Don’t Run from This Essential Christian Topic
Reading from 1 Timothy 2:5-10: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 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; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”
1 Peter 3:3-4 then says: “Whose adorning (the context makes it clear that Peter is speaking of women) let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”
It is interesting that when the Apostles wrote to Christian churches and spoke of women dressing modestly, they dealt directly with showing off wealth and unnecessary expenses related to luxury in dress. The principle related to showing off wealth also makes it clear, along with many other principles in Scripture, that showing off one’s body in public is also evil.
A word that is a synonym of the phrase “showing off” is “flaunt.”
Oxford Languages’ first definition of flaunt is “display (something) ostentatiously, especially in order to provoke envy or admiration or to show defiance.”
In the normal course of life, displaying one’s body publicly is inherently ostentatious and is likely to provoke envy or admiration. Doing so is also a key way to show defiance, especially towards God.
No one can be walking adequately in the fear of God when they are showing off (flaunting) their body and/or their wealth.
Wearing revealing clothing and/or very tight clothing (without another layer over it) contends with God’s verdict that mankind should be clothed after mankind fell into sin. If you don’t know, one of God’s first acts after mankind fell into sin was to clothe Adam and Eve with the skin of an animal. The fig leaves they sewed together were not adequate, yet they covered more flesh with the fig leaves than many cover now. Our society has come to accept as normal (and even label as progress) many evil things which the Word of God condemns. One example is the acceptance of immodest dress. Even though today it is considered normal to dress sensually in tight and/or revealing clothing, and clothing that is overall luxurious, this is not right in God’s eyes nor in line with common sense. This tempts good people, while pleasing impure people in unclean pursuits. This corrupts those who take pleasure in it, while making those who practice it objects in their eyes. And you can bet that immodest dress has always been associated with many other evils.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 says: “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification (holiness), that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification (holiness) and honor; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”
Immodest clothing, in terms of displaying wealth or revealing the body, also provokes strife. In other areas of life, we acknowledge that showing off is not right. The Bible warns in Galatians 5:26: “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”
Opponents of modest dress will often say that we should focus on the heart and not on how people dress (as if these two focuses are somehow incompatible). Yet dress which shows off wealth and/or shows off the body is never compatible with a heart that is right. Don’t show off your physical assets nor your financial assets. A right heart will follow this principle and how we dress obviously matters in relation to that.
Opponents of modest dressing will also say things like “I know someone who dressed modestly, and they were so (proud, mean, stuck up, etc.)…” On the other hand, I know of millions upon millions whose glory is in their shame in relation to their immodest dress. Why would you want to be like these? And why would anyone think that dressing right and displaying proper character in other areas are opposed to each other, as if we must not have one if we have the other; or as if it’s okay to have one and not the other. To some, getting women covered seems like 50 percent or more of their Christianity. And isn’t good if it is really so. I don’t want to be like them either. Yet modest dress IS an aspect of genuine Christianity. You can’t go around it and at the same time be a faithful Christian who has a legitimate hope of salvation in Christ.
Here is some more Biblical counsel on having our hearts right which applies to how we dress and everything else that we do.
Matthew 22:17-21: “Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
Romans 12:1-2: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 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.”
This also shows why our culture’s norms can’t be the standard whereby we determine whether an outfit is modest and acceptable or not. A lot of people dress terribly immodest, showing off their bodies and/or looking all flashy while saying they are being modest. Some people consider anything more than being naked to be modest. Yet our culture, and every culture to some degree, has been corrupted by sinful values and evil influences. Renewing one’s mind by God’s Word will help one better realize the exceedingly great degree that this is so. Consider also makeup along these lines. Makeup was Jezebel’s seduction tool. Just because it has become normal in a culture doesn’t make it okay nor harmless. We all have an idea of how Christians in the first century dressed and presented themselves. We know, if we are honest with ourselves, that wearing makeup is definitely not compatible with that general definition we have which we know is true.
