The following excerpt was written by Robert Reed, pastor of Victory Baptist Church in Coden, Alabama. Victory Baptist is an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) congregation.
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; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”
I Timothy 2:9-10
Modest Apparel
Christian modesty is always in style. This Biblical doctrine of modesty is taught throughout Scripture and is binding today. After sin entered into the world the first issue dealt with was modesty, for God clothed Adam and Eve. This Biblical principle is a vanishing virtue in the world in which we live. God’s standards are constantly under attack because Satan knows that immodest dress leads to lust and many other sins. The subject of modesty must be a concern of both men and women, for it affects them both. Our clothing gives testimony of our heart and our attitude toward God and His Word.
“Unaffected modesty is the sweetest charm of female excellence, the richest gem in the diadem of their honor.”
– Noah Webster Dictionary 1828
In reference to clothing from a Biblical perspective, there are three areas to consider: modesty, covering, and distinction. This article will focus mainly on the subject of modesty even though all three are very important. Some rebel against this truth, but many just have never been taught. It is the responsibility of fathers, husbands, and pastors to teach their wives, sons, and daughters the doctrine of modesty. May we begin this study prayerfully with open eyes and a tender heart.
THE MEANING OF MODESTY
In I Timothy 2:9 of the King James Bible, the English word modest appears only one time, “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.”
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In I Timothy 2:10, the real issue is brought forth, “But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.” Good works are our best ornament. Our dress is to match or be in harmony with what we believe. Our clothing is to glorify God and testify to the fact that we are a child of the King.
THE PURPOSE OF MODESTY
Modesty begins in the heart and is of utmost importance in our walk with God. Modesty was the first issue addressed after the fall, and God clothed Adam and Eve to have fellowship with them (even though no one else was on earth at that time). In I Peter 3:3-6, modesty of the heart and clothing are addressed, “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.” The apostle stresses inward adornment and not outward display. In verse 3, he is saying that the putting on of apparel is not your beauty, but your devotion and love to Jesus Christ is. In other words, do you spend more time adorning the outward or the inward? Our text plainly shows a connection between what is on the inside and what we are on the outside. It begins internally and manifests itself externally.
The heart is mentioned over eight hundred times in Holy Writ. No one is saved unless the heart is turned to God (Hebrews 8:10), and no one can please God in modest apparel unless there is a modest heart. When our hearts are right, our clothing will be right also. We must be governed by the Spirit of the living God and not by feelings, fads, or fashions. Modesty is man’s oldest challenge. Prior to sin, Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed (Genesis 2:25). They were clothed in God’s righteousness and veiled in purity, but after the fall, sin and shame came. Man’s heart became darkened and God clothed them spiritually and physically. Again, we must be changed from the inside out or all is vanity.
THE REWARD OF MODESTY
The reward of modesty is blessings, joy, peace, and ultimately, a crown at the judgment seat of Christ. According to Romans 12:1-2, God is concerned with our bodies, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost (I Corinthians 6:14-7:1). The Spirit of the God of heaven and earth lives within the believer (I Corinthians 3:16-17). God is very much interested in our hearts (inside) and our bodies (outside). Both are very important to God for He created us in this manner. The spiritual is connected to the physical (Revelation 3:18, Isaiah 61:10). Our salvation is spoken of as garments of holiness and the righteousness of Christ. We are called peculiar people in I Peter 2:9, and we should live in a manner that is pleasing to God. According to II Corinthians 5:10-11, if we obey God we are promised rewards, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” The apostle Paul spoke of the crown of righteousness in II Timothy 4:7-8. May we all desire the things of God and look for His appearing.
CONCLUSION
Clothing is to conceal, not to reveal. In the Garden of Eden, God designed clothes to cover our first parents’ nakedness, for man could not clothe himself. Adam and Eve made aprons, but God made coats. There is a difference between the two. As a Christian, we must let God be our designer and not man. The clothing industry is controlled by pagans and they know what sells. Satan has an agenda, and please understand that the fashion world is not neutral. Fashions and styles are to arouse the passions of the flesh. In many cases, packaging is more sensual than raw nudity. We must not allow the world to dictate what we wear. God’s Word must be our standard in all areas of Christian life, especially in modesty. Amen.
“The wearing of gay or costly apparel naturally tends to breed and increase vanity. By vanity here, I mean the love and desire of being admired and praised. Every one of you that is fond of dress has a witness of this in your own bosom. Whether you will confess it before man or no, you are convinced of this before God. You know in your hearts, it is with a view to be admired that you thus adorn yourselves; and that you would not be at the pains were none to see you but God and His holy angels. Now, the more you indulge this foolish desire, the more it grows upon you. You have vanity enough by nature; but by thus indulging it, you increase it a hundredfold. O stop! Aim at pleasing God alone, and all these ornaments will drop off.”
