Over the last few years I have enjoyed reading “The Week”- a weekly magazine that pulls together the best articles from around the world that have been published in the last seven days. A few weeks ago this article, originally published in the Guardian, caught my attention. Stephen Gough, known as the Naked Rambler, has been in prison for the past six years because he refuses to wear clothes. He has had a series of short sentences and gets arrested each time he leaves prison because he persists in being naked.

You might well ask why this article caught my attention! As it happened, I was working at the time on Genesis 1-3 whilst preparing for one of our Family Services. As a result one of Gough’s comments from the article stood out:

“One day I was walking and something happened. I realised I was good. Being British, buried in our upbringing is that we’re not good or have to watch ourselves – maybe it comes from religion, or school. I realised that at a fundamental level I’m good, we’re all good, and you can trust that one part of yourself.”

The journalist goes on to comment:

“This self-realisation led to Gough often choosing to be naked in public: if he was good, then his body was good. “The human body isn’t offensive,” he says. “If that’s what we’re saying, as human beings, then it’s not rational.””

Parents (and others?) will probably be glad that I resisted pursuing this theme in the Family Service. But it is worth noting that the account we have in Genesis agrees with the logic of Gough’s comment: if we are good then we don’t need to hide ourselves away. The conclusion of Genesis 2 reads like this:

“The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” (NIV)

It is a beautiful picture in many ways of the openness that Adam and Eve enjoyed before God and each other. There was simply nothing to hide and no reason to be ashamed as they lived in their state of innocence.

Of course that all changed when Adam and Eve sinned against God. What struck me, though, as I reflected on this was the first consequence of that sin. It is recorded for us in Genesis 3:7:

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

The first response to sin is to run for cover. Adam and Eve hide from God because they are naked v.10. Shame has entered their world- and they want to cover it up.

In the end God provides clothing for Adam and Eve in v.20. This could be an act of kindness but it is Calvin who observes that it may be God creating a permanent reminder of their sinfulness- never again could they be naked and unashamed.

Deep down society knows this to be true. Gough’s logic is right- if we are good then we have no reason to hide away. But in the end we all know that there is a right sense of shame in us that needs to be covered up. It is not appropriate to be completely open anymore because we are all guilty of sin.

So far as I can tell (and corrections are welcomed!) the Bible doesn’t pursue this theme of nakedness- at least at a literal level. Even perfected beings in the new creation appear to be wearing clothes- which may come as a relief to us. But it does say that the tendency to hide away from God continues in the present day, even with the coming of Jesus.

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” (John 3:19-20, NIV)

From Adam and Eve onwards, human beings have not wanted to be exposed. We don’t want to admit our shame and guilt. We hide.

And yet there is an alternative. We can bring our sense of shame and guilt to God. There is pain in that. In C.S.Lewis The Voyage of the Dawntreader, Eustace becomes so obsessed with the dragon that he eventually becomes one complete with ugly thick dragon like skin. Eustace comes to Aslan who tells him: “You will have to let me undress you.” That is a deeply painful process as Aslan picks away at the dragon’s skin but eventually Eustace is left naked, free and content.

The picture in the Bible is slightly different. We come to him and allow our sin and wrongdoing to be exposed. There is a nakedness in that. But he clothes us- but not with the clothing given to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. Instead we have the paradoxical picture of Revelation- being clothed in robes made white in the blood of a Lamb. We need not be ashamed because the Lord Jesus has shed his blood that we may be clean.

Why shouldn’t Stephen Gough walk around naked? Because in the end he, like us, is a sinner. But there’s an answer to that- a Saviour who dies and forgives. That means for eternity we will never have to hide in shame.

So the call is to draw near to God rather to hide from Him. Sadly we still sin as Christians and the temptation when we do is to hide from God and cover up our shame. But the way to be without shame is to come back into the light and allow ourselves to be exposed- that we might be forgiven and given His perfect clothing.