February 7, 2008

• How should a christian dress?

  I would love to hear your opinion on how you think a Christian Woman should dress. How should a Christian Man dress?

  Tell me your thoughts. I will be posting my thoughts and study on this issue in a bit but until then I would love to hear your thought. Well, I would love to hear your thoughts even after I post mine too

  ______________________________________________________________________
  Update…my post on the issue….Still would love to hear your thoughts on it
  ______________________________________________________________________

  Many people are quick to shout LEGALISM the moment anyone even thinks about talking about what people should wear. Those people need to remember though that the Bible does give some timeless principles concerning the dress of God’s people. God’s moral laws do not change and there are certain ethical principles that remain intact throughout all time. Clothing makes a statement. The way we dress still does portray a message to others. So how we dress is still important. We live in a culture that has virtually no limits and standards of decency.

  The Bible teaches that dress should always be modest.

  Timothy 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.

  A woman should not flaunt herself before men by the way she dresses and presents herself.

  The woman’s wardrobe should be filled with clothing that does not expose her body and which represent her as a woman of virtue instead of vice. a woman’s humble attitude should cause her to shrink away from anything that would even suggest immodesty and indecency. a Christian woman or girl should give careful thought to what she should wear, how she should dress, what clothing she selects, and the overall appearance that she should present to others. She is to dress sensibly. A sober mind will protect a woman from worldly and immodest display.

  A woman should not cloth herself with the “attire of a harlot” (Prov. 7:10). Modesty is to be the woman’s prime concern in relationship to her apparel. Of course, this issue is important for all Christians – both men and women. Ladies are not to dress in a manner where they invite men to lust at them. God holds you accountable for the way that you dress. How you dress sends a message to everyone around you. When you dress to be seen and showy you can be sure that you have crossed the line. The world says, “Dress sexy, dress to be seen, live free.” But God says, “Dress modest, don’t live to be seen, don’t show off the nakedness of your body.” 

  When a woman wears clothing which accentuates her figure, she is causing men’s attention to be drawn to that part of her, and she is causing men to lust. Do not go into the realm of what’s questionable. You should want to please God in all that you do – even your dress. God has always been concerned with modesty. Certainly the principle of modesty applies to men as well. Some of these fellows today want to wear their trousers below their belt line and wear clothing that is indecent and immodest. A man has no more a right to dress immodest then does a woman.

  The Bible teaches that we should never dress in a manner that draws attention to ourselves.

  1 Timothy 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.

  There is an artificial glamor of the world that does not last and there is also the true beauty of a godly life that lasts. Godly living is more important than glamor.
  Many women deck themselves with fine jewelry, gold, costly array (dress) to impress others and get others to notice them. Their goal is to be noticed by others and let others know what they are worth and how charming they are. This type of outward emphasis is nothing more than the pride of life (1 John 2:15-16).

  The Bible teaches that dress should reflect a distinction among the sexes. (I know the thing that causes many to cry legalism)

  Deuteronomy 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.

  Many people write this verse off because it’s found in the Old Testament and they suggest that the church today is no longer living under the jurisdiction of the Mosaic Law. Instead, the church is living under the grace dispensation, which has abolished the observance of the Mosaic Law (Romans 6:14). It’s assumed that all of the laws represented in the Mosaic code of the Old Testament were merely ritual laws that are no longer applicable to our own contemporary society and situation. In short, many conclude that the Mosaic code does not apply to our day and time. This type of conclusion breeds confusion and is a gross misunderstanding of what it means to live under grace. Although believers have been released from the Mosaic Law regulations as an outworking of many minuscule rules, which taught typical lessons about Christ and separation, they are still obligated to follow the unchanging moral and ethical laws of God. Living under grace does not mean that we scrap God’s moral and timeless ethical principles mentioned in the Old Testament.

  To claim that God’s holiness code and all His moral and ethical laws are done away with under grace is a fallacy of the worst sort. If this were the case we would have to conclude that it is morally okay to commit adultery (Lev. 18:20), commit bestiality (Lev. 18:23), put our children to death (Lev. 18:21), or commit incest with family members (Lev. 18:6-18). This is an absurdity. For instance, there are many things mentioned in Leviticus that are obligatory for today such as not committing adultery (Lev. 18:20) or idolatry (19:4) and the need to love others (Lev. 19:18). Jesus even quoted from Leviticus 19:18 in the New Testament (Matt. 19:19, 22:39) to stress loving others. Of course, this does not mean Christians live under the Law as a means of salvation or sanctification. We do live under grace (Rom. 6:14) but the moral Law of God, which predates the Mosaic Law, always remains in place no matter what society says or does. Living under grace also means that we can live according to the inward teaching and transforming power of grace instead of the outward teaching ministry of the Law (John 1:16-17; Rom. 6:14; 7:4; Gal. 5:22-23; Phil. 2:13; 2 Cor. 3:3).
  When an Old Testament principle is repeated in the New Testament then that rule or principle is for us today. This means we are to follow it.
  So is there a parallel statement in the New Testament concerning cross-dressing and unisex living as mentioned in Deuteronomy 22:5? The answer is yes. In 1 Corinthians Paul draws a clear distinction between the sexes in appearance.
  First Corinthians 11:14-15 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
  God says there should be a difference between the man and the woman in the physical appearance of hair lengths. When looking behind a person their gender should be discernible.

  Counteract culture when necessary.

  Don’t follow the culture when it tries to openly and defiantly blur the distinction among the sexes. As Christians we must counteract the culture that seeks to unite the sexes (Romans 12:2).

  Don’t walk the line.

  Dress and look like a man or woman in the best possible light. Don’t remove the old landmarks and the long established cultural differences between the sexes. Stay within the boundaries and don’t walk so close to the edge. You might fall off!

  The Christian should chart a clear course and stay away from blurring distinctions among the sexes in the matter of dress and appearance. Boundaries must be marked and maintained. When in doubt, don’t! Failure to do so will shame God’s design for femininity and masculinity

  There are several questions we can ask when buying clothing. First, is the exact item that I’m purchasing worn by the opposite sex? In other words, as  a woman, I should not wear anything that a man would normally or traditionally wear. Is the item you want to wear specifically geared for the masculine or feminine gender?

  The Bible teaches that dress should never become worldly.

  Our dress, speech, activities, hobbies, and worship should never cause the believer to conform to the pattern of the world system.

  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 (molded) 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.

  We must beware that we do not attempt to knowingly draw attention to ourselves by our looks and dress. This is nothing more than the sin of pride, which is practiced today in our own cultural environment. All of us can become guilty of this sin if we do not guard our hearts.

  • 10:41 am
  • 16 Comments