Following is a series of questions/comments and my answers to someone who read my blog dated July 29, 2008 entitled Public Nudity: Innocent or Sin?
Q: I read your blog post of July 29, 2008 with great interest and agreement. However, I have one question. You made the statement, “marriage is the proper context for sex, and social or sexual nudity.” Did you intend for the terms “social” and “sexual” nudity to define the same or different situations?
A: The difference is that social nudity does not have to culminate in sex.
Q: Let me illustrate with questions. Is skinny dipping or nude sunbathing by married couples appropriate so long as no one else is involved?
A: Yes, as long as protective measures to assure privacy are maintained.
Q: Is private nudity appropriate so long as only the married couple are involved?
A: Yes. I am talking about situations where only the married couple is visible to each other.
Q: It seems to me that “social” nudity between a married couple alone is appropriate and a beautiful statement of their intimacy whether or not it always results in sex …a private joy to share with each other only.
A: I agree.
Q: On the other hand, I am conflicted by the fact that Adam and Eve, though alone in the garden after the fall, were compelled to cover themselves. Do you have any insight on this?
A: Yes. They did not cover their sexual organs because of shame of nakedness. The greatest thing that can be said of man or woman is they are the only beings created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-28). The greatest ability they were given was to reproduce that image in their offspring, which is very close to creating; thus we call it procreation. Their offspring would be beings who also would live forever. With their sin, they corrupted the most wonderful privilege and work God had granted them.
Now, after sin, their sexual organs reminded them of their rebellion against God and the legacy of death that they would now pass on to all of their offspring. Therefore, when they saw that one son (Cain) murdered their other son (Abel), they were poignantly and painfully reminded of what they had done, and of course all of the fig leaves in the world could not mask, cover or atone for sin. Now, sex, nudity, between a husband and a wife remain beautiful even unto this day because the marriage bed is a place of joy, oneness, and purity. However, for sex to be God honoring, it must be within the confines of marriage, for Hebrews says, “the marriage bed is to be undefiled” (Hebrews 13:4)–note that the other words are italicized and therefore not in the original.
