I have recently been pondering the issue of modesty and purity, in both younger
and older Christian women, which has aroused a concern in the lack of biblical
principles in Christian homes, including my own. I think many followers of
Christ have abandoned high standards of dress and exchanged them for clothing
that reflects current culture, justifying this through many different means. But
I would like to know, what does the Bible have to say about the way we dress?
A few days ago, one of my friends asked me
what I thought dressing modestly meant. My answer went something like
this—dressing in a way that reflects modesty and holiness, glorifying the one
who instilled those aspects of character in you. Modesty is not asking how
short is too short or how low is too low. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t
a set of rules one lives by so that she can leave the house. It also isn’t
dressing in a sack so as to hide her beauty. Modesty is not a pompous display
of self nor is it a shameful attitude towards the natural beauty women so fully
possess. Sadly, young and older ladies alike find it difficult to dress in a
way that is lovely but also in a way that displays their Christian values.
The world would have us focus on
physical “beauty” and putting our sexuality on display by using the clothes we
wear. Clothes have become a source of identity and expression. Instead of using
clothes to convey the messages the world would have us proclaim, Christians
should use clothes to share the good news and to live set apart from the world.
Have you ever wondered why we wear clothes in the first place? I believe that wearing
modest clothing is an expression of humbleness towards God. The reason why we
wear clothes can be found in the very beginning, back in Genesis. You know the
story, so I’ll just sum it up real quick.
When Adam and Eve sin, they attempt to
hide their shame by clothing themselves with fig leaves. After God punishes
them, He provides for them real clothes made to cover their nakedness. God requires
us to wear clothes and to cover ourselves. By wearing clothing, we are recognizing
that we are fallen, but we are also choosing to live in obedience towards God and
His expectations. There is a reason why a rebellious, wild attitude often goes
hand in hand with skimpy clothing. Proverbs warns young men against women who
dress like prostitutes, and instead encourages them to find women who fear the
Lord, who are far more valuable than rubies. We want to be the kind of women
who bring joy to our men and who honor God in all that we do, even in the way we
dress! Those women who have a desire to live according to the world’s fashion
standards are in danger of compromising their Christian values.
The Bible tells us that where our
treasure is, there too are our hearts and that we should spend time building up
eternal treasures instead of worldly ones. I’ve have seen too many young and
older ladies sacrifice the pursuit of godly things for the pursuit of worldly
ones. We do not want to become like the Pharisees and Scribes that Jesus
admonished by calling them hypocrites who were like “…whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of
bones and all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27b) Our focus should
not be on making our outward appearances “beautiful”, but rather on continually
allowing Christ to restore our inward beings, permitting our hearts, full of
Christ, to shine and radiate out of us, making us truly beautiful in a
worthwhile way!
With this perspective, it becomes easy
to condemn physical beauty and completely opt for inner beauty. Don’t get me
wrong, inner beauty is the most important, for while man judges by outside
appearance, God looks on the inside. But, beauty is not to be criticized! While
the Bible does say that beauty is fleeting and charm is vain, it does not
condemn beauty, but rather discourages the twisted spirit of seduction as
portrayed by harlots in the Bible. There are countless beautiful and godly women out there, many of whom
are in the Bible! Esther, Sarah, Rachel, Judith, and Abigail are just a few of
the women in the Bible who were considered beautiful. The Song of Solomon is
chock full of praise of physical beauty!
God is BEAUTIFUL in His essence and we were
created in His very own image and likeness, making us an embodiment of
God’s life and mystery and beauty. God
knit you together in your mother’s womb and was and is pleased with His
beautiful masterpiece! We should praise Him for we are fearfully and
wonderfully made! It
is He who has made us,
and not ourselves! It is important to remember that, while clothing
covers us in humbleness, clothing should never be used to cover us in shame,
for, not only is feminine beauty appreciated in the Bible, it is praised as
well!
How exciting that it is totally possible
to be beautiful and holy! As followers of Jehovah God, we know
that we were made in His image, so we should dress in a way that reflects the
beauty and purity of our Savior. In a way, what you choose to wear portrays who
you are. If you are a follower of God who walks in the light of salvation, you
will dress like it. The clothes you wear are evidence of your conviction and
beliefs.
The Bible says that the most important
thing that one can wear is “the hidden
person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which in God's sight is very precious.” (1 Peter 3:4) Dressing modestly is not
just covering up the body as much as possible. Modesty is the demeanor that
spurs on a motivation to dress with a spirit of purity and godliness, which in itself
is extremely beautiful!
When we dress ourselves, we should not conform ourselves to this world, but
rather we should renew our minds so that we may discern how to dress in a way that is good and
pleasing and perfect—according to God’s
standards.
