In the Garden of Eden, God clothed Adam and Eve after they sinned.

Genesis 3:21 tells us God made their clothing from animal skins. In other words, the first deathly wound of this world was created by God Himself: an animal died to clothe Adam and Eve. In turn, Adam and Eve had to wear a reminder of their sin.

So the story of redemption begins — the blameless die to cover the sins of the guilty.

Throughout the Old Testament, innocent animals, flawless, beautiful animals were slaughtered so sinners could see and feel the weight of their sins. Sin often seems reasonable until you think about its consequence.

Through the deathly wounds of the innocent, God’s people could see the ugliness of their sin. Through the suffering of the blameless, they could feel remorse, and they could suppress their craving for doing wrong.

Jesus, like the perfect, innocent animals, was sacrificed for us. He was the last to be wounded, the last to suffer so that we could see, hear, and feel the gravity of our sins.

Adam and Eve had to accept and wear the animal skin clothing from God to cover the results of their sin. We have to take Jesus. We must choose Him, wear Him, in a sense, and let Him cover our sinful hearts, for by His wounds we are healed.