Review by primeRex -- Who Told You That You Were Naked?

primeRex · Post by **primeRex** » 17 Jan 2019, 21:45

[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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Who Told You That You Were Naked is a Christian Faith based book of 242 pages and ten chapters by which William E. Combs scholarly explores themes of bewildering sorts among regular Christian discuss. Paramount is the issue of Sin. The author, a Presbyterian cleric hopes to achieve a number of objectives concerning the Christian faith. One such objective is to afford a better understanding of the origin, implications, effects, and remedy for sin. He does this by revisiting the scene where it all began- the Garden of Eden.

The Garden of Eden- a botanical paradise in a verdant landscape, east of Eden, is the abode of the first man- Adam. God visits every day to commune with him. But it soon became clear that in his absence, Adam felt a dearth of companionship, such that none of the animals could solve. Consequently, a companion is made for him, the first woman- Eve, with whom a tripartite mandate to cultivate, expand and extend the garden to all parts of the earth was given. They both are naked yet feel no shame. Alongside this mandate is an injunction not to eat of a tree planted at the center of the garden- the tree of knowledge of good and evil for "…in the day you eat of it, you will surely die." However, by the misleading urge of the serpent, they violate the injunction, eat the apple, discover they are naked and hide in the pistachio groove on realizing their nakedness. Consequently, God makes pronouncements on the serpent, the woman and the ground for Adam's sake.

William E. Combs argues that no sin was actually committed at Eden. Instead, the couple decided in-line with the deception or misleading of the serpent. This is the reason why only the serpent is cursed, while other pronouncements made towards the other two are merely measures to adjust them to their new feeling of lack of self-esteem- nakedness. According to the book, sin is a belligerent adversary in man aroused by a feeling of nakedness. It makes the man feel comparatively different from others. Thus, the urge to measure up by killing, coveting, stealing and so on, keeping the man from pleasing God. This causes man's separation from God and consequently his death of three dimensions: Spiritual, physical and relational. The proposed remedy for sin, however, is Faith in Jesus Christ the second Adam, mind transformation, death to sin, walking in the light and walking with God.

Again, Who Told You That You Were Naked aims to argue "wrong" summaries drawn by critics over the Genesis account of events of the Garden of Eden. The book argues that God did not intend to tempt the first couple and consequently punish them. It posits that while the command "not to eat of the tree…"was merely for them to have faith and total trust in His words, the pronouncements were aimed at readjusting them to their new circumstance of ample time and nothing much to do. Only the serpent was actually cursed or punished.

Furthermore, this book attempts to clear the air regarding the incorrect interpretation of events of the Bible due to subtly passed-over details. Thus, topics such as Faith, Sin, Repentance, Walk with God and hearing God among others are treated in this book. One such clarification that interests me is that Adam and Eve did not really Sin in the Garden as they never wanted any more than to be like their father- God. They only made a decision on the serpents misleading reasoning! Moreso, Adam and Eve did not hide because they sinned nor because they are afraid but because they now feel a sense of inferiority and shame in comparison with each other since their discovery of their nakedness.

There are a lot of features of this book that I love. The clear writing style and logical reasoning illuminate the reader's path to comprehension. Another is the veritable use of vignettes to illustrate Biblical plots. This technique adumbrates the events clearly enough so the reader can capture its import better. For example, although I had been familiar with the Biblical story of Noah and the ark in Genesis 6:15, I never realized the enormity of the task as the ark was comparatively the size of a football pitch- 450 by 75 by 45, and so will take years in the full glare of mockers to complete. It was an incredible task and explained why the people at Noah's time mocked at the idea.

The author tells his personal testimonies and those of others to prove the credulity of his theory, allowing the reader to relate with the author on a personal note.

Furthermore, the summary questions at the end of each Chapter aid my understanding and continuation in the flow of thought expressed in this book.

Being a well-edited book, I could not find a single typographical error, and so I rate Who Told You That You Were Naked a 4 out of 4 stars.

I will recommend this book to faith-based readers, scholarly researchers and critics while readers without any knowledge about facts of the Christian Bible may not find his book useful.

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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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