A.There is an old saying that states “clothes make the man.”Is clothing really that important?
B.Men and women emphasize clothing for the wrong reasons.It is not style or name-brand that makes clothing important, but rather it is how clothing aids a person to be what God would have him or her to be.
II.CLOTHING AS A COVERING
A.God gave man clothing to cover his nakedness.
1.When God created Adam and Eve, they “were both naked and were not ashamed” (Gen. 2:25).
2.However, after they ate the forbidden fruit, they became ashamed of their nakedness.For this reason, “they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings” (Gen. 3:7).
3.Evidently, their loin coverings were not sufficient to cover their nakedness, for “God made garments of skin” to clothe them (Gen. 3:21).
B.We should always wear clothing that provides a proper covering.
1.Regardless of styles, colors, or fabrics, our first concern with clothing should be that it satisfies the basic purpose of covering the body.
a.The physical purpose of clothing is that it protects the body against exposure to harmful elements (cold, moisture, sun, etc.).This is important, but it has no spiritual value.
b.The spiritual purpose of clothing has always been to cover the shame of nakedness. If clothing does not serve this purpose, then it is of no spiritual value at all.
2.How do we know what a proper covering is?How much exposure is too much exposure?Here are some Scriptural examples that provide some minimum guidelines.
a.As we saw above, Adam and Eve’s loin coverings were not enough to cover their nakedness.Therefore, bathing suits, shorts, and miniskirts are also insufficient coverings.
b.Notice Exodus 20:26 and 28:42.
i.When the priests ascended to the altar, they were in danger of exposing their nakedness to persons standing below.
ii.Therefore, beneath their tunics the priests were to wear “breeches to cover their bare flesh” (lit. nakedness).These breeches were to “reach from the loins even to the thighs” (i.e., their legs were to be covered to the knee).
iii.If God considered exposure of the thighs to be nakedness before, then He still considers it to be nakedness now.
3.These passages give us some technical ways to measure some minimum standards, but the issue of covering nakedness is truly a spiritual matter, as we will see below.
III.CLOTHING AS A MESSAGE
A.Our adornment conveys a message to others who see us.
1.Consider 1Peter 3:3 and focus on the word “adornment” – “Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”
a.This English word “adornment” is translated from the Greek word kosmos, which means “order” or “arrangement” (same as the English word “cosmos”).
b.Every other occurrence of kosmos is rendered as “world” in most English translations of the New Testament.An example is John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world…”
c.Let us now draw an application from this word meaning.
i.The order or arrangement of the earth, sun, stars, etc. (i.e., the world) reveals to us the character of God who made this arrangement.A great design of the world requires a Great Designer.
ii.Likewise, our personal adornment reflects our personal character.This is why Peter commends godly wives to adorn themselves not only with external things but also with a “gentle and quiet spirit.”
2.Notice 1Timothy 2:9-10 – “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.”
a.The word “adorn” is from kosmeo (verb form of kosmos) and the word “proper” is from kosimos (adjective form of kosmos).
b.The message is that a godly woman’s outward adornment (and her deeds) must be consistent with her claim to godliness.To be otherwise makes her claims empty.
c.This passage addresses women specifically, but the principle is also true for men.
3.Let us understand that outward adornment (i.e., clothing) alone does not define a person.However, clothing is seen by people as an indicator of who a person is.
B.What message do we want to communicate?
1.According to 1Timothy 2:9, the attire of the godly should communicate the following qualities:
a.Propriety – A Christian’s clothing should be proper (Gr. kosimos, lit. in order) for what he or she intends to do or be.
b.Modesty – The Greek word for modest (Gr. aidos) indicates the idea of downcast eyes.It means to have a sense of shame or honor, or, as the KJV renders it, “shamefacedness” (contrast this to “haughty eyes” in Prov. 6:16-19).
c.Discretion – To be discreet (Gr. sophrosyne) is to have soundness of mind.This same word is translated as “sober” (Acts 26:25) and “self-restraint” (1Tim. 2:15).
2.When Christians attend a worship assembly, their attire should reflect reverence for God.
a.This does not mean that they must be “dressed to the hilt,” but their clothing should be appropriate to the occasion.Just as one would wear “wedding clothes” to a wedding (Matt. 22:11-12), one should wear appropriate attire for worship.
b.Consider the example of the Israelites, who were told to wash their garments in preparation for the presence of God (Ex. 19:9-11).
c.Let us understand that when we dress for worship we should seek to honor God and not to obtain honor from men (see Matt. 23:5).We do not dress to be seen as righteous, but rather to show reverence for God.
3.Many styles of clothing communicate messages that are inappropriate for Christians.
a.Many of the modern fashions would fall into the category of the attire of a harlot, for they communicate a message of promiscuity and fornication.
i.Consider the adulteress of Proverbs 7:6-27, who approached a young man “dressed as a harlot” (v. 10) in order to seduce him.
ii.Consider Tamar, who portrayed herself as a harlot by the clothes that she wore (Gen. 38:14-15).
iii.Even when such a message is not intended, it is still communicated by immodest, suggestive apparel.We should not say “yes” if we mean “no.”
b.Some name-brand clothing is worn as a status symbol in order to tout one’s wealth.A person who selects clothing for this reason is arrogant and expects favor from others because of his clothing (compare to Jas. 2:1-4).
C.Let us understand that cultures and styles change, but some things never change.
1.To an extent, modesty and propriety are defined by culture, and culture is constantly changing.
a.In some cultures, it has been inappropriate for a woman to go without a veil, and in others it has been inappropriate for a man to go without a powdered wig.These things change, and we must be aware of cultural sensitivities.
b.Whatever the culture, a Christian should not do less than the culture requires for modesty.
2.However, some principles of propriety, modesty, and discretion never change for a Christian.
a.Nakedness is never appropriate in public regardless of what the culture may dictate.
b.A Christian’s apparel should not counteract the profession of Christ that he or she makes.
IV.CONCLUSION
A.The issue of apparel really is a spiritual matter, for no spiritually-minded person should ever want to portray themselves as immodest, indiscreet, or promiscuous through his or her clothing.
B.Dear Christians, consider your spiritual clothing: “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal. 3:27).Surely if we have clothed our souls with Christ, then we should clothe our bodies in a way that is befitting to our claim of godliness.
