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WHAT SHALL I WEAR?
INTRODUCTION
1. "What shall I wear?" is a question many people ask nearly every
morning...
a. As they dress for work, to relax, etc.
b. Usually weighing such issues as fashion versus form, style
versus
substance
2. When Christians ask this question, other issues should come into
consideration...
a. Is it modest?
b. Is it proper for those professing godliness? -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
Timothy 2:9-10
3. The challenge is that which constitutes modesty is constantly
changing...
a. At one time, it was immodest for a woman to expose her ankles
b. Today, even the most modest of dress would have been consider
scandalous
4. So the question remains, "What Shall I Wear?"...
a. Should a Christian woman wear shorts, mini-skirts, low-cut
blouses, tight skirts or pants?
b. What about men? Should they be concerned about modest
apparel?
c. What effect might this have on certain activities, such as mixed
swimming and other athletic sports?
[This is not to propose some easy answer, or simple guideline (such as "no
higher than an inch above the knee"). Rather to encourage prayerful
consideration of what the Bible has to say, which provides basic
principles that can help one discern between good and evil. For
example...]
I. IT IS SHAMEFUL TO EXPOSE ONE'S NAKEDNESS
A. CONSIDER THE EXAMPLE OF ADAM AND EVE...
1. After they sinned, they made "coverings"
for themselves - Genesis
3:7-10
a. Hebrew, "chagorah", meaning
a garment which covers the
mid-section
b. Despite such coverings, they
still felt naked!
2. The Lord made "tunics" for them -
Genesis 3:21
a. Hebrew, "kethoneth", a
garment commonly reaching to knee
b. Evidently God was not
pleased with the brevity of the
coverings
they had made
B. IT IS SHAMEFUL TO EXPOSE OR DRAW ATTENTION TO PRIVATE PARTS
OF
THE BODY...
1. Exposure of such parts was often a form of
judgment intended
to shame the wicked - cf.
Isaiah 3:16-17; 47:1-3
2. Paul alludes to the fact that some parts are "unpresentable"
and should be covered -
And those members of the body,
which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour;
and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have
no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant
honour to that part which lacked:1 Corinthians 12:23-24
[At some point, then, there needs to be a line where it is a shame to
cross, there are parts of the body that should remain private. Perhaps
we can begin to determine what these may be as we consider another
principle...]
II. WE MUST NOT PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FLESHLY LUSTS
A. THIS IS CLEARLY CONDEMNED IN THE SCRIPTURES...
1. Look at
Romans 13:13-14 : Let us
walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering
and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
2. Can the way we dress excite fleshly lusts?
Consider the
following:
a. "An astonishingly great
number of men are of the opinion
that women
are more attractive partly dressed - than nude.
They prefer
to see women partially disrobed to the sight of
complete
nakedness." - Theodor Reik (Of Love And Lust)
b. "Mini-clothes are
symbolic of those girls who want to
seduce a
man..." - Mary Quant, London fashion designer and
mother of the
miniskirt
c. When asked where it
(miniskirts, etc.) was all leading to,
Mary Quant
replied with one word: "Sex."
d. During the hijacking of the
Santa Maria in 1967, the women
on board were
concerned the rebels might have designs on
them, so they
left off wearing "enticing clothing"; i.e.,
they stopped
appearing in shorts and halter-tops, and quit
swimming in
the ship's pool
-- If the "women of the world"
know what is capable of
stimulating
the lust of the flesh, why not the "daughters
of God"?
B. JESUS WARNED ABOUT "COMMITTING ADULTERY IN THE HEART"...
1. Is there not a two-fold responsibility here? -
Matthew 5:27-30
a. The man is responsible to
guard his mind from impurity
-
Philipians 4:8
b. Is not the woman to help
prevent the lewd stare?
2. Though lust is inexcusable on the man's part,
if the woman by
her apparel or conduct has
encouraged it, she shares in the
guilt! - e.g., Proverbs
7:6-27
[If the clothing we wear encourages the arousal of fleshly lusts in
others, then we have clearly crossed the line. Of course, this requires
honesty and objectivity on our part; we must be willing to be true to
ourselves and to God. To help us toward that end, consider another
basic principle from God's Word...]
