After Adam and Eve sinned, their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked (Genesis 3:7). Immediately, they attempted to cover themselves by sewing together fig leaves, but their efforts to cover themselves and hide from God were not successful.
Adam and Eve attempted to cover themselves and clothe their nakedness with real fig leaves, but we might also discern that the fig leaves are symbolic of ‘works,’ human efforts to cover themselves after their sin. But again, Genesis 3:21 teaches us that their efforts to conceal themselves did not work, as God clothed them with the skins of an animal instead.
Though the Scripture does not explicitly say God put to death an animal, in the context of the rest of Scripture, we understand that to obtain the skins; God did indeed have to sacrifice an animal. God put to death a substitute for Adam and Eve.
And here we find application for our lives. When we sin, we feel naked and exposed. We want to hide, or we want to make ourselves right again by our own efforts. But God is good and merciful. He, Himself, provides the solution to our sin problem. The cross of Jesus Christ shows that God “devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.” 2 Samuel 14:14
God did not leave Adam and Eve in their nakedness. He put to death a substitute, to both cover their sin and clothe them, so they would not have to remain estranged from God. God made this first sacrifice to illustrate His plans to save us all. This is the gospel in story form.
Adam and Eve sinned, and immediately they felt their nakedness and shame. First, they tried to cover it up with leaves, and they tried to shift the blame elsewhere. None of this worked to make themselves right with God. The New Testament makes it clear that this is true for us as well:
We cannot be right with God by our works; that is, the “fig leaves” of our efforts, but only through our Substitute, Jesus:
“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,” Titus 3:3-6
Question 5. According to Titus 3:5, by what did God save us?