BIBLICAL MODESTY FOR MEN
1 Timothy 3:1-6 “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour (G2887), given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
**G2887** must be of good behavior; κοσμιον, orderly, decent, grave, and correct in the whole of his appearance, carriage, and conduct.
kosmios {kos’-mee-os}
From G2889 (in its primary sense); orderly, that is, decorous: – of good behaviour, modest.
Let’s go to the Garden of Eden. Prior to eating from the forbidden tree of Good & Evil, Adam & Eve were completely naked and not ashamed.
Genesis 2:25 “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”
What was the first bit of knowledge gained by both of them after sinning? It was understanding their nakedness! The very 1st thing!
They both attempted to sew fig leaves together to cover themselves. Let’s look at what led to this. It starts with the lie from the devil that is still spewed today from almost every pulpit and it damns one to hellfire, forever. It’s the lie one can sin yet still be OK with God.
Genesis 3:4-10 “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
Listen carefully as Adam was just as ashamed, afraid, and aware of his nakedness as Eve was. The fig leaves where surely immodest and not enough covering to not feel “naked”! What does God do in his anger, He made tunics of (ANIMAL) skin (Hebrew — kuttoneth — a LONG shirt-like garment) and clothed them, BOTH of them, not just Eve. This is also the first sign of animal sacrifice for sins but I won’t digress.
Genesis 3:21 “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats (H3801) of skins, and clothed them.”
***H3801*** kethôneth kûttôneth
keth-o’-neth, koot-to’-neth
From an unused root meaning to cover (compare H3802); a shirt: – coat, garment, robe.
We don’t have to go any further than again in the first book of the Holy Bible to find another instance of how immodest “nakedness” truly is. Noah’s sons, Shem and Japheth, went to great lengths to avoid seeing their father’s nakedness when he became drunk. However, Ham, Noah’s third son Ham, made absolutely no effort and was cursed for seeing his father’s nakedness. Yes, CURSED for just SEEING his father’s nakedness!
Genesis 9:18-29 “And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. 19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. 20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants (THE LOWEST) shall he be unto his brethren. 26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.”
Not only did he curse Ham, but an entire group of people because of this grave sin of seeing his fathers NAKEDNESS!
Moving on, God took great care of keeping the Levitical Priesthood MODEST (COVERED). Yes, HE cares about and commands the modesty of men, not just women. Among his many instructions for building an altar, He said in Exodus 20:26 “Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.” Similarly, God commanded that “linen breaches” (trousers) be made for these men “to cover their nakedness….” Exo 28:42 “And thou shalt make them linen breeches (H4370) to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach.”
***H4370***
miknâs mik-nawce’
From H3647 in the sense of hiding; (only in dual) drawers (from concealing the private parts): – breeches.
The priests has outer garmnents too which consisted of a tunic (Hebrew—kuttoneth)—the same article of clothing God made for Adam and Eve. Coincidence? I think not! Are you starting to see how important modesty is to Jesus (GOD)?
Leviticus 8:7 “And he put upon him the coat (TUNIC) H3081, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.”
***H3081*** kûttôneth
keth-o’-neth, koot-to’-neth
From an unused root meaning to cover (compare H3802); a shirt: – coat, garment, robe.
Remember, true believers (Saints) are part of a “royal priesthood”. DRESS LIKE IT!
1st Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”
I can’t tell you how many times I hear “you live in the dark ages”, “you have to keep up with CULTure”, “this is not 2,000 years ago”, etc. RUBBISH!
“Nakedness” is not just being completely unclothed so says GOD! Nakedness is also being UNDER-CLOTHED. There are other examples under the law of Moses regarding a man’s nakedness not being uncovered too but I pray you have already got the point. Let’s go a bit further to put the exclamation point on this most important teaching.
For a many generation, men march boldly about in a tank top or shirtless or in the equivalent of undergarments only, without any shame. Are we any better than those Jeremiah condemned?
Let’s go to the New Testament. Prior to casting Legion out of the man possessed by many demons, we are told the possessed man “wore no clothes”. Luke 8:27 “And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.”