III. CLOTHING MUST BE CONSISTENT WITH GODLINESS
A. CONSIDER CAREFULLY 1 TIMOTHY 2:9-10...
1. "modest" (kosmio)
a. "Orderly, well arranged,
decent, modest" (akin to kosmos,
in its
primary sense as "harmonious arrangement adornment";
cf. kosmikos,
of the world, which is related to kosmos in
its secondary
sense as the world) - Vine's
b. "The well-ordering is not of
dress and demeanor only, but
of the inner
life, uttering in deed and expressing itself
in the
outward conversation" - Trench
-- In the context, this word
applies not so much to brevity of
clothing, but
to gaudiness of clothing
2. "propriety" (aidos)
a. Translated "shamefacedness"
in the KJV
b. "a sense of shame, modesty,
is used regarding the demeanor
of women in
the church, - Vine's Expository Dictionary
-- This word applies more to
the issue of brevity of clothing:
Can it be
said that those who display their bodies so as to
excite lust
in others have the quality of "shamefacedness"?
3. "moderation" (sophrosune)
a. Translated "sobriety" in the
KJV
b. "denotes soundness of mind"
- Vine's
c. "it is that habitual inner
self-government, with its
constant rein
on all the passions and desires, which would
hinder the
temptation to these from arising..." - Trench
-- Will not a sound mind take
into consideration the affect
one's apparel
has on another?
4. "not with braided hair or gold or pearls or
costly clothing"
a. Excess, rather than actual
adornment, is what is being
condemned
here - cf. Isaiah 3:16-26 with Ezekiel 16:10-14
b. This is an example of the
comparative use of "not" found
frequently in
the Bible:
1) "Not" is
sometimes used absolutely - Exodus 20:14
2) "Not" is
sometimes used conditionally (not...if) - Galatians
5:21
3) "Not" is
sometimes used comparatively (not...but) - John
6:27; 1 Colosians 1:17; 1 John 4:10
-- Outward adornment is not
wrong absolutely, but in
comparison to
the adorning of the inner person by good
works, it is
to be of lower priority and lesser importance
5. "proper for women professing godliness"
a. That which is fitting,
seemly, suitable, becoming - cf. Ephesians
5:3; Titus
2:1
b. For women claiming to be
reverent, pious - cf. Titus 2:3-5
-- Would a woman who professes
to be godly knowingly adorn
herself in a
way that excites lust in another person?
B. CONSIDER ALSO 1 PETER 3:1-6...
1. Note first the potential value of chaste
conduct - 1 Peter 3:1-2
a. Good behavior can influence
one for good
b. Likewise, improper behavior
(e.g., immodest clothing) can
have an
adverse effect!
2. In verses 3-4, we have another example
of the comparative use
of "not"
a. The emphasis should not be
one's adornment (arranging the
hair, wearing
gold, putting on apparel)
b. Rather, it should be
adorning one's inner person
3. The adornment that greatly pleases God - 1
Peter 3:4-6
a. The incorruptible beauty of
a gentle and quiet spirit
b. As worn by women like Sarah,
who trusted God and submitted
to her
husband
-- When a person disregards the effect their
apparel may have on
another, can it be said they
are adorned with a gentle and
quite spirit?
CONCLUSION
1. As noted in the beginning, it has not been the goal to establish
specific rules for what is modest apparel...
a. To do so would be to do what the Bible itself does not do
b. Rather, to offer the general principles that can help the
Christian who desires to please God rather than
self or man
2. When faced with the question "What shall I wear?":
a. Prayerfully consider whether your adornment in any circumstance
reflects your profession of godliness, and the
principles found
in God's word
b. Seek counsel from those who are mature in the faith, whose
senses
have been exercised to discern good and evil (cf.
Hebrews 5:14)
Do this, and one is more likely to fulfill that goal set for us when the
apostle Paul stated, that we be...
"...blameless and harmless, children of
God without fault in the
midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine
as lights in the world" (Philipians 2:15)
To a Virtuous
Woman
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