“The wearing of costly array is directly opposite to being adorned with good works. Nothing can be more evident than this; for the more you lay out on your own apparel, the less you have left to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry, to lodge the stranger, to relieve those that are sick and in prison; and to lessen the numberless to which we are exposed in the vale of tears.”
– John Wesley
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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My favorite line has to be “The clothing industry is controlled by pagans.” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
If clothing causes sin, why is there so much (covered up) sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Evangelical churches, and even the Amish? Oh, I forgot. Women are evil temptresses no matter what they wear.
More generally, what is it with US-ians and their obsession with suits? e.g. trying to insist Zelenskyy wears one for his visit. It’s an outdated rule here. At my relative’s UK church which is about as fundy as you can get, the preacher, the worship team and the guys who give out the communion, all wear shorts, crumpled shorts at that, in our heatwave. (Ever noticed that nearly all men’s shorts look crumpled somehow?) I think most churches in the UK would be so delighted if a new heathen, or heathens walked through the door on a Sunday, what they were wearing would be the last thing on members’ minds. At university, my daughter commented that the US exchange students found it difficult at first to believe they were allowed to wear jeans and tee-shirts to church here, saying their home churches would never allow it.
Sadly, religious Fundamentalists are stuck in the post. IFB churches are typically 20+ years behind the times.
Suits were mandatory when I entered the ministry in the 70s. By the late-90s, suits were optional. While I dressed down occasionally, I remained a suit guy. Even today, I enjoy wearing a suit. What I never do is push my dress style on anyone else. (Though I must admit that many of the cool, hip preachers irritate the hell out of me.)
I also notice in the UK, that since Covid, dress rules for office workers have relaxed too. Once, ‘dress-down Fridays’ became a thing – to wear casual stuff one day a week. Now my accountant neighbour favours flamboyant hawaiian shirts, patterned shorts every day! I’m old enough to remember when we x-tian teens were told in the 1960s that it was worldly to wear make-up, high-heeled shoes and mini-skirts. I obeyed that rule, but friends brought a bag with them to teen bible studies and put on make-up and high-heels and rolled up the waistbands of their skirts to make them mid-thigh height before going on to the trendy Wimpy Bar in town afterwards!
What are the odds that you are one of the chief objectifiers of women to have ever lived, you massive hypocrite?
It is painfully obvious that many Christians – not all, but many – have huge problems about sex, and sexuality, and with the treatment of women in general, because they prefer to wallow in ignorance, and misogyny.
Bruce, did Revival Liars’ inspired message from Gawd (the one with the snake emoji) disappear? It’s a miracle!
At almost 66 years old, I don’t worry that anyone will be put off by what I’m wearing; it all tends to be loose and comfortable. I don’t care what anyone else wears, either, though I do observe that some young people wear clothes that seem to defy the laws of physics to keep private body parts private.
Modern fashion doesn’t always accommodate modern activities, though, and that is grimly amusing. I’ve watched a colleague in a miniskirt and tall heels attempt to access a box below a table without sharing the color of her underwear. I had a classmate on a field trip to tick-infested area wear a short top, and acquire a tick in her belly button. I’ve seen people in obvious discomfort because they decided to hike a trail in flip-flops. An acquaintance lives in pocket-free clothes, and repeatedly sets her cell phone down and walks away from it, then struggles to find it. So it goes.
From what I have seen — in photographs from various parts of the world — in some places people wear very little clothing, in other places women wear “tents” from head to toe, with bits of window screening to see through. A better question is not what women wear, but how the men behave.
https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/39101323437 Immodestly dressed women are not the only thing that pastor is concerned about. Another bugaboo of his are women preachers. One comment on this sermon stated that all rebellious women worldwide needed to listen to this sermon that Robert Reed preached in 2010.
“The wearing of costly array is directly opposite to being adorned with good works. Nothing can be more evident than this; for the more you lay out on your own apparel, the less you have left to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry, to lodge the stranger, to relieve those that are sick and in prison; and to lessen the numberless to which we are exposed in the vale of tears.”
I agree with what John Wesley is saying here, if he is addressing BOTH men and women. In his day rich men would spend a lot of money on luxurious clothing, hats, wigs, gloves, fancy snuff boxes and watches.
Here’s a nice little look at a wealthy gentleman’s wardrobe of that era. https://youtu.be/fpS4B5oMhgo?si=GOgqmHtj2Q81a1Ix