Welcome. Today we’re going to be talking about how people dress. We live in an age when the more you can show, seemingly the better. It has come to a point to where we are seeing near nudity on both men and women, especially in the summer during swimsuit season. Many people would say ‘hey just enjoy the view’ but that is a problem, for that is a sinful outlook. Our discussion today will present the Biblical view on this issue.

This is a serious subject because it is so universally overlooked in our day and age. You can see copious amounts flesh nearly anywhere you look. And when you can’t see flesh directly, you are looking at clothing designed to illicit a sexual response. Many women wear blouses and tops that reveal nearly all of their breasts. When not wearing tops that reveal copious amounts of cleavage, they wear skintight tops with bras that are meant to enhance the appearance of their chests.

The miniskirt is still very popular, and many women wear those or shorter skirts. Pants are also very popular, and they seem to only come in the ‘check out my posterior’ skintight variety. Then we have bathing suits, which leave very little if anything to the imagination, and we are pushing these skimpy suits onto our children. Go to a lake or pool in the summer, and try to look with a critical eye, and you will likely be appalled by some of the bikinis that you see on girls way too young to wear them.

I fight these battles even in my own house. My oldest daughter is fourteen, and is very fashion-minded so she always wants clothing that I think is inappropriate for her age. Actually, some of it is inappropriate for anyone. Maybe I’m a bit critical because I’m a father, but I don’t think so. When she tries on certain things, I just know instantly that she’s going to be drawing the wrong kind of attention. So I deal with this issue on a daily basis.

It isn’t any better for men, though, to be fair. Men are actually allowed to completely bare their chests, which is a temptation to women. Men are also allowed by society to wear even less when swimming. Though many are mocked for the infamous ‘speedo’ swim trunks, there is a high level of sexuality associated with it as well. While women expose cleavage, some men wear skintight shirts, achieving the same basic effect. Guys need to be just as aware of proper modesty as women do.

I do not believe that women should be covered from head to toe, but I do not believe a woman should be barely covered either. I should look at a woman and be aware of who she is as a person. I should not look at a woman and immediately have to fight off lust. The same goes for any woman. So instead of trying to dress as provocatively as humanly possible, we should dress so that we’re not a lust-inspiring stumbling block to others.

Let’s talk a bit about clothing itself. Adam and Eve was of course the first people to ever wear clothes. They first made clothes out of fig leaves, but that didn’t work very well, so God made them some coats. (Gen 3:21) Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. So obviously wearing clothes is approved by God.

Notice too, that once Adam gained the knowledge of right and wrong, he realized he was naked. This knowledge represents the loss of innocence. This means once we reach that same point Adam reached, where we know the difference between good and evil, we can no longer justify nudity. In other words, I believe that if you are not a child or someone mentally handicapped, you cannot be a nudist. Once Adam had the knowledge of God, i.e. the knowledge of good and evil, he immediately covers himself, showing us that clothing is pretty much a natural state for being with discernment abilities. I think the only way nudity is acceptable is during a state of innocence, and that is something like your virginity, once you lose it, it’s gone forever.

Further into the Old Testament we see that people wore long robe like garments, which covered most of their bodies. They wore these robes for multiple reasons. Firstly because we can infer the command to wear clothes from the fact that God tailored for Adam and Eve, and partly because of the environment in which they lived. The people of the Bible lived in what we call the Middle East, which can experience blistering heat so they would wear long robes to protect themselves from the harsh environment. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but it works. That is why many Middle Eastern people even today will wear long robes. It helps to protect them from sunburns and keeps their flesh from getting sandblasted during sandstorms.

These long robes also met the conditions needed for modest clothing, so not only would the flowing robes protect you physically, they helped protect you spiritually as well.

Now I’m not suggesting that we all wear head to toe robes or burkas or anything, what I’m saying is to use some common sense and pray about your wardrobe. Be mindful of what the Bible says in regards to a Christian’s dress code.

The Bible also speaks to what is appropriate by gender. (Deu 22:5) The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God. This verse is bad news for all the drag queens and cross-dressers in the world. God does not want men to look like women or women to look like men. To me, this seems obvious as to why. God created us, God has a plan for us, God knows each of us personally. He intended for us to be whatever gender we are, and He doesn’t like us messing up His work.

Men should avoid long hair. This brings up an interesting point. Pretty much every modern representation features Jesus having long hair. But yet, the New Testament says (1Co 11:14) Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? You would think that they would not write this if the Savior had sported long hair. This rule was not something that was new when the Book of 1^st Corinthians was being written. Even in the Old Testament it was considered proper for a man to keep his hair trimmed. Of course I’m sure some of you are asking about Samson, who was noted for his locks, but Samson was a special case, as was Samuel and possibly John the Baptist. Samson was for sure a Nazarite and I have heard it proposed that Samuel and John were as well, but the Bible does not specifically name them. Samson though, was one, and part of being a Nazarite was letting your hair grow until you complete your time as a Nazarite, and then your hair was cut and burned as an offering. So Samson had long hair because he was a member of a religious order that required it. That’s why he doesn’t count.

I just want to throw out what I’ve heard on this subject for you. It usually breaks down to either Jesus was exempt due to His status as savior, or He didn’t really have long hair at all, and that the modern pictures are just artistic license. I’m not saying I’m right on this, but I tend to fall on the short hair side of the argument. It’s not like they didn’t know how to cut hair in Christ’s time. But again, that’s my opinion that is whether or not Jesus had long hair.

The flipside of the coin works as well, women should not have man-like haircuts either. Your gender should be readily identifiable, basically.

