The Principle Of Modesty – Part 2

Sometimes Both Youths And Adults need instruction regarding dress, and scripture gives us some valuable advice.

I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God (I Tim. 2:9-10). and

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight (I Pet. 3:3-4).

A principle, not rules

Rules may seem the easy solution to banning inappropriate, or ordering proper, clothing at memorial service, Bible school, and everywhere else, but rules are an unreliable substitute for scriptural principles and create a tenuous foundation for the modest behavior desired in the believer.

The principle of modesty, as opposed to a set of rules, begins in the heart through the working of the Lord on the mind and conscience of each one of

US.

How do we learn modesty? One place, certainly, is in a godly home, but in the absence of a godly home, how can it be learned? Reading God’s word, conforming the heart to godliness and looking to the example of other godly sisters are all ways to instruct oneself in modesty. All of this presupposes that the heart is willing to learn! Becoming a modest sister will dictate not only how we dress, fix our hair, and buy and wear jewelry, but also our whole life’s focus.

Defining modesty

So, then, what is modest dress? Any type of clothing, if it is loose-fitting, might qualify as modest for both men and women. Since women’s clothes come under much stricter scrutiny, however, this definition needs fine tuning. Skirts, pants and shorts may be modest if loose-fitting and not revealing, but immodest if too tight, too short, or too transparent.

There are women who wear only dresses or skirts for all occasions and never wear pants and shorts, yet there are questions begging to be asked. Would modest pants or shorts draw a lot less negative attention than a tight skirt with a slit up the side or back? Could modest pants or shorts seem a wiser choice than a skirt which flies up during a vigorous game of, say, volleyball, or physical work in the home or while doing garden chores? A blouse or top may be immodest if too tight, too low, too revealing, too transparent, too brief. Surprising though it may seem to us, many cultures, not just the Arabs, consider sleeveless and short-sleeved women’s garments immodest and unacceptable.

When Old and New Testament advice on apparel was given, men and women wore similar clothing — long flowing robes. Such robes are still widely used today in the Middle East. Fashionable clothing for men and women, comparable to our western styles, did not exist then at all, and it still does not in many countries.

Thus while numerous rules could be written to define and regulate modest vs. immodest apparel, it is the overarching principle of modesty which must be used as our measuring stick. Perhaps the principle is found not only in the verses cited above from Timothy and Peter, which focus specifically on apparel, but in the more expansive words of Christ in Mark 12:30-31: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength… and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Some defining questions

Do we provoke God to anger, or do we show God how much we love Him, by the way we dress? Do we provoke envy in those of our same gender by the cost of our clothes, make-up, hair, and jewelry? Do we become a distraction by wearing high-profile brand names? Do we spark lust in others of the opposite sex by the revealing styles we choose? Are we inwardly persuaded to abandon modesty in order to attract the eye of the opposite sex or retain our spouse’s attention? Spouse, do you encourage modesty in your partner? Does the way we dress cause our weak brother or sister to stumble, give up, or even turn away from the truth?

A simple conclusion might be: clothing which fits sensibly and make-up, hair styles and jewelry which are appropriate to the occasion, are not distracting, are reasonable in price, and cover or adorn one’s body sufficiently so as not to cause envy or lust in others fulfills the principle of modesty for all of us, both men and women, regardless of age.