For over 35 years of preaching on modesty, I have always struggled to understand why so many Christians have no problem wearing revealing clothing. Perhaps I have found the answer. While recently discussing this subject, I said I would love to survey all my sisters in the Lord to know how they define the “immodest apparel” Paul referenced in I Timothy 2:9.

During this conversation, I was given an answer I had not thought about. I do not presume that this one answer represents the thinking of all my sisters in Christ. I only share this to spur thinking about the subject. As always, we shall examine this issue from God’s point of view.

Again, how do people define “immodest apparel?” I was told that “Immodest apparel is simply having an improper heart. It all has to do with one’s attitude. If a woman dresses provocatively for the purpose of wanting to create lust, then it is wrong.” Upon hearing this, I could see where this woman and perhaps others were coming from. From this point of view, it is entirely possible for a woman’s intentions to be innocent and for the man to be in error for his lust.

I can see the reasoning with idea, and it certainly answers why some Christian women feel at ease wearing very little clothing when it is hot or when they are dressed up. But is this true in God’s eyes? Can Christian women (and men too) have a proper heart when their clothing is revealing? Let’s look to God’s word to understand His will on this subject.

First of all, let’s not confuse a sincere heart with a pure heart. One who is sincere could possibly be just naïve – lacking knowledge or life experience, they simply may not have given the matter much thought. Such a person may very well be upset if someone was lusting after them. But ignorance is not bliss. People can be sincerely wrong on any issue, especially dress. A pure heart is found in someone who is seeking to be holy by following the teachings of our Lord.

So how does God define “immodest apparel?” In Proverbs 6:10, Solomon spoke about the attire of a harlot. According to the argument I was given, this would mean that you can only have the attire of a harlot if you have the heart of harlot. Solomon went on to state that the harlot followed up her attire with other actions to seduce (verses 11-23). The dress was just part of the plan. This begs a question – can you dress like a harlot and not entice? You cannot.

Without question, people can have impure thoughts no matter how a person dresses. You can read about Amnon and Tamar (II Sam. 13). Tamar was not trying to entice Amnon, but that did not stop him from lusting after her. The presence of people like Amnon does not mean that immodest dress does not exist though. I will also interject that men are not justified in having unlawful thoughts no matter what they see (Matt. 5:27-28). This is where such passages as “flee youthful lusts” comes into play (II Tim. 2:22). There are times we must simply leave a situation and not dwell on it to avoid sinning.

Getting back to our original text about modest apparel, Paul did not tell Timothy to warn the sisters, “remember to avoid having evil intentions when you dress.” No, they were told how to dress. The word “modest” means well-ordered, decorum, seemly. He was not addressing the heart here. Does a Christian’s heart play a role in how they decide what to wear? Of course it does. If we do not care about what God thinks or what dress does to men, then there is a demonstrated heart problem.

The scriptures speak a lot about the dangers of causing a brother to sin (Matt. 18:6; Rom. 16:17; II Tim. 3:6, etc.). We all know that we cannot make someone sin, but we also know that those who even tempt others to sin will be held accountable. This is true with the way a person dresses.

To be frank, men are stimulated by sight. This tendency is what got David into trouble (II Sam. 11). This tendency also led to the beheading of John the Baptist. When Herod saw his step-daughter dance before him and others, he ended up making a promise to her that he regretted (Matt. 14:1-11). It is a mistake to think immodest dress is not connected with dancing as both are linked with the concept of lasciviousness or lewdness (Gal. 5:19; I Pet. 4:3).

Let’s go back to the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves (Gen. 3:7), why did God clothe them (verse 21)? Because they were not sufficiently covered yet. Was nakedness wrong for Adam and Eve even if they had a pure heart? This might seem ridiculous to ask, but it is worth thinking about. Why would it be wrong to walk around without any clothes on? If the sin has to do with those who look rather than those who are unclothed, it should be possible to have no cloths on and still be righteous. Some people are perfectly comfortable in nudist colonies, but God still wants us to clothed (James 2:15). Also note that Jesus made the obvious point that nakedness should bring shame (Rev. 3:18).

When Christians (men and women) want to let their lights shine, they obviously must be mindful of the “toos.” We must ask themselves, “Is this too low to wear?”  “Is this too tight to wear?” Is this too high to wear?” Christians are called to strive to be modest, not sexy. Our sisters have a tremendous task of trying to buy modest clothing that is designed by worldly people who largely do not value modesty.

Brethren, be wary of creating double standards in your home. Are you comfortable with your sons wearing the same length of shorts as your daughters? If not, why not? We know how the world thinks. Whether talking about dress or any other worldly act, saints are considered strange if they follow God rather than man (I Pet. 4:4). Beware of the wiles of the devil and do not conform to the world (Rom. 12:1-2).

Chuck                                                                                       

You cannot be a faithful Christian without repenting 

 

“Christian” is one of those terms used so loosely today that we have people claiming to faithful Christians when they are anything but. This is not new. There were individuals in Sardis that called themselves something they were not (Rev. 3:1). The fact is, one cannot be a Christian and walk in sin. Repent means “to turn away from”. To help make things perfectly clear, a person is not a faithful Christian if they do any of these things:

 

1. Marry someone unlawfully (Matt. 14:4; 5:32; 19:9).

 

2. Are a female preacher (I Cor. 14:34-35; I Tim. 2:11-12).

 

3. Are a member of a man-made religious organization – i.e., a denomination (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:47; Rom. 16:16).

