3 out of 4 stars
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Who Told You That You Were Naked? A Refreshing Reexamination of the Garden of Eden
By William E. Combs
In the book, William E. Combs seeks to appeal to the intellectual Christian by turning the story of Genesis upside-down. While many Christians believe that sin entered the world when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Combs describes it as an act that strengthened the relationship between God and man. Combs relies on verses and chapters from the rest of the Bible to enhance his points. Study questions are included at the end of every chapter.
Combs describes the story of Adam and Eve as the first created man and woman in the Garden of Eden. God instructs Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Of course, we know that they disobey this instruction. They now know judgment of good and evil and the vulnerability of their nakedness. Attempting to cover their vulnerability; they clothe themselves. God questions them, “Who told you that you were naked?”. God does not describe their actions as sin; it is not until Cain’s murder of his brother Abel that sin enters the world.
God restores Adam and Eve by increasing a woman’s desire for her husband and causing work to be hard for man. This helps repair the relationship between Adam and Eve and increases respect for the work to grow God’s kingdom on earth. Therefore, what Christians have long believed to be punishment is restorative. The next generation, Cain and Abel, show how sin enters the world.
Midway through the book, Combs describes the faith of Abraham in Genesis to faith in the New Testament. Chapter five discusses differences between little faith and real faith. Real faith produces results; such as when Abraham took on God’s instructions, or when Jesus healed the sick. Combs describes the aspect of individual relationship with God. The remaining chapters discuss New Testament ideas that God allowed people to be tempted to sin to restore them through salvation in Jesus.
I would give this book 3 out of 4 stars. The editing and grammar were professional. I enjoyed Combs’ refreshing take on the Genesis story and found many of the points to be thought-provoking. It would make an ideal guide for a group bible study. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was that it included passages from outside the bible, and it wasn’t clear where the text was from. The chapters could have been more concise; some points were scattered.
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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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