Modesty
The Bible Dress Code
I want to speak on the subject of "The Bible's Dress Code." There are a lot of preachers who preach on the subject of God's dress code, that goes something like this: "Well, bless God, this is the way you ought to dress, because I just told you this is the way you ought to dress. And I'm telling you this is the way you ought to dress, because when I was a young Christian this is what my pastor told me how a lady or a man ought to dress. So you just do what I say, because I'm the preacher." And people either do it, or they rebel against it. But I believe there are a lot of people who, although they are not interested in the preacher's opinion, if they could actually be shown from the Bible what is right and what is wrong, they would do right. There are a lot of people in our churches who have been taught the truth but they do not live the truth, because even though they have been taught the truth, they haven't been taught the truth from the Bible. They have been taught the truth from human "opinion". They have been taught the truth from "tradition", but they have not been taught the truth from the "Bible".
I'll give you a personal illustration of this. When I first met my wife, I basically told her how I wanted her to dress, and she just thought I was crazy. Our argument went something like this, "Why should I dress like that?" "Because I'm your husband and I told you to." Thank God, there was an older lady in our church who was able at that time to take the Bible and show her what I should have been able to show her, as a preacher. If I had been able to show her from the Bible, it would have saved us a lot of fights in the beginning of our marriage. There was even a time at the beginning of our marriage when she did what I told her to do, because I told her to do it, but she did it resentfully & begrudgingly. But when she actually saw from the Bible what God expected of her, she no longer did it begrudgingly, but willingly. So I hope to be able to show you from the Bible what God expects.
Many people will say, "Well, God looks on the heart. God doesn't care what you look like on the outside. God just looks on the heart." That is true. God does look on the heart, but man cannot see the heart. Man can only see the outside. Not only that, the outer appearance is usually a pretty good indicator of what is in a person's heart. Although it is possible to look "right" on the outside and be wrong on the inside, it is well nigh impossible to look "wrong" on the outside and be right on the inside. What is on the outside comes from the inside. That is why Jesus said, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34). Granted, a man could say the right things, and have a wrong heart, but a man who had a right heart would never say the wrong things. So the outer appearance is the only indicator that man has that someone is right with God in their heart. So, we must understand that God does care how we look. Not only does God care how we look, but there are rules in the Bible for both men and women that should govern our appearance. Now, whenever you start to talking about these rules, the women are always the first ones to complain, because there are more rules for the women than there are for the men. And I often wonder why the Bible has all these rules for the women and very few rules for the men, and the reason why is because men and women are made differently. I know that is not a "politically correct" thing to say, but it is none the less true. God made men and women differently.
It is God's desire & design that they are distinct to their gender by their appearance, dress & conduct.
Men are stimulated by sight. This is why Jesus told the men of His day, "whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matthew 5:28). Men are stimulated by sight. Men are always attracted to a lady, physically, before they are connected to her emotionally. In fact, they don't even want to pursue the possibility of an emotional relationship, if the physical attraction isn't there.
