Sovereign Grace Church

Unto Adam also, and to his wife, 
did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them

(GENESIS 3:21)

By this action the Lord God did preach to Adam, and to his wife, the meaning of that promise that you read of in verse fifteen, namely, that by the means of Jesus Christ, God himself would provide a sufficient clothing for those that [receive] of His grace by the gospel: the coats here, being a type of that blessed and [eternal] righteousness.

“The Lord God made the coats.” Not Adam now, because now he is received into a covenant of grace with God: Indeed, before he entered into this covenant, he made his own clothing, such as it was, but that could not cover his nakedness; but now the Lord will make them: And “unto Adam also, and to his wife, did the Lord God make coats:” “Their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord” (ISAIAH 54:17). “Of me,” that is, of my providing, of my performing. “And this is the name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness” (JEREMIAH 23:6).

“He made them coats, and clothed them.” As the righteousness by which a sinner stands just in the sight of God from the curse, is a righteousness of God’s providing; so also it is of his putting on. No man can put on the righteousness of Christ, otherwise than by God’s imputation: if God reckon it ours, then it is ours indeed; but if he refuseth to show that mercy who can impute that righteousness to men? Blessed are they to whom the Lord imputeth righteousness (ROMANS 4:8). Cursed, then, must they needs be to whom God hath not imputed the righteousness of his Son. “The Lord clothed them,” according to that of Paul, “Christ is made unto us of God wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 CORINTHIANS 1:30). And of that God who hath made him thus to us, even of him are we in Christ Jesus.

Did the Lord God make coats of skins? The coats were made of the skins of beasts, of the skins of the slain, which were slain either for food only, or for sacrifice also. This being so, the effects of that promise mentioned before were by this action the more clearly expounded unto Adam; to wit, That Christ, “in the fulness of time,” should be born of a woman clothed with flesh; and as so considered, should be made a curse, and so die that cursed death which by sin we had brought upon ourselves; the effects and fruits of which should to us be durable clothing; that is, Everlasting righteousness.