Christian Concepts of Dress

There you have it! This won’t take long because God is not worried about how we dress! Right? Some would think so but let’s examine closer.

It was stated in the last session: Balance is our Goal. I want to show you that the way you choose to dress is both RELATIVE & IMPORTANT! (but not to impress God) If you want to impress God then concentrate on your spirit, attitude & inner values.

NOTICE: vs 7 does not say God approves of ungodly dress. BUT it shows that He does not evaluate us totally on that level alone. *** One thing vs 7 does show, is that God looks where man can’t. BUT MAN DOES LOOK ON THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE because that’s all he can see! THAT’S WHY IT’S IMPORTANT! This verse is NOT a valid argument to say our attire is not important, if anything, it is a verse to argue the opposite! How we dress is important because man looks at it!

Your dress makes a statement about you: It reveals your feelings, commitments, frame of mind.

Many fruit trees look similar, but their external fruit gives them their distinction. (so will ours) As a P.A. system speaker only amplifies what is being played in the tape deck so does your dress only amplify your inner heart. We need to present a distinctive look to amplify our faith!

The key idea of modesty is that we should not lend ourselves to ostentation of dress & costly array but rather be distinguished by a proper Christ like spirit. (remember = meekness is not weakness) Women of the world spend so much finance on exterior aids to beautify...all of which are false. God wants you to focus on your spirit where true attraction takes place!

I want to stop and explain a spiritual principle. Ever notice as the weather warms it becomes increasingly simple to distinguish God’s people. (smile) MODESTY never goes out of style in God’s eyes.

When Adam & Eve had their conscious awaked, the 1st thing they did was cover themselves. The 1st thing God did was change fig leaves to skins. (blood sacrifice). God’s intentions since then is for humanity to be clothed. It has been stated: "the farther a civilized society declines the more clothes it takes off". he inverse then is the more civilized a society is, the more clothing it wears.

Important point here...IMMODESTY IS DRIVEN BY SPIRITS! Look at spirits listed in the Bible: fear, lust, jealousy, etc... Many are human emotions but Satan comes and snares us and drives our feelings far beyond their intended use. (puts us in bondage)

REMEMBER FOLKS: -- it is the devil is who brings bondage, not God! Do you want freedom? Look at the man’s actions! (get serious with God for help!)

LADIES: The fact is, that men are more visually oriented then you are. But yes, modesty applies to both sexes! Things to consider : Necklines, tightness, skirt length, skirt slits, etc... Not exposing your body.

It is true that you cannot keep someone from lusting after you, but you can undertake your responsibility not to provoke it! *** A women who purposely causes temptation, becomes a stumbling block! ***

ASK YOURSELF --- are these things really unreasonable for God’s church?

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Paul knew that your dress is the mirror of your mind. We often dress the way we feel. Outward ostentation (showy display) is not keeping with a Godly attitude. We were told to dress with shamefacedness, sobriety etc...

Shamefacedness: self restraint, reverence, modesty

Sobriety: Discretion, Temperance, (opposite of pride)

One thing for sure: The "unisex" styles of our day are an abomination to God. It is a perverse hostility to God’s creation order! It is driven by spirits that wish to put humanity into rebellion.

Men & Women are different: Both Physically & Emotionally by creation. And God has placed certain social methods into place to maintain this difference. To guard against homosexuality & the decline of the family. Today we have women that look masculine & men that look feminine.

Objection #1: vs 5 does not apply to our culture because vs 10-12 do not apply. However: vs 22 prohibits adultery, vs 23-27 rape, vs 30 incest ; do these still apply? Of course. We must understand the difference between the MORAL LAW & the CEREMONIAL LAW.
*** This is the key to rightly dividing the word here! ***

Christ’s death on the cross abolished the ceremonial law, but not the moral law. God’s moral law stands forever! (the O.T. was the schoolmaster that brought us to Christ)

Handwriting of ordinances = "the obligation of debt that demanded payment"

Separation of the sexes is a moral law not a ceremonial law! Verses 10-12 teach principle of separation. Israel fulfilled the ceremony physically...Today, we fulfill the principle spiritually. (we still obey the typology of separation)

In the ceremonial law: things were abominations to the Jews (ex: Lev 11) (unclean animals) things Jews should hate. Dressing alike to the point of blurring the sexes is something God hates! Please notice the following thought:...

Objection #2. Men & Women both wore robes. True: But men & women did have distinctive clothing, or else, why the command? (different types of robes & head gear). Women wore veils also.

Quote from Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary pg 227

Wight noted about modern times: "Among the Bedouin Arabs of Palestine there is great care taken that either sex shall not imitate the other in matters of dress"

. *** These differences were significant enough to tell one’s gender from afar off.

Part of our DAILY attire should be for gender distinction. Unmistakable, visual, identification of the sexes.

IN OUR CULTURE:----- (which is all we need to worry about) an’s attire: = pants, trousers, slacks EVEN THE PICTURES ON PUBLIC REST ROOMS TELLS THIS CULTURAL TRUTH. This could even change from culture to culture but Deu 22 covers ALL CULTURES! and all times.

"Pertaineth to" = things traditionally associated with, or patterned after a man. (slacks have indeed been masculine in our culture)

Historically: WWII factories were the first time slacks started being worn by women. At the same time: short hair, cigarettes, swearing became acceptable feminine behavior. Now that path has come to Abortion, Divorce, Single Parent homes, extreme feminism: You’ve come a long way baby??

WHAT ABOUT MODESTY? Pants are not necessarily more modest than a skirt. It is interesting that every generation of women before us learned how to wear a skirt modestly. * As a matter of fact, a dress tends to change a woman’s actions to be more feminine *

Some women are immodest in a dress because they’re so used to pants. ( based on how they sit and move etc..)

Our Local Standard: For those few occasions where modesty in a dress is a genuine concern... Dress length, blousy culottes that appear as a skirt is a possible alternative. I feel this meets the distinctive quality. (unless you have a personal conviction about that.) ** Each household should develop its convictions ** (culottes = "a divided skirt") not pant length.

God visibly separated Israel: food /dress /farming /worship /Sabbath.. You could tell a Jew by his dress/Actions. The Jews survived 1,900 years without a home land. It’s the only existing ancient culture! GOD’S LAWS PRESERVED THEIR IDENTITY! God wants to preserve His church in this day in the same manner!

---- Outer actions bring a GREATER CHRISTIAN COMMITMENT in your life!

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Even Joan Rivers (on her syndicated talk show) stated "Everybody knows women wear dresses and men wear pants.". If worldly people know it to be a simple truth, why does God’s church act so stubborn about it?

Let us remember who we are and be proud to carry his banner in these last days!

PRACTICAL HOLINESS by: David K. Bernard
This book brings out tremendous historical reference that this seminar does not have time to cover. Excellent.

WHY? A STUDY OF CHRISTIAN STANDARDS - Pentecostal Publishing House / Electi

RevMGB@aol.com Norfolk Apostolic UPC