3 out of 4 stars
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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
is an intriguing book written by William E. Combs. It looks at what is known about Adam and Eve, and the repercussions of the Fall, and how that applies to people in this day and age. The book starts off by giving a personal story, which is tied to the creation of Adam, and eventually his being taken to Eden. After sometime, God saw his loneliness and made a helpmate for him, and after Adam’s appreciation for the woman, they started working together to make the area God gave them flourish. However, eventually they disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they were not supposed to, and experienced death, but it was relational and spiritual death, because they felt naked before each other and before God.
When Cain and Abel, their children, came into the picture, the intellect that has been acquired through that transgression, the knowledge of good and evil, made Cain kill Abel, though he had been warned to not let it rule him. This is the first time sin came into the picture, meaning sin is not just the act of offense, but also the knowledge of good and evil in us crouching at the door to master us into the sinful act itself. The tree was put there for God to test their faith, since they had been given access to everything else except that tree.
Faith can be categorised as ‘little’ faith or real faith. God cannot be coerced to do someone’s bidding. Jesus was sinless, and that is why only He could take our place in judgment. Trying to overcome sin means we are alive to it, and that is why we need to be transformed by the renewal of our mind, and the renewal is done to us. Our transformation is more than just the mind because the Holy Spirit directs us and reveals what He hears. If we walk in the light, our fellowship with God is continuous. Repentance and being born again shows a true change of heart and desire to be reconciled back to God. It allows Jesus to come and renew our minds so that we become who God wants us to be, and play our role in the Kingdom.
The Bible lights our spiritual path, God’s voice is heard in our spirit, and God’s peace surpasses all understanding, even in times of suffering, because suffering is guaranteed for believers, as a way of building character. We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, as we cannot fight the adversary without submitting to God first, and walking righteously with Him. God gives His rest, which is to be entered into continually. Therefore believers can rest in Him because He already finished everything. We are equipped with unique gifts that allow us to perform the finished work. Our sin runs deeper than acts, and so we need to be redeemed by Jesus, and then be the salt and light in the earth. In this, we are to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus.
I liked how the author was able to break down the story of the fall of man, using stories and other scriptures for increased credibility. At the end of it, the sin talked about in Genesis was related to salvation in the New Testament, and it was done in a deep and meaningful way that convicted the heart. I didn’t like the section where what was written by the mentor was added because it was pretty difficult to understand and sometimes it lacked flow. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I gave it this rating because it was a very insightful and thought-provoking book, with very few grammatical errors. This book would appeal to believers the most, because it helps them understand why they are to do what they have been called to do, and how to do it. It would be least appealing to those who are not interested with religion or too much talk of sin and repentance, but would tend to look at things in a more logical manner. All in all, it was a beautiful book to read.
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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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