Women, on the other hand, are stimulated by an emotional touch. It could be a physical touch or an emotional touch. So all a man has to do is look at a woman a certain way, and she is stimulated. A woman has to be talked to, and she has to be caressed. And as I said, that touch can be emotional. A man could talk to a woman in such a way that she is touched emotionally. Or, it could be a physical touch. He could begin to pet her or stroke her in some way and that would begin to stimulate her. That is why pornography is sold mainly to men. There is some pornography that is intended to be sold to women, but statisticians tell us that the majority of the pornographic magazines that are published for women are actually purchased by a man, because women aren't really stimulated by sight. That is why you can go to the mall and see some of the ugliest guys with some of the most attractive women, because they know how to touch. They know how to touch emotionally and how to touch physically, so that the woman is satisfied. Women are attracted to character, personality, and intelligence. Of course appearance matters to a woman, but the most handsome man who possess a nasty or arrogant attitude is an immediate "turn off" to any lady of good character & judgement. This is true even in the animal world - a male must prove himself capable of caring for the female before she will mate with him because she needs to know he is strong enough to provide for their young. Whereas the man simply has to see something - he is stimulated by sight. Therefore, God has given certain commands to women regarding their appearance, so they will NOT stimulate men - making herself a temptress wether intentionally or unintentionally. And God has given different commands to men, such as in First Corinthians 7:1, which says, "It is good for a man not to touch a woman." And then verse two, "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband." So while a woman is commanded to dress a certain way so the man is not stimulated, the man is commanded to act a certain way, to behave a certain way, so the woman is not stimulated. That is why the commands are different. That is why the man is commanded, "Defraud ye not..." (I Cor.7:5) ["defraud" in the original Greek literally means "cheater or deceiver"). That is why they are commanded not to touch. The additional rules for appearance are for the lady's own protection. These rules are designed by God to protect her from the lusts of men. But let's start with the rules for men. There are basically only two rules in the Bible for man's appearance, at least that I have found in my studies of the Scriptures. There may be more, but I've only found two. In Deuteronomy 22:5, it says, "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are "abomination" unto the LORD thy God." ("pertaineth" in original Hebrew text literally means- any apparatus, implement or whatsoever dress prepared or fashioned for a specific purpose). (Duet.22:5 from 'The Message' version of the Bible "A woman must not wear a man's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing. This kind of thing is an "abomination" to God, your God"). The first command of God, concerning the way a man should appear is that a man should not wear a woman's clothing. Up until recently, cross-dressing was unheard of. And the Bible does not say that a man who puts on a woman's garment has just "sinned", but that he has committed an "abomination".
What is an abomination to God? Strong's concordance gives us the definition of the original Hebrew word 'tow'ebah' as "The thing most disgusting & hated of God; complete abhorrence".
Lying is a "sin". Stealing is a "sin". Adultery is a "sin".
BUT, Bestiality-(having sexual intercourse with an animal) is an "abomination". Homosexuality is an "abomination". So if a man puts on a woman's garment, he has not just committed a sin. He has committed an abomination. He has done something that in the mind of God, is equal to having sex with an animal. The second rule for men regarding appearance is found in First Corinthians 11:14, where the Bible says, "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him" The question is always asked, "How long is long?" Long is the opposite of short. Let me ask you, sir. Is your hair short? And if you don't know, then it is long, and if it is long, according to the Bible, it is not natural for you to have long hair. So what do you need to do? You need to go to a barber shop.
"Well, what is short? How do I know if my hair is short?" It is the opposite of long. If it is not short it is long. "Well, it isn't as long as some girls' hair I see." It doesn't matter. It is long. "It is not as long as Boy George's." If it is long, then go to a barber shop. Get a hair cut. And if you have doubts, then cut it off right now, and there will not be any doubt. "When in doubt, leave it out!" The problem is solved.
Now rules for women. Again, Deuteronomy 22:5, "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man." Again, if a woman dresses like a man and a lot of women do, God says they have committed an abomination. It amazes me, but I do not know any Christian women who would think of committing an act of bestiality or homosexuality, but yet they would commit the abomination of cross dressing. The Bible says this is an "abomination".
The second rule given to women is in First Timothy 2:9, which states, "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel." The third and fourth rule are also in First Timothy 2:9. It says they should not only adorn themselves in modest apparel, but, "with shamefacedness and…" then the fourth command, "sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array." Sobriety is a word that basically means with moderation.
So let's take those rules and apply them. I want to bring it down to where we live and why we should do certain things. So knowing these four rules that God has given in reference to a woman's appearance:
Rule #1, It should not pertain to a man.
Rule #2, It should be modest.
Rule #3, They should dress with shamefacedness.
Rule # 4, It should be with sobriety or moderation.
Let us apply the rules to the different garments women should wear and determine which garments agree with the Biblical dress code and which do not.
RULE #1: Why does the pastor insist that a woman not wear pants? There are several reasons. Reason #1 is because they violate the first rule. It is man's apparel. Deuteronomy 22:5 says it is an "abomination", just like bestiality or homosexuality, for a woman to wear a man's garment. And pants are a man's garment.
