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We are living in a time of moral confusion, and our
generation's immorality is reflected in many of today's styles. Today's
fashion industry has little regard for modesty, and its products often
project a look that is inappropriate for someone who wants to mirror
Christ.
The marvelous grace of God in our hearts compels us to reflect His
holiness in the part of our being that other people see. When a person
becomes a Christian, his experience changes every facet his life-not just
the inward person but the outward person as well.
A Biblical Principles
The Bible instructs us to wear modest clothing, that is, clothing with a
godly appearance. Of course, our outward appearance cannot substitute for
inward holiness. Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves after they
sinned, but God found their efforts inadequate. By making clothing of
animal skins for them, He confirmed that they indeed needed modest
clothing, but He also revealed that holiness in appearance must be
associated with God's provision for our sins. Only by the death of Jesus
Christ, the Lamb of God, do we obtain the righteousness of God that we seek
to reflect outwardly.
God instructed Israel's
high priest to wear "holy garments," for he represented a holy
God (Exodus 28:2). God also ordered the priests to wear clothing that
covered their nakedness and forbad elevated altars upon which priests would
walk and thereby expose their nakedness (Exodus 20:26; 28:42).
Deuteronomy 22:5 enunciates the moral principle of a clear distinction
between male and female in outward appearance: one sex must not wear styles
of clothing associated with the other.
Proverbs 7:10 speaks of a woman with "the attire associated with
sin and are not suitable for godly people to wear.
The principle that God wants His people to reflect His holiness applies
to the New Testament church (I Peter 1:15-16). We are called to be living
epistles read of all people, declaring to the world God's holy nature and
His abiding presence (II Corinthians 3:3). Our outward appearance is one
way in which we are an unspoken witness of the transforming power of
Christ.
I Timothy 2:9 admonishes "that women adorn themselves in modest
apparel, with shamedfacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold,
or pearls, or costly array." I Peter 3:3 gives similar instructions.
I Corinthians 11:1-16 teaches that a woman
should have long hair, for it is her glory, and that a man should not have
long hair. A person's hair serves as an important visible symbol of his or
her submission to God's plan of authority and as a distinguishing mark
between the sexes.
Revelation 16:15 uses clothing as a symbol to instruct the church to
stay close to God: "Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his
garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."
Clearly, God puts emphasis on the outward appearance of a person. To an
extent, clothing reflects the condition of the heart, and it sends message
to others about a person's values.
A Response to God's Grace
Advocating modesty of dress and outward dedication does not mean
advocating salvation by works. Wearing godly dress is not a meritorious
work to earn salvation; rather, it is a response to the saving grace of
God. The blood of Jesus is our only righteousness. Our salvation comes from
God, never from our good works. To think that we could earn His marvelous
grace by adhering to dress codes would be a terrible mistake.
But to accept the grace of God and then be indifferent to Christ's
commandment for holy living would discredit His mercy. If the church
preaches Christ and His saving grace without teaching biblical guidelines
to live by, it leaves people open to confusion and failure. Deliberate and
continuous disobedience to God's Word will lead to the loss of saving
faith.
Who can view the Cross without wanting to conform to Christ? Who would
want to continue his or her old sinful patterns of living when Jesus Christ
died to bring deliverance from those sins? When people comprehend His
holiness, they desire to become holy. While it is true that genuine love
for Him restrains a person from presuming upon His marvelous grace.
In our success-oriented society, no one considers it odd if a
corporation requires its employees to conform to a dress code. Why then
should a church that teaches neatness and modesty for the purpose of
honoring the holiness of God be considered narrow, restrictive, or
legalistic?
If we are to honor God in our hearts, it is consistent to honor Him with
an outward dedication. I John 2:15 instructs us, "Love not the
world", surely, then, we would be foolish to mirror worldly values in
our appearance.
The Protection of Modesty
Adhering to a modest, godly standard of dress and conduct offers
protection from the surge of immorality that plagues our generation.
Clothes and appearance transmit nonverbal signals. Christians who verbalize
goodness and godliness but at the same time nonverbally declare sensuality
and ungodliness destroy the effectiveness of their gospel witness.
The primary purpose of many fashion designs is to exalt the ego, attract
undue attention to the flesh, stir desires, and ignite passion in others,
thereby appealing to the lust, of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life, which the Bible condemns (I John 2:16). If we are in such
styles and with such motives.
We must not naively ignore the complex causes of immorality and marital
infidelity, but neither should we ignore the influence that sensual dress
has on adultery and fornication. If a man looks with lust upon a women he
commits adultery in his heart (Matthew 5:28). If people would dress in ways
that do not provoke lust, the moral fiber of our society would be
strengthened.
The danger of overemphasizing any discipline in the Christian life is
that some people allow the discipline to become a legalistic code. Some
people who harbor unholy attitudes such as hatred, bitterness, envy, and
strife falsely think they are spiritual because they wear modest clothes.
Such distortions are hypocritical and wrong. But we cannot dismiss the
need for modesty in dress because some distort it. The biblical alternative
to legalism is not permissiveness or license but self-discipline motivated
by grace, faith, love, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit. (See John
14:15; I Corinthians 9:24-27; II Timothy 2:4-5; I John 2:3-6.)
For the sake of our children, we must teach them to respect the holiness
of God in all areas of life. Allowing or encouraging preteens and teenagers
to dress in many of today's fashions is an invitation to social and
spiritual problems.
A dress code will not automatically remedy the decaying moral fiber
among youth, but it does remind them of God's commandments. We must begin
somewhere to teach children and youth moral responsibility, and standards
of modesty in dress offer us this opportunity.
When we honor God and His Word in our hearts and in our outward appearance,
He places an umbrella of protection over our families. While moral decay
sweeps modern society and many modern churches, we are able to remain
relatively untouched. The world may scoff at our modesty, but we dare not
lay down our cloak of protection and our obedience to the Word of God.
NMP
Tract # 1567220932
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This tract was put into HTML format by Stan Hallett.
This non-copyrighted tract is available in hardcopy tract format
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