Our Outward Appearance

[pitbull]

As we seek to follow the guidelines established in God's Word for His people, we discover that the Bible establishes at least three minimum standards for Christian dress and grooming:

(1) Modesty (1 Timothy 2:9, 2 Timothy 2:22) It is true that God's standards for men and women are high.
• We should avoid clothing styles that reveal our skin in large portions. Also, we need to know the difference between “form fitting” and “form hugging”. We can be completely clothed and still be “revealing” our bodies if the clothing is too tight.
• Psalm 147:10 and Isaiah 47:2-3 teach that showing off our legs - especially the thigh [region between knee and hip] - is immoral. That is why so many preachers used to oppose the leg shows of the 1920’s.
• The guideline for modesty is also the primary reason that so many preachers have opposed “mixed bathing” or co-ed swimming. The swimming outfits tend to allow the opposite sex to commit the sin of lust in his or her heart. [Job 31:1; Matthew 5:27-28; 1 John 2:16]

(2) Distinction (Deuteronomy 22:5, 1 Corinthians 11:14-15). Men should dress like men and women should dress like women. Notice in Deuteronomy 22:5 the verse says that if we do not dress according to our sex, we are an "...abomination unto the Lord our God." There are many Christians, including preachers, who oppose obedience to this Biblical guideline. When they do, ask them to answer the following questions:
• According to the international symbols used on restrooms, how does the unsaved modern world distinguish between men and women?
• If a man is to be a transvestite or “dress in drag”, he will wear dresses and skirts. What would a woman have to wear to commit this sin?
• In our western world, we have a saying regarding “who wears the pants in the house”. This regards the authority in the home. Who does the Bible say is supposed to be the head of the home and family?

(3) Identification with the Lord and not the world (1 Timothy 4:12, Romans 12:1-2, and 1 John 2:15-16). 1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." God's Word is so clear that we are to dress and conduct ourselves as becoming His children. We do not need to dress with the latest fashion style or trend. We need to worry more about not appearing like everyone other person and demonstrating holiness.

It is truly sad that preachers are not teaching their congregations to be obedient to these commandments. Yes, there may be exceptions to these rules, but they are still very simple guidelines that should be followed by every Christian.

[pitbull]

The following message was borrowed from a recent periodical, I can't remember which one, but it is good and I adapted the outline.

Now, there will be someone who wants to dispute what is considered “modest”. In order to better understand this, we need to understand what God consider as His definition of nakedness, rather than our own personal preference or a church teaching. Notice how the Bible deals with nakedness from the beginning. [Genesis 2:25; 3:7; 3:21]
1. Before sin, Adam and Eve were both naked and not ashamed.
2. After sin, they were ashamed of their nakedness.
3. Adam, as a man, made an “apron” which means “girdle, loin-covering, belt, loincloth”. Think of it as someone taking a towel and wrapping around the waist. It dealt primarily with frontal nudity around the loin area. This was Adam’s definition of what nakedness was.
4. God then defined nakedness differently. He made them a coat rather than an apron, which would have covered the majority of the body. Following this same pattern, here are some other examples of this from the Bible:
• Moses made Aaron a coat according to God’s designs. [Exodus 28:4; 29:5]
• Jacob made Joseph a coat. [Genesis 37:3]
• The three Hebrew “boys” had coats. [Daniel 3:21]
• Hannah made Samuel a coat every year.
• Job wore a coat. [Job 30:18]
• Peter was naked and then covered himself with a coat. [John 21:7]

What was this coat that these men wore? Does the Bible give any clues as to what was covered? The base of the neck [collarbone area, see Job 30:18] is where is began and then it would cover anything that falls under the definition of what God considers nakedness.
1. The Loins and Thighs – [Exodus 28:42; Leviticus 16:4] – Breeches are mentioned in the Bible five times as clothing that covers the loins and thighs. The coat would have gone down from the neck to cover this area.
2. The Knee - [Exodus 20:26; 28:42; Isaiah 47:2] – The Bible distinguishes between the thigh and the leg, using the knee as the dividing point. So the area between the loins that knee [the thigh] was covered.
3. The Shoulders - [Exodus 28:7; 28:8, 25] – This is defined as “the joint where the arm connects to the body”. We do not know how far down the arm this continued, but we do know that the section between the neck and the arm was covered; hence they would not have worn “sleeveless” coats.

How does this apply to having a gender distinction among men and women’s clothing that is required within the Bible? According to Webster’s dictionary and a Bible dictionary, we know that breeches are trousers, pants, or drawers that were worn under the coat to cover nakedness at least down to the knee. It was also loose enough to allow movement and sweat. [Ezekiel 44:18] The Bible also mentions that only men wear this. [Judges 3:16; Job 38:3; Deuteronomy 22:5] The term “gird” refers to legged clothing similar to traditional pants of today.

We have to look to 1 Timothy 2:9 to learn more about women’s clothing, since we know that it was different from a man’s but still covered similar nakedness.
• Modest – Means limited, well arranged, of good behavior, restrained, and not lewd.
• Apparel – Means to put down, to lower, to put or keep down one who is roused or incensed, to repress, restrain, appease, quiet. This denotes a long [lowered] and flowing [dress-like] garment and is definitely not like breeches in any fashion. This also corresponds to Matthew 5:28.

Amazing how God chose to use these two specific terms to describe the clothing of a woman, isn’t it? Kind of ends the argument that the feminists try to use, doesn’t it? Use just a basic understanding of what the Bible says, the debate over pants verses dress is ended. It also shows how female believers should not wear dresses that are either tight/form fitting or revealing the shoulders, back, stomach, etc.

So the next time you purchase some clothes to wear in the gym or for everyday, be sure that it meets these Biblical guidelines. Be sure that you are not showing off your body. Be sure that you are not accidentally [or intentionally] tempting others to sin by how you dress. Be sure that it is not something that God would consider nakedness.