We may say, "Well, preacher, I don't believe that." Well, God has given us the privilege to choose what we believe. Wether that choice is right or wrong is up to us, but the fact is simply this, in the Bible days, women did NOT wear crotched garments. Pants have a crotch. Only men in Bible days (Old & New Testaments) wore crotched garments. History confirms this with records that no woman in any society began to wear pants until about 80 years ago. Pants are called "breeches" (britches) in the Bible (interpretation of original Hebrew text for "britches" is "any crotched outer garment").
(Ex.28:42, 39:28, Lev.6:10, 16:4, Ez.44:18 all references to Godly men commanded by God to wear britches (pants) to cover their nakedness.
Britches were worn exclusively by men for about the first 6,010 years of human existence (which means up until about 90 years ago). Even the garments worn by men and women in Bible days were different. The woman wore a long flowing robe, and men wore a shorter and tighter version called a tunic. Underneath the woman's robe would be a layer or layers of skirting (what we might think of as a slip). Below the man's tunic would be a pair of short pants extending down to the knees. Whenever a man would have to do some type of labor, such as to team up an ox, pull a trailer or dig a hole, he would pull up the tail of his tunic and tuck it in his pants, which, in the Bible, was called "girding up your loins."
You may say, "Well, back in the Bible days all the women and men wore robes." Yes, but they were different types of robes designed to distinguish the differentiation of genders. Under the man's robe/tunic was a pair of pants. The pair of pants was not under the lady's robes / only skirting. The pants, or britches, were worn only by the men. You will never read in the Bible where britches were worn by women, but will read where God first commanded His priests to wear them & that all men that would serve The Lord in the temple must do likewise. (as the New Testament Church, we are the temple, thus we must "always" publicly dress according to Biblical guidelines, not just when we go to church. Pants were worn by men alone "then" and must apply to us today for we know that with God there "is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" meaning God is unchanging and His "Word is forever settled in heaven"(James 1:17 & Ps.119:89).
Common knowledge, or common sense is another reason we know that pants are a man's apparel and not a woman's . You can get off an airplane in any country in the world, and even if they do not speak English and you do not understand their language, you will know which restroom you are supposed to go to. Go to the restroom in an airport terminal (or most any public facility) and you will see a picture on the restroom door. It doesn't matter if you are in Russia, France, Portugal, the United States or Mexico, there will be a sign on the door with a picture of either someone in pants or someone in a skirt. Now, if you are a lady, which of those two doors will you walk through? And if you are a man, which of those two doors will you walk through? I doubt that even the rankest feminist would walk into the restroom that had the picture of a person in pants. Common sense (nature) tells us that pants are a man's apparel. It amazes me that a woman would be appalled of just the thought of a man wearing a dress, but yet, men and women think nothing of a woman wearing pants. There was a fashion designer, not so many years ago, who decided he was going to come out with a line of dresses for men. The idea wasn't very popular, so he applied for and received an invitation to appear on the Phil Donahue show. Mr. Donahue brought all these male models out, wearing the dresses "designed just for men", they paraded them around the stage on the show, and all the women thought this was vulgar. When Mr. Donahue went into the audience with a microphone, many of the women made statements that they though it was preposterous that a man would even want to wear a dress. One woman was quoted as saying, "Don't these men know any better? Don't they have any sense of self-respect? Don't they have any concept of manhood, or masculinity? That they would parade around in a dress without shame or the least bit of embarrassment is absolutely mind boggling, & utterly disgusting!" After her statement, the show host, Phil Donahue, said something that revealed that he had more spiritual discernment than most Baptists do. He said, (quote) "Well, they said the same thing fifty years ago, when women started wearing pants."
So the first reason why a preacher says a woman should not wear pants is because they are a man's garment, and the Bible says it is an abomination for a woman to wear a man's garment. The second reason is that pants are not, I repeat, "NOT modest". We might say, "Well preacher, that is your opinion." and the preacher might reply, "Yes, but, I can prove it from the Bible. In First Timothy 2:9, we read that women should adorn themselves in "modest apparel." (New Testament originally written in Greek) In the Greek, the word for "modest" is katastolh (katastole), - literal translation is "a long flowing garment". Remember, I said that in the Bible days, men wore a short tight tunic and women wore a long and flowing robe. That was a katastole. The Bible, in First Timothy 2:9, tells women to adorn themselves in a long flowing garment, not a short, tight garment. That is what "modest" is - "long and flowing". Pants do not flow, therefore, although they are "long," they do not qualify as a long flowing garment. And since they are not a long flowing garment, they are not a katastole. Katastole is translated "modest". Therefore, if a "modest garment" is a "long flowing garment", and pants do not flow out from the body, pants cannot be considered as "modest".
