What is Modesty? Part III

Modesty in Apparel: Does it really matter to God what I wear?

There are all sorts of groups and sects out there who have many different ideas of what modest apparel is. And some dismiss the issue altogether, quoting the passage in I Samuel that says, "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." But those who believe that God does not care about how we cover our bodies have apparently not considered what the rest of the Bible has to say on the subject. (There will be more about that in the next post.)

Today, I hope to consider why it matters what Christian women wear. Have you ever seen students in a private school dressed in uniforms? Or identified a policeman or military officer simply by what he was wearing? If you are lost in a hospital, who can you approach in the hallway to ask directions to the right ward? The ones who identify themselves as employees by their uniforms, of course.

The clothing that a person wears is very telling; in fact, it speaks long before that person ever opens the mouth. If I see a guy wearing a jersey, helmet and football pads, no one has to tell me that he is a football player. His clothes say it for him.

Likewise, a Christian's attire should identify him or her as a Christian, a follower of Christ. When a stranger looks at me, there should be no doubt in their mind that I am not a woman of the world. I am not saying that Christian ladies should literally wear uniforms, but that we should wear what is becoming of a Christian lady.

A Christian woman who wears clothing that identifies her as worldly is wearing the uniform of the enemy. Have you read James 4:4? "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

God expects us to look and act differently than the world at large. II Corinthians 6:

14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them ; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you, 18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

God wants us to be distinctly different, so that we will be light in a dark world. How can our light shine, if we look just like the ungodly?

It is true that clothing does not tell what is in the heart, but the fact is that man does look on the outward appearance. And that is why it matters.


(Read Part IV HERE.)