 

4. Wear a special title as a religious leader (Matt. 23:7-10; I Cor. 1:12-13; Acts 10:25-26).

 

5. Refuse to belong to a local church that is Christ’s (I Pet. 5:1-2; I Cor. 11:17-18; Acts 9:26).

 

6. Try to follow the gospel and, at the same time, follow the law of Moses (Gal. 5:1-4; Heb. 8:7-8; 9:16-17). 

 

7. Worship God based on what they like rather than seeing what God has authorized/instructed (John 4:24; Matt. 15:1-9; Col. 3:17).

 

8. Conform to the world via immodest dress, corrupt speech and sexual immorality (I Tim. 2:9; Eph. 5:4; Gal. 5:19).

 

9. Keep returning to the passing pleasures of sin with drugs, gambling, drinking and the like (I Cor. 9:27; I Pet. 4:3; Gal. 5:21).

 

10. Go through life trying to serve two masters (Matt. 6:24; I John 2:15-16).

 

11. Put their earthly family ahead of the Lord (Matt. 10:37; 6:33).

 

12. Serve as an elder in a church when not married or not meeting other qualifications (I Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).

 

13. Claim to love the Lord yet hate their brother (I John 4:7-8, 20).

 

14. Get married but refused to leave their father and mother (Matt. 19:4-6; Eph. 5:22-33).

 

15. Act kindly toward some people but have prejudices toward others (Gal. 2:11-13; Gal. 3:27-28).

 

16.  One who has accepted the world’s standard for entertainment when it ungodly (Rom. 12:1-2).

 

Many people are fooling themselves by saying they are Christians when they do not live Christ-like lives (I Pet. 2:21). Christians may sin from time to time, but they are required to repent (I John 1:8-10).  Remember, repenting means “to turn away from”. We all need to think about that.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Chuck

Can women wear make-up and jewelry?

 

Recently, a lady described how she was taught that it is a sin for women to wear make-up or jewelry. She wanted to know if this is what the Bible teaches. There are two main passages of scripture in the New Testament that are used:

 

“In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works,” (I Tim. 2:9-10).

 

“Do not let your beauty be that outward adorning of arranging the hair, of wearing gold, or of putting on fine apparel; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God,” (I Pet. 3:3-4).

 

It is vital that we see what these inspired words are saying and are not saying. Notice that women are being admonished to reveal their godliness by adorning themselves with modest apparel and a quiet and gentle spirit. In other words, they should be known for their inward beauty rather than an external, outward show.

 

We must note that the wearing of gold and braided hair was not forbidden. Women were forbidden from wearing those things for show, as if that external display is true beauty. Does that mean that women can wear anything then? If you read carefully, you will see that immodest dress is sinful, just like anything else that is for show. Words like discretion and tastefulness come to mind.

 

To help with this, let us consider the book of Song of Solomon. This inspired message speaks of the love between a husband and wife. In chapter one and verse ten it says, “Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, your neck with chains of gold.”  In chapter four verses nine and ten it reads, “You have ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; you have ravished my heart with one look of your eyes, with one link of your necklace. How fair is your love, my sister, my spouse! How much better than wine is your love, and the scent of your perfumes than all spices.”

 

Even though the above passages were under the Old Law, the principles are still valid today. There is no immodest apparel between you and your husband. Also note that wives wore jewelry, but that jewelry was not their inward beauty. Are we to think that the Lord does not want women to have their hair done or brush their teeth? Is our Lord against good hygiene? Is it wrong to buy nice clothing? The answer to all of these questions is no.

 

There is danger in taking verses on godly behavior to an extreme. God’s word already describes inappropriate attire - that of a harlot (Prov. 7:10). This attire is used to draw attention via seductive, over-the-top means. Rather than taking verses on how we should dress too far, we should simply recognize what God has said about how to dress and also how not to dress.

 

Men and women need to consider what message they are sending when they dress. So much of the Christian life is having a proper attitude. Jesus taught that those who have a clean inside will reflect this on the outside (Matt. 23:26). Our God is not interested in anyone putting on a front. Those who put on an external show are revealing what is in their hearts as well.

                                                                                       

 Chuck

 

Can a woman wear make-up?

 

This question was sent in by someone taking our Bible study course. It is based upon the text of I Timothy 2:9-10: “in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.”

 

The first thing we notice is that Paul is not forbidding women from managing their appearances. To do so would be to contradict what Peter wrote: “Do not let your adornment be merely outward – arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel…” (I Pet. 3:3). In both texts, the writers stress that the woman is to be known for her inward beauty, not just her external appearance. Thus, both writers instruct women to dress modestly and not wear anything that would attract men in an ungodly manner.

 

Notice how the braiding of hair was equated to wearing expensive apparel or wearing jewelry. All of these things can be done to incite the attraction of men and overemphasize outward beauty. Paul stressed that women should be adorned in goods works, which is to say that they should be known and remembered for these deeds. Peter spoke similarly and said that a woman’s adornment should not merely be physical. Ultimately, physical appearance becomes a matter of the heart. Appearances can be managed, but this must not become our highest calling.

 

We also must remember that everything is relative. Neither writer condemned specific styles but instead wisely gave us general principles. When we are dressing to impress and draw attention, we are indicating that we have a heart problem (Matt. 5:8; Luke 12:34).

 

Just as the Bible states there is an attire of a harlot and warns against dressing that way (Prov. 7:10), we can also know how to dress properly. Make-up is a component of this – it can be done properly or improperly. Let’s be mindful of the principles being set forth in the word of God.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Chuck