If, after God had made Adam and his wife those lovely and enduring coats of skin, they would return to sewing fig-leaf aprons; or if they attempted to do something to improve upon the coats of skin,—add some device of their own, what would you think? What would God have thought? Yet that is exactly what many who call themselves Christians are doing. They did it in the early days of the church; but listen:
“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?... Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?... Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us... Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage... Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace” (Gal. 3:1,3,13; 5:1,4).
False brethren—legalizing teachers, had troubled them by perverting the gospel of the grace of Christ. They taught “Ye must... keep the law” (Acts 15:24,1-11; Gal. 1:6-7; 2:4,16; 5:10,12).
Adam and Eve were wiser. They did not merit, nor have to work for the “coats of skin” or add anything to God’s gift. They had labored in vain to cover their guilt. Now all they could do, was to thank God for His grace to them.
But after God had clothed them, they could display what God had wrought.
Works are never the means of salvation. But after one is saved by faith in the work of Christ, the new life will show itself in good works as evidence.
“I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18). Truly, they which have believed God, should “be careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:8).
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Eph. 2:10).
I will not work my soul to save,
For Christ that work has done;
But I will work like any slave
In love to God’s dear Son.