Have you ever stopped to wonder,
“Why do people wear clothes?”
Many times throughout the year clothes are not needed for warmth or protection from the elements. So why do people wear them anyway? Why are people and cultures worldwide driven to wear clothes of some sort?
Discussing the history of clothing, Wikipedia says, “The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of most human societies.”
According to evolutionists, humans are just animals. But no animals naturally wear clothes. If “wearing clothes” naturally evolved as humans purportedly evolved from lower animals, one would expect some animals would wear clothes. But none do.
Evolutionists have no explanation for clothes. But Genesis explains the reason for clothes. Adam and Eve started it.
So, did Adam wear clothes in Eden? The answer is both “No” and “Yes.”
There was no need for clothing before sin. Adam and Eve did not wear clothes in the Garden of Eden before they sinned by eating the Forbidden Fruit. They lived naked in perfect ease.
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
(Genesis 2:25 NASB)
The need for clothing followed sin. After sin, clothing was needed to cover shame and forestall more sin.
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. (Genesis 3:6-7 NASB)
you proclaim the truth of Genesis!
Genesis alone has the explanation for why people wear clothes – Modesty. Every time you see someone wearing clothes, it is silent testimony to the truth of Genesis. Thus every single day of your life you see evidence of the truth of Genesis. Every time you get dressed, you proclaim the truth of Genesis!
Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together for loin coverings (Genesis 3:7).
Adam’s and Eve’s sin affected them immediately. This transpired in rapid succession:
They sinned.
Their eyes were opened.
They realized they were naked.
They made loin coverings from fig leaves.
Why did they feel the need to cover themselves? They were the only two people on earth. Prior to sinning, they were naked but not ashamed (Genesis 2:25). Why were they ashamed after sin?
Why did they only make loin coverings? Why didn’t they make coverings for other parts of the body?
Their sin of disobedience “opened” their eyes, and they realized that they were naked. Apparently after the fall there is a deep, mysterious connection between sin and shame on the one hand and exposing the human reproductive organs on the other.
Animals do not wear clothes and do not exhibit shame. Yet in societies worldwide people feel shame when without clothes. This fact validates the literal interpretation of the historical account in Genesis. Genesis alone provides a reasonable “doctrine of clothing.”
Later Yahweh Himself made garments of skin for Adam and Eve and clothed them (Genesis 3:21). In the process of obtaining the skins for their clothes, Yahweh probably sacrificed animals for their sin and taught them about blood sacrifices that were later more fully described by Moses in Leviticus.
These blood sacrifices of animals were foreshadowings of the perfect and effective sacrifice for sin that would eventually be made by Jesus 4,000 years later on the cross in Jerusalem. (Hebrews 10:1-14)
Clothing Today
People spend an inordinate amount of time and money today on clothing.
The vast majority of mall stores are haberdasheries; they are focused on selling some form of clothing.
The BibleScienceGuy likes pockets!
My jacket has 5 pockets, shirt 2, pants 6.
Each garment has the minimum acceptable
number of pockets. Even my hat has a
pocket, & I have a pouch pocket attached
to my belt. This totals 15 essential pockets.
Think of all the advertising slogans like “Clothes make the man” that are intended to sell more clothes. According to advertisers, you need different clothing for every different activity of life and different clothes for different times of day.
Contrary to the opinion of many, style is not the main point of clothes. Today clothing has three main purposes: first – modesty, second – pockets, third – warmth & protection. Style is not one of them.
Commenting on style, playwright Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) said, “Indeed what is a fashion really? A fashion is merely a form of ugliness so absolutely unbearable that we have to alter it every six months! It is quite clear that were it beautiful and rational we would not alter anything that combined those two rare qualities.”
(From Wilde’s essay The Philosophy of Dress, New York Tribune, April 19, 1885, p 9.)
Look in your closet. Do you have more apparel than you need?
Could you reclaim time and money for more valuable pursuits by reducing the amount spent on clothing?
Kepler likes pockets too!
Dogs don’t need clothes to cover shame, but
pockets are great for kindling, food, water.
Here are Jesus’ words of sanity regarding clothing:
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? … And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:25, 28-33 NASB; see also Luke 12:22-31)
Clothing was not just an issue solely for Adam and Eve. Because of their sin, all their descendants are sinners. Clothing is a necessity today to prevent the sin of lust and the sins of fornication and adultery which follow.
Jesus said,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28 NASB)
The Apostle Paul wrote,
Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. (1 Timothy 2:9-10 NASB)
The Apostle Peter also instructed wives to be chaste:
In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:1-4 NASB)
Scripture is clear: because of sin, modest clothing is necessary.
