4 out of 4 stars
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Retired Presbyterian minister, William E. Combs provides an in-depth answer to the question asked by God in the third chapter of the Old Testament Bible book of Genesis through his book titled: “Who Told You That You Were Naked? A Refreshing Reexamination of the Garden of Eden.”
In this book, Reverend Combs revisits the Garden of Eden to reexamine how sin came into the world through the principal Adam, and how the second Adam, Jesus Christ redeemed us from this “imposing enemy crouching at the door” by His grace through faith. This subject overhauled almost every previous belief that I held. Who Told You That You Were Naked is a non-fiction Christian book that helps the reader to have a superior understanding of the knowledge of sin, salvation of our soul through the work of Jesus Christ, and the concept of faith shaped through the lens of the New Testament. This book presents an extremely empowering evaluation of the entire Bible.
Reverend Combs displays a deliberate reason to give answers to questions that are frequently disregarded and overlooked when reading the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible. Questions regarding embarrassment due to the Knowledge of sin was investigated with scriptural back-ups. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, suddenly they felt embarrassed and were ashamed of their nakedness. Combs described “nakedness” as spiritual separation from God and relational separation from mankind as a result of man’s disobedience. This led to the “imposing enemy crouching at the door” know as the sin which was made manifest in the lives of Cain and Abel in the fourth chapter of the Old Testament book of Genesis, and in the world.
However, Reverend Combs explains how God reconciled man to Himself through his only son Jesus Christ (the only sinless son of Adam) in the Third chapter of the New Testament book of John. Although Jesus Christ inherited the knowledge of good and evil been a descendant of Adam, it did not create a feeling of nakedness in Him. This conveys the message of Jesus Christ as the mediator of mankind. Also, the author clarifies faith in Christianity in two ways: Little faith and real faith. He explained “Little faith” as allowing your desires to overwhelm your inheritance. This relates to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which results to disobedience. Whereas, the “real faith” is knowing the mind of God regarding the situation and obeying instructions. This relates to the acknowledgements of who we are in Christ Jesus.
In an effort to make the readers understand the content of the passages and concept of discussion, combs made use of simple characters, short vignettes, and topical ordering of subtitles that would carry the readers along. I personally enjoyed the thought-provoking study questions he provided at the end of each chapter, and the fact that he chooses to explain the extensions of the important point in an Endnote made the book neat and well structured. However, I noticed that the author did not specify the version of the bible been cited. As a result, some tenses he explained where not in other versions of the bible. Although I figured it out, this might be challenging for the unbelievers. Notwithstanding, the book is intriguing, and I love it.
I recommend Who Told You That You Were Naked to mature Christians and newly converted Christians. This can be used as a Sunday school material in churches or an insightful side reading for family devotion. For the unbeliever or an atheist, this can be read as a theological study for educational purposes. I would, however, encourage anyone who chooses to read this book to reference his own Bible for a personal encounter. I award this book 4 out of 4 stars rating because it is well written and well researched. I found only one typographical error. Other than that, Who Told You That You Were Naked is gem anyone searching for the truth should read.
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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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