Covered

“And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” -Genesis 3:21

It might seem like a throwaway line. A little fact at the end of a devastating statement about the brokenness that sin will bring into the world. Just a description of what happened after God spoke to Adam and his wife, in the wake of their eating the fruit and being enticed by the serpent. God acts immediately after the promise of One who will crush the head of the deceiver to start pointing to this Redeemer.

Adam and his wife, soon to be named Eve, are naked. The awareness of it reveals their sin, and God acts to cover them. To warm them and to alleviate their shame.

This is a glimpse into the promise of permanent covering to come. This covering act of God requires blood. Animals have to die to give up their skins to clothe this human couple. It is God's work. The LORD God makes the garments. He fashions them to cover our first parents. This is grace in action. This is how God works.

In Christ, we are covered in much the same way, but with eternal ramifications. The act of God to cover us took blood. His son's blood. A life of toil and obedience lived for you and an innocent death in the place of the guilty. Jesus' blood shed to cover our sin. His work. In this work, he clothes us with a robe of righteousness that he designed and weaved together. A garment of no condemnation and new life. A garment to warm us and alleviate our shame once and for all.

Now we live covered. Safe. Graced. Clothed in Christ and unashamed. That is no throwaway line. That is good news!