I received a letter this week from a man who loves the Lord with all his heart and is committed to and leading other men in recognizing God's plan for Biblical sexual purity in their lives. The struggle is with the way women dress in church. It is sad that as sisters in Christ, we would so carelessly cause our brothers to be distracted from worship. This was my response to him:
As the mother of two boys, I have become more aware of the effects of what a woman wears and how she carries herself. I am convinced that most women have little notion as to what she is doing to be a stumbling block to her brothers in Christ! Let me try to explain. A woman desires to look young and attractive. We allow our culture to define attractive, which is driven by the evil one. Therefore, what is called "attractive" often screams of "sexual". However, because most women are not stimulated sexually by
appearances, she must learn to look in the mirror with the wisdom that comes from knowing how her dress and the way she carries herself looks to the opposite sex! Sisters MUST hold sisters in check for the love of the Body of our Christ!! The consequences are too great a price to pay so needlessly! Yes, men have their responsibility to purity, but as a woman, I must always be mindful of how my life effects the Body. I find Paul's exhortation to caring for those around us to drive me to ask the Lord, is there ANYThing in my life that causes another to struggle (Romans 14)
Through His Word, God gives us a simple and clear yet general instruction in 1 Timothy 2:9: "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel..." The word "modest" is defined in Collin's English Dictionary as: 1. having or expressing a humble opinion of oneself or one's accomplishments or abilities; 2. reserved or shy; 3. not ostentatious or pretentious; 4. not extreme or excessive, moderate; 5. decorous or decent. Therefore, God expects a woman to dress in a proper, well-mannered fashion - certainly not in a provocative, outlandish or excessive way. Christians are to be examples to those around them, living the pages of the Bible for those who never read them. Their appearance and cations should exude stability and good judgment.
Although this does not mean we must dress so out of fashion as to be offensive or strange, it may be more difficult, especially during certain situation is this end time, for a woman to be fashionable and modest at the same time. In addition, one should wisely consider the financial aspect (and the motives) of constantly purchasing stylish clothing, even if it is modest.
In any case, one's clothing should be suitable for the situation - respectable swimsuits for the pool or beach, jeans for work in the garden and dressy outfits for formal occasions. At all times, a Christian woman should endeavor to look her best for those who are especially important in her life - her husband, family, etc.
A truly converted woman will convey a "meek and quiet spirit" (I Peter 3:4), and this will be reflected in the type of clothing she wears. Her apparel will be appropriate for the occasion and stylish if affordable, while remaining modest and proper. The heart of such a woman will be pleasing to God.
A couple of simple guidelines:
1. If you need to tug or adjust throughout the day - it is not appropriate.
2. If even one person mentions a "revealing" - it is not appropriate.
3. If your outfit causes you to feel bolder than the Spirit in your heart - it is not appropriate.
4. A godly woman never uses the sway or position of her body to entice or draw attention to herself and away from the God of her heart!
5. To not consider DAILY your appearance before man - is not appropriate.
2 comments:
Rosie says: I loved both the articles you sent (modest dress & tongues). I personally feel all women of our church would benefit form reading the article on dress. It gives perspective to how we as women should dress and provides guidelines to help determine if what we are wearing is appropriate or not. And the article on tongues answers all the questions I have heard about that issue. Both articles gave me reason to examine my life and make sure I am on track in both areas.
I agree with Rosie re: modest dressing and that our females in our church should read this. If the mothers have a committed heart to the Lord, they SHOULD be monitoring the way their daughters dress. Why aren't the mothers strong enough to teach their girls how and why God wants us to dress.
I know there is alot of peer pressure,
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