Jesus’ instructions on how to pray are so valuable with regard to our own and others’ clothing choices:
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
(Matthew 6:13,12 NASB)
Questions to Ponder
- Do you have clothes that are immodest or that verge on being immodest?
- How many pairs of shoes do you have? Do you truly need to keep buying more?
Share your thoughts on these questions in the comments below. It could encourage or help another reader.
Soli Deo Gloria.
This is the 15th of a series of weekly blog articles on Adam.
Read the prequels:
1. Was Adam in the Garden of Eden?
2. Did Moses Believe in Adam?
3. Did Jesus Believe in Adam?
4. Did Paul Believe in Adam?
5. Does Belief in Adam Matter?
6. Adam and Puppies
7. Why Did Adam Sin?
8. What Should Adam Have Done?
9. What Did Adam Cause?
10. What Was Adam’s Forbidden Fruit?
11. How Long Was Adam in Eden?
12. Was Adam’s Garden of Eden Real?
13. Christmas & Adam (with videos)
14. Where Was Adam’s Garden of Eden?
Read the sequels:
16. Was Adam Backward or Brilliant? (with video)
17. Who Was Mrs. Adam?
18. Adam’s Dream Girl
19. Adam’s Prolific Princess
20. Adam’s Problematic Princess
21. How Many Children Did Adam Have?
22. Whom Did Adam’s Sons Marry?
23. Did Adam Ride a Unicorn?
24. How Long Did Adam Live?
25. Did Adam Swat Mosquitoes in Eden?
26. Did Adam’s Garden Have a Talking Snake?
27. Why Should Adam’s Sin Affect Me?
28. Did Roses Have Thorns in Adam’s Garden?
29. Adam the Image-Bearer & Harambe the Gorilla
30. Did Adam Ever Return to Eden?
31. What Was Adam’s Tree of Life?
32. Will Adam Be in Heaven?
33. Did Adam See the Big Dipper?
34. Did Adam Know Earth Is Round?
35. Did Jesus Say When Adam Was Created?
36. Did Adam See Dinosaurs?
37. Did Adam Like Steak?
38. Could Adam Read & Write?
39. Did God Use Evolution to Make Adam?
40. Adam & the Olympics
41. Adam and the Gospel
42. Adam and the Genesis Road
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©William T. Pelletier, Ph.D.
“contending earnestly for the faith”
“destroying speculations against the knowledge of God”
“for the defense of the gospel”
(Jude 1:3; 2 Cor 10:5; Phil 1:16)
Wednesday January 13, 2016 A.D.
The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 2:16; 3:1-6)
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Bible-Science Guy 
Birds build nests, hermit crabs wear shells from other crabs. Off the top of my head, there are two examples of non-human animals taking material and using it for warmth/protection like clothes. A nest is like a blanket, which is like a jacket.
Consider that humans have migrated further than most species so they needed clothing to keep them warm. We’d have died in Europe without it. There’s also the protection aspect, allowing them to move in terrain that their less intelligent competitors could not. Clothing is just a tool, like a stone knife. Those who didn’t adopt it might have died out from cold or starvation.
Modesty probably came much later, once people got used to wearing clothes all the time. Perhaps it encouraged monogamy. Different cultures have different social rules. In Europe, women can be topless at the beach no problem, in the US that would be unbiblical. In some Muslim families, even husbands shouldn’t see their wives naked. That suggests that modesty is inconsistent and not some God-given instinct
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By: Jack Johnston on January 13, 2016
at 8:15 am
Thank you for reading and commenting. I’m glad you’re thinking about these issues, and I appreciate your feedback.
I don’t agree with you that a bird’s nest or a hermit crab’s shell is comparable to clothing. I would agree that they are comparable to a tent or cabin.
My criteria is to adhere to the record of earliest events which the Creator preserved for us in Genesis. Adam and Eve felt ashamed immediately after sinning and covered their loins with fig leaves. Then Yahweh Himself made clothes from animal skins to cover them. The fundamental purpose for clothes recorded in Genesis is modesty. Additions to the minimum may be adjusted for climate and activity, but your speculation that the primary purpose was warmth and protection and that modesty came much later contradicts God’s written Word. This I cannot accept.
Adam’s and Eve’s behavior after sinning of making fig leaf loin coverings shows that modesty is a Creator-instilled response to nakedness.
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By: BibleScienceGuy on January 13, 2016
at 12:07 pm
I thought you were the Bible SCIENCE Guy but you seem to be starting with a conclusion and rejecting any evidence that conflicts with it. That isn’t science.
