Truth: The unclothed human form is a beautiful creation of God which bears His likeness.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Gen. 1:26-27 NIV)

In Genesis 1, God’s Word tells us that we are literally created “in God’s image.” (see The Imago Dei) Man is God’s crowning creation, and the only creature crafted in the image of the Almighty. We are God’s self-portrait! God wants us to know what He looks like, so he built it into our own form. No wonder we find that form so appealing and attractive. This has to be the most significant visible reality there is about our bodies (this is not to say that the visual likeness is the only aspect of God’s image in humanity, but it is one aspect that is too often overlooked or denied).

Lie #1 completely obscures this truth and causes us to think only of sexual appeal, lust, and sexual gratification when we see the unclothed human form. Sadly, the church has historically bought into the lie so deeply that you may never even hear a biblical message regarding the beauty of God’s image in our bodies… only messages on the danger of seeing it or allowing it to be seen. The sight of an unclothed body has been so thoroughly defined as a sexual event that we are compelled to strategically regulate it out of our daily human experience… except for marital sexual expression.

The price we have paid for this error is that we have – by belief and practice – trained ourselves to only have sexual responses to the sight of even partial nudity.

This dishonors God for two reasons:

We find sexual purity elusive or impossible because we are still drawn to what God created to be beautiful, but with the presumption that our interest is driven by lust. That presumption naturally becomes self-fulfilling.
We reduce the beauty of God’s image in human form to an object for self-gratification. This is an insult to the Almighty.

This leads us to… Lie #2

4 COMMENTS

Loyal MayJuly 18, 2019 3:52 pm

While living my life as a committed believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I spent much of the time trying to guard my eyes and my mind from the things outside of me only to realize that it didn’t solve the problem.
I am a pastor of a church in western Colorado and only after an experience of seeing non-sexual nudity. My grandson
son and I were on a weekend trip together when we happened into a hot springs were we saw some causal nudity. By this I mean men and women just setting around together read magazines or something. After leaving rather sheepishly we began to talk about the encounter. Trying to help my grandson process what we had just seen I realized for the first time in my 50 years that their nudity did not stir lust. But a deeper question begged to be asked, was that sin? There was no lewd conduct, there was no attempt to draw me or my grandson into any type of compromising situation. Only people with no clothes on, very comfortable with us there as though it was the most normal thing in the world. As we talked about the experience my grandson asked the best question I think I’ve been asked. His question was “is nudity sin?” My only response was that that is what I’ve always been told. But my experience just brought great questions as to the “truth” I had always accepted. So the study began. Reading and trying to pay close attention to what was said, without the preconceived teaching of my past.
At this point I have changed my perspective, not about immorality, but about nudity. From my study it appears that nudity, though not the normal for causal condition was not looked down on nor labeled as sin, but rather a state of being. Never finding a command or mandate against non-sexual nudity. I am working on messages for a series for Sunday morning service. I have found your articles helpful. Thank you

PastorDavidMCAGJuly 18, 2019 6:11 pm

Thanks so much for your testimony. Unfortunately, many who DO encounter non-sexual nudity, merely wall it off in an isolated part of their minds and continue on with society’s (and the church’s) sexual obsession with the body, without thinking through the logical (practical) or theological implications. This was my case, even after working with non-sexual nudity as an RN for decades. After all, we Christians especially have generally not been equipped with a working understanding of godly ‘body acceptance,’ and so, have no category for even contemplating God’s design of gender-distinguishing anatomy outside the tragic context of religiously indoctrinated porno-prudery. It was not until forced to do the biblical, historical, and psycho-social research that my own mind was changed.

Beyond MCAG, I have written extensively about the implications of that research. Most all of it is contained in my two books MEETING AT THE RIVER and “WHO SAID YOU WERE NAKED?” both available on Amazon, but also signed copies from my website: pastordavidrn.com. But, if you are familiar with Seedbed.com (a site for pastors, based out of Asbury Seminary), you might be surprised to find that they published one of my articles that gave a synopsis of my viewpoint, and I put it into my 2nd book. You can search it on Seedbed.com or Google it: “Embracing Nakedness: Adopting God’s View of Bare Anatomy.” It might add solid fuel to your passion to teach the truth. I also am unashamed to tell the truth about a godly, incarnational, Creator-honoring ‘body acceptance’ from the pulpit or online. God bless your efforts, especially in your new task, laid on you by your discovery of truth, of helping those in your congregation who need freedom from porn addiction.

LoyalFebruary 2, 2020 6:54 pm

Hello David, I realize I’ve been quiet time since I posted and you responded. Just wanted to let you know what was up sense My 1st post. You’re too young couples in our church I have listened well To the truth of nudity God’s good creation.Both couples are willing to engage The issue. One to help them with a ingrained porn problem they’ve both been struggling with.
One of our guys in his 70s has also stated his gratitude for The liberating truth that comes from scripture concerning lust and non-sexual nudity. God is making head way. I praise God For what he is doing.
I have even had an opportunity to ministry to a lady at a nearby hotsprings, while both of us were nude, there was no lust! Only a pastor ministering to a hurting soul. After a lengthy discussion and Prayer She got up and thank me very much hug me and went her way. Still to this day In all honesty there was no feeling of lust or arousal. For that I praise God also!

anonymousApril 16, 2022 10:21 am

I do absolutely agree with this truth… The human body is beautiful and innocent and not something to be ashamed of or to see as purely sexual. [I have a personal experience where someone said one thing and did another.] Reading this article today reminds me that although it is true that the naked human body is beautiful and good, we still have to realise that people are capable of saying one thing (that their interest in nudity is totally non-sexual) but using to justify starting unwanted sexual activity.

My Chains Are Gone

Primarily Sexual