WHAT DO YOU WEAR (2 of 2)

ARE YOU DRESSING FOR CHRIST OR THE WORLD?

Principles of Christian Dressing

A call for principles of Christian dressing is very relevant today, especially when modesty and decency is out, and nudity and sensuality are in. A few of the principles are discussed as follows:

     Principle One: Dress and appearance are important indicators of Christian character. Clothing and appearance are most powerful non-verbal communicators, not only of our socio-economic status but also of our moral values. We are what we wear. This means that the outward appearance of the Christian should be considered serious, as it indexes the Christian character. The Bible recognizes the importance of dresses and ornaments as indicated in the numerous stories and admonitions regarding appropriate and inappropriate adorning. Our outward appearance is a silent and visible testimony of our Christian values. The Christian dresses to glorify God(read 1corin.10:31kjv). As Christians, we cannot say, “what I look like is no one’s business!” because what we look like reflects our Lord. It should show how Jesus Christ has transformed my life from the inside out. When HE comes into your life, He does not cover our blemishes with cosmetic powder, but He cleanses us wholly by working from within. This inner renewal is reflected in the outward appearance.

     Principle Two: Adorning our bodies with colourful cosmetics, glittering jewellery and luxurious clothes reveals inner pride and vanity, which are destructive to us and others. In both the old and new testament, there is a consistent pattern of the use of colourful cosmetics, glittering jewelry and eye-catching clothes to accomplish seductive purposes, which implicitly reveals God’s condemnation of their use. (See Is.3:16-26kjv, 2kings 9:30, Ezek. 23kjv, Jeremiah Jer. 4:30kjv, 1Tim. 2:9-10kjv, 1Pet. 3:3-4).

     Principle Three: Christian dressing in a modest and decent way should show respect for God, themselves and others.(1 Tim. 2:9). With respect to clothing, the Christian should dress in a well-ordered, decorous and a decent manner without causing shame or embarrassment to God, themselves or others. To dress modestly and decently implies that the clothing must provide sufficient covering to the body so that others are not embarrassed or tempted. Today’s modern fashion industry rejects modesty and decency as the basis for constructive human relationships. The main concern of the modern fashion industry is to sell clothes, jewellery and cosmetics by exploiting the powerful sex drives of the human body, even if it means marketing immodest products that only feed pride and sensuality. The Bible explicitly condemns a lustful look:” But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matt. 5:28). The revealing clothes promoted by the modern fashion industry awaken lustful passions in the heart of the beholder and contribute immeasureably to the depravity of our time. By dressing modestly, the Christian woman plays a key role in maintaining public morality. Christians are summoned by scripture to reject the seductive dictates of fashion and choose instead to reflect the outward appearance of natural beauty, simplicity and elevated purity.

     Principle Four: Christians should dress soberly, restraining any desire to exhibit themselves by wearing eye-catching clothes, cosmetics or jewelry. Paul uses the word soberly to describe appropriate Christian adorning in 1 Timothy 2:9kjv –“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;”. The term ‘sober’ denotes a mental attitude of self-control, temperate, an attitude that determines all other virtues. Paul, in using the word sober,  pictures the Christian woman as one who dresses soberly by restraining her desire to exhibit herself through wearing elaborate hair styles, gold, pearls, or expensive clothes. Her appearance does not say, ‘Look at me; admire me,’ but rather, "Look at how Christ has changed me from the inside out." A Christian woman who has been freed from the abiding concern to be the object of admiration will not be afraid to wear the same dress too often, if it is well-made, conservative, and wears well.

     Principle Five: Christians should respect gender distinctions in clothing by wearing clothes that affirm their male or female identities. This principle is plainly taught in the law found in Deuteronomy 22:5, which prohibits wearing the clothes of the opposite sex. This shows  that the Bible attaches great importance to preserving gender distinctions in dress as well as in functional roles, because these are fundamental to our understanding of who we are and what role God wants us to fulfill.

Clothes define our identity and help us develop a new identity. Not only is it true that we are what we wear, but also that we become what we wear. A woman who wants to function as a man will most likely  dress like a man. Similarly a man who wants to be treated as a woman will most likely wear feminine items like jewelry, perfume, and ornate clothing. This means that when we distort the gender distinctions by wearing gender-less clothing, we gradually lose our male or female identity and experience an identity crisis and confusion of roles.

Today, role confusion is present in the home, in the workplace, and in the church, making it increasingly difficult to tell where the role of a man ends and that of a woman begins. Christians must recognize today’s attempts to abolish male and female distinctions, especially through the popularity of gender-less clothing, as Satan’s effort to destroy the order and beauty of God’s creation.

The Bible does not tell us what style of clothing men and women should wear, because it recognizes that style is dictated by climate and culture. The Bible does teach us to respect the gender distinction in clothing as it is known within our own culture. This means that as Christians we need to ask ourselves when buying clothes: Does this article of clothing affirm my gender identity, or does it make me look as though I belong to the opposite sex? Whenever you feel that a certain type of clothing does not belong to your gender, follow your conscience: Don’t buy it, even if it is fashionable.

At a time when modern fashion seems bent on abolishing gender distinctions in clothing, it is not always easy for Christians to find clothes that affirm their gender identity. But it has never been easy to live by Biblical principles. Yet this is our Christian calling, not to conform to the perverted values and styles of our society, but to be a transforming influence in this world through the enabling power of God. Amen!