The New Testament also has several things to say about modesty in dress. Let’s check out (1Ti 2:9) In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array. Let’s get to brass tacks. What does the word ‘modest’ mean? We could define it as being ‘orderly, well-arranged, decent, and respectable’. While I know this verse is talking to women, I submit that men need to be mindful too lest we become immodest. Before we wear something we need to ask ourselves ‘is this modest?’ If there is any question, pass on it.

The verse we read mentions ‘shamefacedness’. This sounds like a really horrible thing, so let’s check the definition: bashfulness; excess of modesty. That’s not so bad. It’s much better to be overly modest than overly immodest. This is telling us that we should be deeply aware of what is modest and what isn’t. ‘Shamefacedness’ can also mean something like embarrassment, which is something people usually try to avoid. So when they are choosing their apparel, they will stay away from things that might be embarrassing. I know some people in my life that if they were a bit more modest, or were more aware of what is embarrassing, they would save all of us that have to be around them a great deal of embarrassment and discomfort. Believe me, no matter how liberal your views towards clothing might be, I can show you a few people that will make you change your mind.

Next in that verse was the word sobriety. Now this is not exclusively talking about not being drunk, it also means ‘with sound judgment, and self restraint’. This is something that is quite lacking in our modern society, and especially in clothing. The sad thing about the situation is that there are few things more off putting than a beautiful woman that has no sense of shame. (Pro 11:22) As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion. A woman with no discretion is also compared to rottenness in (Pro 12:4) A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. What could be more embarrassing to a Christian husband than if his wife is acting like a floozy?

Another thing that needs to be avoided is lasciviousness. What does this mean? It means ‘wanton, lewd, and lustfulness’ and is a work of the flesh as we see in Galatians 5:19. If the clothing you are wearing draws attention to the intimate part of the body, then you are being lascivious. I’m sure we can all think of different types of clothes that are meant to inspire lust in others. Skintight shirts on both genders, tight pants as well, and skimpy bathing suits all bear the mark of being inappropriate.

How we dress affects more than just ourselves. We also affect those that lay eyes on us. Jesus warned against this. (Mat 5:27) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: (Mat 5:28) But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. The inverse is true, I believe, that if a woman lusts after a man, she has committed adultery as well. This is how our choices in clothing can affect others. If we dress in a manner that inspires lust, then we are literally leading people into sin.

We are to all guard our own minds, so we can’t blame our lusts on what other people were wearing, but those that help inspire lust share in the guilt. (1Co 8:12) But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. When you make others sin, then you sin yourself because that is not only the violation of whatever it was you used to make others sin, i.e. you sin by dressing sexy, and you also sin because tempting another is a violation of the command to love each other and help each other.

Now let’s talk about some of the excuses that people use when confronted with their immodest dress. Some say ‘what may be modest in one place isn’t modest in another’. They usually follow this statement up by listing a highly oppressive society as their example of pro-modesty and then contrast it against American life where our society does not seem to condemn anything outside of full on nudity.

The problem with this argument is that, at least when it comes to how a woman dresses, guys are pretty much the same all over the world. What turns a man’s head in one country will likely turn heads in every country around the world. Appreciation for the female form is universal. Oftentimes the societies that do have oppressive rules for feminine clothing do so because of the very things we’re talking about. I won’t argue whether or not it works, but they have at least the intention of cutting down on lasciviousness.

It is a moot point because God’s commands are with us no matter where we are. If it’s wrong to do in Dallas, it’s also wrong in London, Paris, Moscow, Cairo or Tokyo. We are to dress properly no matter where we are, no matter how others are dressing around us, we are to follow God no matter what.

Another defense is ‘I can’t help if they have a dirty mind’. While it is certainly true that each person is responsible for themselves, we need to look out and make sure we are not adding fuel to the fire. Dressing sexily shows that the wearer actually has the dirty mind, as they wish to be seen in a sexual manner. A person who is not interested in presenting themselves in a carnal nature does not dress in those ways, and in fact would most likely be embarrassed if they were made to dress that way.

Some say ‘well it’s for the season’. This applies to summer a lot, to explain wearing barely-there bikinis and other eye-popping swimwear. What is right is right, and what is wrong is wrong. You see, God’s commands don’t have time limits, seasonal blackout dates, or location restrictions. What you wear out ought to be good enough for a church service. If you would be embarrassed to run into your pastor in anything you are wearing, you know it’s time to go change.

Another claim is ‘it’s fashionable, everyone is wearing it/them’. What a childish statement! Not only is it just weak, it is wrapping into the sin of loving the world. (Rom 12:2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. So everyone doing it is not a good thing, it is in fact a sign of something we should stay away from. (2Co 6:14) Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? This is why we need to be careful about what we associate ourselves with. So the whole ‘everybody else is doing it’ is probably a textbook case as to why we shouldn’t involve ourselves with whatever it is. And besides, we all remember what our parents said… ‘if everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you too?’

The last excuse we’ll review is ‘my spouse likes it’. This argument is foolish. Your first duty is to God. (Act 5:29) Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. So if your man tells you to wear something inappropriate, then tell him that God comes first. Same goes if it’s a woman telling you. A godly spouse will not want you to wear anything that would be inappropriate in public. Now in private, that is your own business. But anywhere outside the marriage chamber, and you should keep in consideration God’s rules when it comes to proper dress.

In conclusion, we should all be aware of what we are wearing, and what it says about us. We are to avoid clothing that might tempt others towards the sin of lust by viewing what we have on. We are to be modest and chaste, and should avoid at all costs looking like a streetwalker.

We also need to avoid wearing clothing that is representative of the opposite gender. If you are a man, wear clothes made for men. If you are a woman, wear womanly clothes. Follow God’s dress code by always dressing modestly and you’ll always be in style with the one that really matters: the Lord above. Until next time, God bless.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 8:47 pm and is filed under Uncategorized | . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.