The Covering
Now the man called his wife\’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them (Gen 3:20-21).
This is considered the first prophecy of the atonement sacrifice of Christ. Adam and Eve had tried to cover themselves, but it was not adequate. Then the Lord made a covering for them by shedding the blood of an innocent animal, prophesying of the atonement that Jesus would make by shedding His blood for our sins.
There is nothing we can do to cover our sins. Our good works will never balance the evil and make us acceptable to God, or cover the shame and wounding that sin does to our soul. Only the Lord can cover our sins. For us to even try to cover ourselves is an affront to the cross of Jesus, by which our redemption was purchased.
Just as Adam and Eve\’s first response to their sin was to look at themselves, feel naked, and then try to cover themselves and hide, we can still go through the same process even after we become Christians and have the knowledge of the cross. However, regardless of how we feel, we must run to God when we sin, not away from Him.
The price that He paid is enough to cover even our worse sins. When we refuse to go to the cross, and try to carry the guilt ourselves, we are saying that the cross was not enough, and this sin is so great that we will have to pay the price ourselves. This is a tragic delusion, and a pride that is not only an insult to the cross of Jesus, but a fundamental departure from the faith that the cross is enough for our salvation. We are assured in 1 John 1:7-9:
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.
These Scriptures clearly state that His blood cleanses us from all sin and from all unrighteousness. For us to consider we must do penance for our sins is an affront to the cross of Jesus. It is a tragic deception to think that the cross is not enough, and that we can do something to add to the work of the cross to pay for our own sins. We can never cover ourselves, but we can always be assured that the covering He provided for our sins is enough.
- Pray that the hand of God will begin to stir the hearts of our policy makers so that they can make proper policies in every gate of society agreement with God’s original pattern for the nation. (Job 20:27, Ezra 1:1).
- Pray that God will raise wise men operating in the wisdom of God like the Sons of Issachar, so that the nation will not miss this season of God’s visitation. (1 Chron 12:32: 2Chron 2 1-20, Luke 19:44).
- Pray that finally the Lord Luggard doctrine will be destroyed over Nigeria and the name of Jesus will be our covenant.