No More Hiding
We all wear masks. We all have faces we hide away from others. As Billy Joel insightfully wrote in his song "The Stranger" (1977): "We all have a face that we hide away forever. And we take them out and show ourselves when everyone is gone."
This universal truth about human nature takes us back to the very beginning of our story - to Genesis 3, where we find our first parents in a garden paradise with direct access to God.
TAKEAWAY THOUGHT
God wants to heal the real you--not the version of yourself you projectThe Turning Point in Paradise
For two chapters in Genesis, everything was "good" and then "very good." But in chapter 3, we're introduced to the serpent - the first villain in the biblical narrative. This serpent (later identified explicitly as Satan in Revelation) approaches Eve not with horror-movie tactics but as a wordsmith.
His opening line is telling: "Did God actually say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?" With this simple question, he introduces doubt about God's character and trustworthiness.
The dialogue leads to the fateful moment in verse 6: "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate."
What Happens When We Sin?
The immediate aftermath reveals something profound about human nature: "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 loincloths."
Previously, Adam and Eve were unclothed but felt no shame. Now, they're aware of their vulnerability and exposure as sinners. They've committed what theologian R.C. Sproul called "cosmic treason," and their first instinct is to cover themselves.
Then comes verse 8: "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden."
This reveals a fundamental truth: Sin always pushes us to hide from God and others. We work very hard to cover our shame, to project an image different from our reality.
How Does God Respond to Our Sin?
What happens next is remarkable. Verse 9 tells us: "But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?'"
God's first move after we sin is pursuit, not abandonment. He doesn't need to ask this question to gain information - He already knows what happened. He asks for Adam and Eve's benefit, so they can face what they've done.
Like a parent who walks into a kitchen disaster and asks "What happened here?" when they can clearly see the evidence, God engages with His children. He could have simply erased them and started over with "Adam and Eve 2.0," but instead, He pursues them.
The Pattern of Confession
When confronted, Adam says, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." There may be some blame-shifting here (notice he blames both Eve and God), but he does eventually confess: "I ate."
Eve follows a similar pattern: "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Both eventually take responsibility, though perhaps reluctantly.
This pattern of confession is vital. As Proverbs 28:13 tells us: "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." Or as Augustine said, "The confession of evil works is the beginning of good works."
The First Gospel Promise
Interestingly, God questions Adam and Eve, but He never questions the serpent. Instead, He moves directly to judgment: "Because you have done this, cursed are you..."
But within this judgment comes the first hint of the gospel in Genesis 3:15: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
This verse, sometimes called the "proto-evangelium" (first gospel), points to a future champion who will crush the serpent's head while suffering harm himself. It's the first biblical reference to Jesus and His eventual victory over Satan.
God's Provision for Our Shame
Before sending Adam and Eve out of Eden, God does something remarkable in Genesis 3:21: "And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin and clothed them."
Earlier, they had tried to address their own shame with fig leaves. Now, God provides proper covering - but it requires the shedding of blood. Animals had to be sacrificed to cover their shame and guilt, pointing forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.
The Cost of Hiding
When we hide our true selves from God, we suffer. As David wrote in Psalm 32:3-5
"For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin."
In our social media age, we're experts at projecting versions of ourselves that aren't always true. We carefully curate our online presence to show only our best moments, hiding the messy reality of our lives.
Life Application
The most freeing truth of the gospel is this: God doesn't love a potential version of yourself or a preferred version of yourself. He loves you exactly as you are right now.
He already knows what you hide. He's not surprised by your failures. He's not looking for an escape clause or loophole to get out of His love for you. He stays committed.
God wants to heal the real you, not the version of yourself that you project.
This week, consider these questions:
What parts of myself am I hiding from God and others?
How might my relationships change if I were more honest about my struggles?
What would it look like to "come clean" in the areas where I've been hiding?
Do I truly believe God loves me as I am, not as I pretend to be?
Take one step toward honesty this week - with God in prayer, with a trusted friend, or in a small group. Remember that confession is the beginning of healing, and God pursues us even in our brokenness.