I’m not sure I really understand the biblical account if it is taken literally. Were Adam and Eve ashamed of their bodies even when they were husband and wife and alone on earth? Were they ashamed in front of their children? It would have been decades before anyone on earth wasn’t from their immediate family. No strangers to be modest in front of. We are not inherently ashamed of nudity in front of our spouses and children, it can’t be God given.
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By: Jack Johnston on January 13, 2016
at 12:33 pm
Everyone has a worldview through which they interpret the world. I believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of the Creator and hence is true. I start with the Bible as Truth and interpret evidence from nature in its light. Those who adhere to scientism accept science as their arbiter of truth. The differences of opinion you and I have about issues discussed in this blog are rooted in worldview differences. These different opinions will continue as long as we have different worldviews.
Genesis is a straightforward history of mankind’s beginnings. And yes, I take it literally, as the author intended.
Adam and Eve were not ashamed before they sinned (Genesis 2:25), but they were after they sinned, as indicated by immediately making loin coverings from fig leaves. Thus it is clear that a sense of modesty was displayed after sinning; it was ingrained by the Creator from the beginning. It is still present today, although the depravity of sin causes many people to override it.
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By: BibleScienceGuy on January 14, 2016
at 3:22 pm
Methinks another good question to ask – at least I had to ask myself – is whether God wore clothes in the garden? I can only ponder but have had some thoughts on this.
He obviously walked in the garden, requiring legs, and interacted in a personal way with Adam and Eve. So it seems to imply that He manifested to them in what we call a Christophany, as Christ has always been the mediator between God and man, being His WORD (communication) and face to us.
And if you think of the word “image” as something visually perceived, it is Christ’s “image” in which Adam was created, Genesis 1:26. For Adam could hardly be likened to the Eternal Unlimited Mind and Energy of God in His fullness, though indeed man had been given authority in his earthly domain and other attributes reflecting the Creator for which mankind is held accountable.
Adam also being called a “son of God” Luke 3:38, and Christ being the “last Adam,” 1 Corinthians 15:45.
Being in Christ’s image is also hinted at in Romans 8:28 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren,” (in the resurrection and transformation of the physical body).
Speaking of Christ, “FOR HE IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD… BEFORE ALL THINGS… CREATOR OF ALL THINGS,” Colossians 1:15 – 2:9 “For in Him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form”.
Back to the garden; it seems likely that God would present Himself in a somewhat familiar form to promote relationship with Adam.
And it is not likely that if He did manifest Himself walking and talking and resembling a masculine figure, He would do so without being clothed. As mentioned, He would teach them the necessity for clothing.
I think too, that since Satan’s temptation was to be like God, they must have seen God in some familiar way that they could hope to emulate. And this may have been when they first realized this profound difference between them. They were exposed to Him, but He was concealed to them!
Could this be why they immediately constructed coverings for themselves out of the only materials at hand – to emulate God?
I doubt seriously that they were embarrassed or ashamed of their physical form with one another! “Now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh,” Adam had exclaimed, they were obviously intimately bonded.
Was being “less than” God what seemed “shameful” to them?
Satan had in fact enticed them to become as gods which he aspired to himself. Neither Satan, nor Adam and Eve really knew their Creator well.
And none of this was a surprise to God as He knows the end from the beginning. It was necessary for Adam’s family to learn the knowledge of both good and evil, which only Satan in whom this darkness was born could teach them.
We were not created to be pawns, puppets, or pets to amuse God, nor were we programmed for His pleasure. We, though our sinful natures are extremely painful to Him, were gifted with this temporary existence to gain our own individual and unique identity as children of Adam; but ultimately we were created with the capacity to BECOME eternal children of God and have that unique identity preserved in His family!
We were however given the “responsibility” (the ability to respond to God) to from the position of having a knowledge of both good and evil, choose to follow the flesh, the world, and the devil, or choose to grab hold of God’s Righteous Right Hand extended to us in Christ and be lifted to a higher existence.
Romans 8:28 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren…”
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By: Kelly on April 27, 2016
at 4:04 pm
Maybe when the Lord God appeared to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden He was shrouded in light. Maybe Adam and Eve were similarly shrouded in light before they sinned, and when they sinned they lost this covering and knew then that they were naked and became ashamed.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
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By: BibleScienceGuy on April 27, 2016
at 10:11 pm
Thanks Bill, I also appreciate your responses. Perhaps I’ve gone too far with my speculations as I realize we can know nothing except what is revealed.
Indeed God may have manifested in glory. However, the imagery of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day seeking out Adam and Eve suggests a personal and familiar relationship.
I have heard it speculated that Adam and Eve may have been shrouded in light, but that would seem unnecessary as the two of them had perfect privacy – except concerning God.
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By: Kelly on April 28, 2016
at 1:29 am