listening totally to the reports their followers (wives) bring to their attention when they return home. This implies that leaders must be ready to listen to God before acting on reports. For instance, marriages will succeed when wives delay committing to any cause of action until both partners agreed that the decision was blessed by God. The way and manner husbands and wives listen to and act on advice from third parties are becomingly alarming. Many marriages are crumbling on a daily basis. Involving God in our decisions day to day becomes paramount. Without this divine involvement, we may lose our family home, divine purpose, and relational focus.
Since we did not create ourselves, it makes sense to always refer to the creator when important decisions are to be made. We can and should always judge our decisions and actions with this same knowledge of good and evil (an interesting characteristic bequeathed to us from the origin) through a conscience nurtured by faith.
I would rate the book 4 out of 4. The book was well edited; only minor punctuation errors were observed. The author delivered on his mission to re-examine the Eden history. Those who are wise learn a lot from history.
******
Who Told You That You Were Naked?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like anthougo's review? Post a comment saying so!
4 out of 4 stars
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This book is an excursion into the events that transported sin and death into the world. Initially, God created humans for life eternal. This purpose was invalidated when our first parents flouted God’s order by feasting on the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It was an unassuming test of faith and trust in God. Unfortunately, our first parents failed this assessment.
Who could rescue humanity from the bottomless pit? Luckily for us, out of love, God devised a means of salvation through his Son (the new Adam) to reverse the fall. He also chose another woman, Mary (the new Eve). In addition, He chose the means of the fall as the means of salvation. In the garden of Eden, our first parents failed together under the tree. In the garden of Calvary, our new parents overcame together under the cross. Trees played roles in each event.
While the fruit of the first tree was the knowledge of good and evil, the fruit of the second tree was faith in our salvation through Jesus Christ. Whereas Eve said “Yes” to the serpent’s suggestive leadings, Mary said “Yes” to the angel’s promptings. The knowledge of good or evil which our first parents acquired, though, an asset according to the author, became the basis of our condemnation. After the greedy acquisition, yet, we were unable to become like the One we ambitiously desired to be like.
The author, {b}William E. Combs{/b}, brought dramatization to the Eden story, making it lively with roles and scenes that can be re-enacted at any time. The plot of the book, {i}Who Told You that You Were Naked? – A Refreshing Re-examination of the Garden of Eden{/i} was logically enriched with the author’s personal vignettes.
Right from the fall from pure innocence, a state where a man and a woman could be naked together and would not feel any shame, humanity has experienced unending dilemmas. The door that sin unlocked was the entrance into the abyss. We have discovered our differences and our emptiness before God. We have known shame and disgrace, and our relationship with our creator has remained tattered until the coming of Jesus Christ.
The elements I liked most about the book were the structure into coherent chapters and the effort by the author to ask didactic questions at the end of each chapter. Theology Students have the opportunity to answer revealing questions when studying the Eden account. I recommend the book to every person interested in knowing what actually happened at the Garden of Eden. The book is a must-read as it uncovers pressing issues not disclosed in the Bible.
I particularly gained the admonition that leaders (husbands) must be wary of listening totally to the reports their followers (wives) bring to their attention when they return home. This implies that leaders must be ready to listen to God before acting on reports. For instance, marriages will succeed when wives delay committing to any cause of action until both partners agreed that the decision was blessed by God. The way and manner husbands and wives listen to and act on advice from third parties are becomingly alarming. Many marriages are crumbling on a daily basis. Involving God in our decisions day to day becomes paramount. Without this divine involvement, we may lose our family home, divine purpose, and relational focus.
Since we did not create ourselves, it makes sense to always refer to the creator when important decisions are to be made. We can and should always judge our decisions and actions with this same knowledge of good and evil (an interesting characteristic bequeathed to us from the origin) through a conscience nurtured by faith.
I would rate the book 4 out of 4. The book was well edited; only minor punctuation errors were observed. The author delivered on his mission to re-examine the Eden history. Those who are wise learn a lot from history.
******
Who Told You That You Were Naked?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like anthougo's review? Post a comment saying so!