And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

Genesis 3:21

When Adam and Eve had sinned, God promised Jesus: “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” (Gen. 3:15). Not only did He promise Jesus, He also gave a definite type–foreshadowing–of how Jesus would conquer sin and death.

     The fact that He made “garments of skins” clearly implies the death of an animal. If I were to guess, it was a lamb. Death was a necessity in order for God to cover their nakedness. Not only did He make the “garments of skins,” He also clothed them–He also applied the great benefit and blessing of the sacrifice.

     Unless we truly realize that God is both the Giver and Applier, we’ll miss out on giving Him all the glory–al the credit–for our salvation and we’ll miss out on a greater and deeper joy: “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isa. 61:10).

     Notice how the joy is found in the fact that God “clothed me” and He “covered me.” Can there be true joy only in the giving, without being a partaker of the gift? Ultimately not! The joy and exultation can only come when God has also applied the reality of the sacrifice.

     Therefore, when we believe that we’re ultimately the applier of God’s salvation, we not only give Him less credit than He deserves, but we also limit ourselves in a deeper, more profound  joy (and humility!), realizing that He not only gave but also applied the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice.

If you’re blessed by this post, why not share the blessing with others!

Jan Blonk
Author of “An Unfathomable Gift!“