3 out of 4 stars
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Most of us have read or heard the Creation Story and the fall of humanity. Eve was without Adam in the Garden of Eden when she was approached by the snake who persuaded her to eat from the one tree that God had forbidden them to eat from; the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After engaging in the sin herself, Eve brings the fruit home to her husband and convinces him to also partake in the sin. It is then that their eyes are opened and the realize they are naked. As God Comes in the Garden to fellowship with them for the evening, they hide. God asks them why they are hiding and they reply because they are naked. Then God asks them the question that forms the meat of this book, “Who told you that you were naked?”
William E. Combs’ book Who Told You That You Were Naked explores why this question is so important to the story regarding the fall of mankind into sin and in finding meaning with the other aspects of the rest of the story in Genesis. Combs also goes beyond Adam and Eve’s story to other Old Testament figures as well as the story of salvation through Jesus Christ in the New Testament. In addition to the Biblical examples of points the author makes, he also shares personal testimonies that illustrate the same concepts.
The largest bulk of the book focuses on the immediate effects of the disobedience of Adam and Eve and the way God addressed their act. The author gives a variety of insights I have never heard before in a logical and sound argument. The second largest piece of the book deals with the writings of Paul and how they can be interpreted through the conclusions the author has arrived at in Genesis which offers a more concrete, yet still vague, concept for man’s struggle with sin and how to accept the grace offered through the cross.
The author did make a logically sound argument for his interpretation of what happened in Genesis and how it continues to affect the way we understand and deal with sin today, however it seemed like a bit of a rocky road to arrive at the conclusion. It felt like a Bible-flipping sermon where you lose the point the preacher is trying to make because there’s so much back and forth with references it is hard to connect the dots at times. They do connect but I had to wait until the end of the book to put them together. The first four chapters of this book all settle around a linear explanation of the Adam and Eve story, however that all changes in chapter five. The author takes a drastic turn into the New Testament and into the writings of Paul and the point to doing so is not immediately clear.
To make this abrupt transition more confusing the author has accidently called Jesus Joshua starting on page 68 and then made reference to Paul, the New Testament epistle writer, writing Genesis on page 71. The slip ups between these Old and New Testament figures leaves the reader scratching their head and trying to figure out if the transition is real or simply a complete miss on the author’s part. It is only much later in the book that we see why the author has discoursed into the New Testament and how it ties back into the first part of the book dealing with Genesis after untangling the names of the key players.
The author uses several personal testimonies in an effort to illustrate some of the concepts he has written on throughout the book. The stories are certainly interesting and one can argue that they need to be told, however I find I didn’t make note of any of them in my understanding of the book and ones like the personal testimony starting on page 101 really do not do anything to add to the concept the author is describing. In the section prior to the start of this particular story the author talks about how we must accept Christ in order to reestablish the broken spiritual relationship the Garden created. The story delves into how the author came to be saved through grace by Jesus Christ. As a devotional, it is a nice read but it doesn’t do much to illustrate the repairing of the spiritual relationship between himself and Christ nor does it add to the previous discussion or make a concept more concrete. If it is to be used, the author needs to strengthen his examples.
At the end of each chapter is a list of study questions for a small Bible study group. Most of the questions have a direct answer from the study. The author was also helpful in putting references to the Bible verses at the ends of the questions. I would have liked to have seen some more personal questions that would have allowed the reader to pinpoint things and situations in their life they could apply the information from the chapter to. Although these questions tend to make us more uncomfortable in group settings, they lead to real insight, discussion, and change. In the hands of a good small group leader and/or for a group eager to discuss these concepts though, these questions can lead to some thought provoking discussions.
The author has an organized writing style in which he addresses his points to the verses he is discussing in a way that builds upon the ideas and follows logical patterns. He almost conforms to an outline approach when writing and makes use of subtitles. On troubling aspect of the subtitle usage is that throughout the book the author will restate the beginning of the paragraph that was just written and then follow it up with a new subtitle. This happens multiple times throughout the book but I will use page 81 as an example.
“The serpent was correct to indicate the Lord had this aptitude. But he deceived the first couple into believing they would become more like God by gaining this understanding…The serpent was correct to indicate the Lord had this aptitude. But he deceived the first couple into believing they would become more like God by gaining this understanding.
Jesus The Only Sinless Son of Adam”
This example shows the disconnect, thus highlighting the lack of any immediate connection, between the new subtitle and the ending of the previous section. In fact, this new subsection deals with Paul’s writings in the New Testament and begins to discuss the links between the two Testaments so it is unclear why the author repeats these beginnings of the paragraphs prior to a new subtitle throughout the book.
Overall, the errors in the book are few as far as spelling, grammar, and punctuation are concerned, however there are a handful. These errors are small and should not detract from the reader’s enjoyment or understanding of the book. To list a few examples of the minor mistakes I can point out page 11 “A ewe emerged to drink” instead of An ewe, page 83 “not my will by Yours be done” instead of but, and page 95 “How do your tread?” instead of do you tread. Another peculiar thing I saw was just about every Bible verse has the phrase “emphasis mine” in it when there was no other emphasis shown except in the emphasis mine statement so it is unnecessary or the book formatting did not work out properly in the digital copy I had; although I find that strange since emphasis mine was emphasized. The book has some larger issues to do with editing but this part of it is well under control and therefore it is easy to read and understand regarding these issues.
Although I had a hard time following the author’s jerky transition into connecting the Old and New Testaments in his interpretation of what this Genesis story means and how it applies to the salvation plan through the cross, I ended up liking the book and being impressed with the theory he laid out with supporting references. I found the question “Who told you that you were naked” still holds power in my life today and that I can break these strongholds by reminding myself of the grace I am offered as well as claiming these verses in the New Testament that deal with the solution to the problem. I’m still slightly unclear on how to “die to sin” as Paul has written, but this book makes the process of understanding exactly what sin is, why we minimize it and disqualify it, and how the cross has offered us not just a way out of sin but the opportunity to restore our spiritual and relational deaths that occurred in the Garden. This would make a good study for both small groups and Bible studies as well as a resource for pastors working on sermons. It is not overly theological and heady so it is easy for readers to grasp the concepts on their own. This is also not a take on Genesis I have heard before so for that alone it was worth the read to me because I enjoy seeing if I agree with other perspectives and decide whether the proposed thesis holds merit. Either way, it will help you connect the Old and New Testament on this subject and solidify your own beliefs on original sin and how sin was dealt with prior to the cross and after the cross.
Because of some of the structural issues with subtitles, the choppy transition into the New Testament from the Old, and the misuse of key figures names, I have to give this book 3 out of 4 stars. I do recommend it as a read that will make readers think about what they believe and back it up with scripture, and felt the author was able to support his interpretation well. A good edit could really help push this work into a 4 out of 4 star book that could easily pick up small group and Bible Study groups for readers.
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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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