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 3:7).

 

Here the sin goes a little deeper. As we have studied, Adam and Eve's first response to sin was for them to look at themselves. Self-centeredness is the poison from the Tree of Knowledge that kills. We were created to be God-centered. The restoration process through which our minds are renewed and we are delivered from our sin nature, comes from seeing the glory of God, as we read in II Corinthians 3:18:

 
 

       But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,

       are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
 

 

Deliverance from sin comes from turning away from sin and self-centeredness to become God-centered again. It is not our goal to just find out who we are in Christ, but rather who He is in us. The former can still be self-centeredness, even though it can be mixed with many good motives.

 

If we are going to be changed into His image, we must behold His glory with "an unveiled face." Veils are the defense mechanisms that the sin nature compels us to wear to protect ourselves. They are an extension of the coverings that Adam and Eve made after their sin. Sin causes us to be self-aware and self-protective to the point where we are afraid for anyone to see us as we are. These veils must be stripped away so that we can see the Lord as He is, and so that we can be real with one another.

 

To be real is to walk in truth, and to relate to others without pretension. By repenting of sin, the process is begun, which goes from "glory to glory." The more we allow the veils, the defense mechanisms, to be stripped away, the more of His glory we will see, and the more we will become like Him.

 

When we sin, the first tendency we have is to cover, hide, or rationalize the sin. When this occurs, death is released against us, and it will begin to drain life from us. Repentance begins with acknowledging the sin, calling it what it is, and taking responsibility for it.
 

 

       If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;

       but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,

       and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

 

       If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

       If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

       If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us (I John 1:6-10).

 

As stated, the natural response to sin is to hide it, pretend there was no sin, or rationalize the sin. All of these responses only deepen sin's grip on us, and open us to further deception. The answer is not to cover the sin, but rather acknowledge it, fleeing to the cross for forgiveness and healing from the wound the sin has caused. As the Scripture above states, we must confess our sins in order to be forgiven, and then He can cleanse us.

 

Judas was called "incorrigible," or beyond help. What made him incorrigible was not that He betrayed the Lord, but that he hung himself. We have probably all betrayed the Lord because He said that as we have done it to the least of His people, we have done it to Him. (see Matthew 25:40). Judas could have been forgiven, but instead of fleeing to the Lord for forgiveness, he tried to pay the price for his own sin. By doing that, he was beyond the Lord's help. We, too, are beyond His help when we either cover our sin and pretend it does not exist, or insist on paying the price for it ourselves. These are an affront to the cross of Jesus, which alone can pay for our sins. James 3:2 says, "For we all stumble in many ways."

 

Let us not respond to sin by trying to cover it, or "hanging ourselves," but rather flee to the grace of God at the cross. Jesus died to pay for that sin. To not allow Him to pay the price for our sin is to reject His great grace. If we are going to be free, and grow in the trust that all relationships are based on, we must trust the cross.