Now, what happened after after Jesus cast Legion out and healed this man when became a follower of Jesus? He is found “sitting at the feet of Jesus, CLOTHED, and in his right mind” (Luke 8:35). Possessed by demons (BEFORE CHRIST), this man ran about naked (IMMODEST). Healed by Jesus (BORN-AGAIN ABIDING IN CHRIST), this man put on some clothes! It’s a clear as day.
Another example is when the apostle Peter had gone fishing after Jesus’ death (not yet knowing Jesus had arisen). Watch the next verse closely. Yet another example of being “naked” (IMMODEST) according to the Most High. He was only in his vest. Γυμνος, naked, is often used to signify the absence of this upper (OUTER) garment only.
John 21:7 “Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.”
In 1Sa 19:24, when Saul had put off his, upper garments, he is said to have been, naked; and David, when girded only with a linen ephod, is said to have been uncovered, in 2Sa 6:14, 2Sa 6:20. NAKED clearly means he was un(der)dressed, with nothing on but the undergarment or tunic. Many undergarments worn in those days were surely more modest than the “OUTER GARMENTS” worn by most all men & women today. In fact, when men go swimming today, they take their outer-garments OFF, and jump in comparably more naked than perhaps what Peter was before he put on his outer-garment and jumped in the water. Shameful!
Why dress modestly? The short answer is GOD COMMANDS IT. Further, let’s look at what happens if you cause someone to lust. Make no mistake about it, everything in the NT was in the OT. And yes men, women lust too and don’t forget about the homosexuals. Never wear tight pants or tight shirts, shorts, etc. Case in point, the sin of lusting with one’s eyes (heart):
Job 31:1 “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think (LUST) upon a maid?”
Matthew 5:28-29 “But I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 And if your right eye offends you, pluck it out and throw it from you. For it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be thrown into hell.”
You must present your bodies as a LIVING SACRIFICE. Are you?
Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.”
Lastly, let’s also lovingly rebuke the people who dress in fancy clothes and stand out from the crowd. They are just as “NAKED” as the un(der)dressed people. How did Jesus look to the world?
Isaiah 53:2-3 “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
Are YOU walking just as Jesus walked?
1st John 2:6 “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”
Living in a fancy home (above the average in your city/village/country, etc)? Jesus did not have a place to lay his head!
Luke 9:58 “And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”
We are not to look or act like the world:
1st John 2:15-17 “LOVE NOT THE WORLD, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the LUST OF THE FLESH, and the LUST OF THE EYES, and the PRIDE OF LIFE, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that DOETH THE WILL OF GOD abideth for ever.”
Wearing fancy clothes, jewelry, etc is not godly but prideful & immodest. Let’s abide in Christ, not ourselves.
2 Timothy 3:1-7 “This know also, that IN THE LAST DAYS PERILOUS TIMES SHALL COME. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, DESPISERS OF THOSE THAT ARE GOOD (TRUE CHRISTIANS), 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, LOVERS OF PLEASURES MORE THEN LOVERS OF GOD; 5 Having a FORM OF GODLINESS, but DENYING THE POWER THEROF(THE ABILITY TO BE TRULY SAVED… FROM SIN): from such TURN AWAY. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 EVER LEARNING, and NEVER ABLE TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH.”
James 5:1-6 “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.”
Isaiah 47:1-3 “Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. 2 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks (TAKE OFF THY VAIL – THE MOST DEGRADING THING), make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. 3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.”
1st Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from all appearances of evil”
THE LUKEWARM FALSE CHURCH “PEW WARMER” GETS SPEWED OUT!
Revelation 3:16 “So then because thou art LUKEWARM, and neither cold nor hot, I will SPUE THEE OUT OF MY MOUTH.”
Proverbs 9:10 “The FEAR of the LORD is the BEGINNING of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
Proverbs 1:7 “The FEAR of the LORD is the BEGINNING of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 15:33 “The FEAR of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.”
Click here to learn how to get to The Cross.
Modesty for True Christians
Women’s Role in Christianity & Biblical Modesty
Head Covering for Christians
Click here to learn what Biblical perfection is.
Click here to learn about biblical holiness.
Abstain from the appearance of evil.