To some, there is an element of defiance towards God in their immodest dress which they are extremely conscious of and deliberate in. Immodest dress is actually very closely related to the spirit of Sodom. Publicly displaying one’s body and being overall decadent in dress, as well as public lewdness, are utterly compatible with the LGBT spirit. Note how the drag queens do not wear long dresses and head-coverings and don’t refrain from lasciviousness movement. Immodesty in society in general has emboldened and promoted the LGBT spirit. Are you disgusted by pride month and the LGBT agenda being constantly pushed on us? Dress modestly and/or enforce modest dress in your home (if you have jurisdiction over anyone in your home). Modesty reproves and rebukes the LBGT spirit. To reinforce my point, just imagine an LGBT group having a modesty workshop where their people were taught about dressing in a way that isn’t ostentatious or in any way sexually suggestive. Besides as a joke or a publicity stunt, such a thought could never be more than utter fiction!
You want to basically see how much a society has accepted LGBT stuff, look at how overall decadent it is (immodest, luxurious, and given to pleasure and sensuality). You are going to find a strong correlation between decadence and the LGBT stuff. I’m not talking about the richest of the rich in a nation, and the socially unacceptable dregs of a society, who always display decadence. I am talking about what has infiltrated into the mainstream, and into the general population, as socially acceptable. Immodest dress being generally practiced is an essential for decadence prevailing in a society and the LGBT becoming socially acceptable and increasing. And not practicing modest dress according to Biblical standards is siding to some degree with feminists as well (who by their very ideology side against God by protesting His verdict that the man be over the woman). And in the case of many modern Jezebels, except perhaps some of the most subtle and/or unusual ones, a message like this brings to the surface the wickedness harbored in their heart related to the ways of Jezebel which they have embraced.
I tell fellow Christians to ignore immodesty and treat people with dignity no matter how they’re dressed. I’d hope that among the Christian men whom I can influence that it would be virtually impossible for anyone to cause them to fall into lust. And yet, it is also true that some people are weak and vulnerable in this area (like teenage boys, some of whom are still very innocent). Consider here Mark 9:42: “And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.” You should care about this then and fear exceedingly! No one should ever be causing an unnecessary battle for someone due to their lasciviousness or whatever it is which would cause them to show off their body and so defraud others. Your immodesty should not cause another to have to fight a battle in this way, even though some will not be stumbled by you. And that is not to mention how seductive dress plays into the hands of those who have embraced lust and are glad when others provide them gratification. Dressing immodestly is fellowshipping with the sexually perverse, freely granting them their perverse desire.
Some people, men and women, obviously prove their wickedness due to how they fight against these principles and would never implement them (at least that’s their attitude right now). Men need to love the Lord more than their wives and daughters and enforce Biblical modesty on those under their jurisdiction. How effectively this is done reflects on fathers and pastors. Men should also not have anything in their hearts which would involve taking pleasure in showing off their wives and/or daughters. Women need to love the Lord more than their image and their self-esteem; and remove any attitude in their heart which would cause them to dress in a way which could cause another to stumble, whether male authority in their life tells them to or not; and in spite of the fact female’s feelings generally make it harder for them to be different from the rest of society in this way and in many others.
God’s grace is only for those with a heart to do what He requires and to hold the lines which He has laid down faithfully.
For those who care then, the Bible commands that women cover their heads as a testimony of their submission to male authority in their life- as an extension of God’s own authority. That is what we find in 1 Corinthians chapter 11:1-16. And the Apostle Paul, in speaking about this, cites principles of creation as his basis for commanding head covering in Christian churches. He does not cite culture. Read the chapter yourself and judge whether this is the truth or not. In most cases though, women who love the pleasure of showing off their full head of hair (and/or are sensual in other ways) and their male authorities who want to show them off (or who at least don’t want to risk a fight with them) will be biased and look for an excuse for the woman not to cover her head before they even read the chapter. The same goes for those who are unwilling to stand out in public in order to do what God has commanded in His Word. Head covering in public used to be normal for women. But our society has regressed.
Micah 6:8: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
1 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. 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. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
Displaying luxury in dress or in any other way, and not adequately covering up one’s body, promotes the very opposite of these Biblical mandates.
If you want to be saved from the corruption of this evil world and stand before God blameless when He rises up to judgment, shakes all things, brings His wrath, and you stand before Him in judgment (and all this will surely happen) then don’t overlook these things. Be diligent rather that He finds you in peace, without spot, and blameless (like 2 Peter 3:14 warns). Flee from every evil way of the devil, take refuge and maintain refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ, walk in the truth of His Word without compromise in the midst of this crooked and corrupt world, and so deliver your soul.
Aaron’s email is: [email protected]