Modesty -- Part 2

Much of the material for this entry comes from a booklet by Nancy Leigh DeMoss called: “The Look – Does God Really Care What I Wear?” Nancy Leigh DeMoss is an excellent teacher and I highly recommend reading anything that you can get that is written by her. She also has a daily radio program called: “Revive Our Hearts”.

Last week, I tried to build a case for the discussion of Christian Modesty by quoting some material by Joshua Harris. It is my prayer and hope that we as Christian ladies will have enough desire to please God and enough love for our Christian brothers to do what we can to protect them and make things easier for them. We live in a culture that is very difficult for all of us, but it is especially difficult for our brothers who are trying to live a Godly life and continually have temptations thrown in their faces. We ladies need to realize that God has programmed males to be very visual, so it is normal for them to be stimulated by what they see. It is up to them to “flee temptation”, but it becomes increasingly difficult when they are faced at every turn with bodies that are not covered properly. I have heard some men say that they would just love it if they could come to church and feel “safe”, but to a great extent, that is not possible because even there some have taken on the “dress” of the culture and expose more than they should.

It is interesting to note as we start in Genesis with the first two people that they “were naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25). Then sin came along and their consciences were awakened and they knew that they were naked. (Genesis 3:7) They tried to cover themselves by making aprons out of fig leaves (Genesis 3:7), but God made them coats from the skins of animals (Genesis 3:21). It took the shedding of blood for God to cover them with those skins. Ever after that, clothing in the Bible is a picture of God covering our sins. It is interesting that as we “progress” as a culture, we are more and more reverting back to the original condition of nakedness that was the symbol of the awakening of the conscience as a result of sin.

There are three important principles that should govern our dress. The first one is the principle of “ownership”. We are not our own! (I Corinthians 6:19&20) We therefore do not have the right to dress any way we desire. The second principle is the principle of “Lordship”. (Romans 14:8&9) We cannot say, “I am not going to dress modestly, Lord.” (I Timothy 2:8&9). If we choose to disobey Him, then He is not our Lord at that point! And finally, we have the principle of “citizenship”. Romans 12:2 tells us not to be conformed to this world. That includes the way we dress. Also, I John 2:15 & 16 tells us not to love the world. We belong to a different Kingdom! “This world is NOT my home”! Praise the Lord! Every time we go out of our homes, it should be on our minds that we represent the God of the universe, the one Who gave Himself for us so that we don’t have to pay for our own sins! How can we go out wearing something that shows parts of our bodies that God says are to be covered – especially knowing that we may be defrauding (look in the last entry for an explanation of what it means to “defraud”) some young men (or older men) who are trying to keep their minds focused on Godly things! Here is a quote for you: “Women sin when they purposely or carelessly wear clothes that cause a man to sin”. Think about that and remember that we ARE “our brothers’ keeper”. Paul said that if meat would cause his brother to stumble, then he wouldn’t eat meat. How much more should we be willing to give up something that causes our brothers to sin!

Next week, I will continue this discussion on modesty. I am very passionate about this topic as I am very offended by women who dress in such a way as to cause difficulties for my husband or my sons or my grandkids! I feel like a “mother bear” on this topic, and I just pray that I can pass the passion on to each one who reads this and I hope you will pass it on as well! (Soon we will be finished with this topic and we can have some fun with recipes or something!)

Teach the Young Women to be Chaste - Titus 2:5

Wow! This is a monumental task in the culture in which we live! I am afraid I am going to be brutally honest on this one, Ladies! My children used to use the phrase, “Tell us what you REALLY think, Mom!” I think that you may concur with their assessment by the time I am finished with this one!

I am not sure if there is a misunderstanding of the meaning of the word “chaste” or what it is, but from looking around, it appears that women are really drawing a disconnect on this one! The word “chaste” (again according to Webster) means “not indulging in unlawful sexual activity; virtuous; modest: said especially of women, etc.; implies moral excellence; etc. applied in behavior, dress, speech as exhibiting purity.” Another verse that applies to this topic is in I Timothy 2: 9 where it says that women are to adorn themselves in “modest apparel”.

Most of us probably feel pretty good about the fact that we are not engaging in “unlawful sexual activity” and that is good, but there is so much more to the meaning of the word “chaste” and I would like to get very honest and personal in my teaching on this topic. Ladies, the only man we are Biblically allowed to try to attract is our husband! That means that when we dress in a way so as to attract anyone else, we are out of line with Scripture! You may think that you do not dress in order to attract anyone else, but may I remind you that God wired men so as to be attracted by what they see, and if we let them see more of us than God planned, we are committing an act of carelessness that is a sin against them by causing them to think on something that may cause sin in their life. I know the answer that some of you will respond with and that is “if they have a problem with what I wear, then it is their problem and not mine.” And they ARE responsible before God to guard their own minds, but as their Christian sisters, do we love them enough to be willing to give up our desires in order to help protect them? Our Christian brothers are bombarded on every side by sights that can cause them to lust in their hearts and many of them are trying very hard to avoid that sin, but it is a constant battle for them! I have heard some say that they wish that coming to church would be a safe haven for them and a place where they can relax from the battle and it is so disconcerting to them that they have to face the same struggles at church that they face at the mall.

May I be specific with some of the things that I am talking about? Today, Ladies, most clothing for women is just plain too low cut! I know, as I must shop in the same stores where you all shop! I know I have heard some women say that they can’t find anything else. Well, there are ways around that! When we raised our two girls, I had to get out my sewing machine more than once to sew something that was more modest than what we were able to find in the stores. It is particularly difficult through the early and late teen years. Another option is to just look through racks and racks of things and you will always find something that fits your need! You may not have as much choice as you like, but God has promised to supply our needs and He has ALWAYS more than supplied the needs of the ladies in our family! Another problem is that many clothes are designed so as to draw a person’s eyes to the wrong part of your body. Now, this is just my own personal opinion, but I believe that when a man looks at a woman, his eyes should be drawn to her face. Her demeanor and countenance should be such that she has a pleasant look on her face, and her clothing, or lack thereof, should not detract from her face! If your clothes are too low, too short, too tight, too sheer, or too “anything”, that will distract from the beauty of your face which should reflect your joy, your Godliness and your love for your Lord.

To sum it up, let’s pretend that we are going to a party where Jesus Christ is the guest of honor. How would you want to look when you are introduced to our Savior? Would you be ashamed if you were wearing some of the things that are in your closet? Would your hand immediately go across your chest to cover something that you wouldn’t want Him to see?

I am going to be away from my computer for a week or so, so I won’t be getting back to the next topic for a short time here. The next topic will relate to being a “keeper at home” and believe it or not, I believe that that topic actually relates to the one I just covered. Trust you are enjoying your summer and I look forward to sharing with you again soon! Please feel free to leave some input on this topic or any other topic! I would love to hear from you!