Also, women are commanded to dress with shamefacedness.
'Shamefacedness' (Greek - "aid'os") literal interpretation - "awe & reverence toward God; also a sense of honorable timidity in regard to reverence and respect for others".
That simply means they are not to draw attention to themselves. And it cannot be argued that pants draw attention to a woman's figure. So if she wears a pair of pants, or even a tight skirt, it shows her figure and it is not shamefacedness, or modest, because it doesn't flow away from her body. It shows the figure and it stimulates men. And of course, we should not desire to dress in such a way that it stimulates the lusts of a man. Remember in First Corinthians chapter thirteen that it says, "Charity doth not behave itself unseemly." We should not seek to do things that would cause someone to fall or stumble into sin by placing temptation before them. Jesus said that if a man looks on a woman with lust in his heart, he has already committed adultery with her. Do you realize that if you dress in such a way that it shows your form and figure, and some man lusts after you, that you have just allowed him commit adultery with you in his heart?
You might say, "Well, he didn't have to look." True, and he could have also driven blindfolded into a tree somewhere. Get real. Granted, a man should know how to keep control of his mind, but women ought not to be tempting him either, most especially a Spirit filled woman. So we can see that only a full and flowing skirt qualifies as a katastole, a long flowing garment. So only a dress or skirt could be considered modest, because modesty is a katastole, long and flowing. And since pants do not flow, and only a dress or skirt does, only a dress or skirt can be considered modest. And since a long flowing garment, a skirt or dress, is the only way a woman can dress without showing off her figure, then only a skirt or dress would be "shamefacedness".
Now let's apply this to the second type of clothing a woman should wear. Why does a preacher preach against shorts and mini-skirts? Well, once again because Scripture commands that women dress "modest" or katastole, long flowing garment. Neither shorts nor mini-skirts are long and shorts do not flow, therefore shorts or mini-skirts would not be modest, because they do not meet the length requirement. A katastole is a long and flowing garment. The second reason why shorts and mini-skirts would be inappropriate for a woman is because the Bible specifically says that when a woman's thighs show, she is naked. Isaiah 47:2-3 says, "Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man." Here was a women who wanted to cross a river. God wanted to disgrace the woman, (If you read the text in Isaiah chapter forty-seven, you will see why.) so God commanded her to walk across the river, then, to lift up her skirt so her thigh would show. And God said that when her thigh was exposed, she would be naked in His sight and her shame would be revealed. We understand that when she uncovered the locks (removed her veil) and make bare the leg (uncovered her thigh) that her "thy nakedness shall be uncovered."
NOTE: As New Testament Apostolic women, we are no longer required to wear a veil because we are instructed that our long hair is given for our covering or veil. (I Cor.11:15).
The thigh extends from your hips to the knee. So if a woman dresses in such a way where the portion of her leg above the knee is exposed, the Bible says God views her as "revealing her nakedness". Mini-skirts and shorts expose that part of the body. Thus, if a woman wears these articles of clothing, she is naked. Therefore shorts and the mini-skirt would NOT be "modest" apparel, because they are not long and flowing (to the knee) and because they expose nakedness. And as I said, the thigh goes down to the knee. So the only way to guarantee that the thigh is not exposed is to wear a skirt or dress that extends to or below the knee. Remember. No matter what you have or have not been instructed as acceptable or unacceptable apparel in the past, these guidelines are not man's opinion or your Pastor's personal preference, but the command given by God Himself through His written Word (the Bible). We do not have the option to pick and choose which Scriptures we will obey and which we will disregard. On the Day of Judgement, Jesus tells us that His Word will judge us. (John 12:48)
The preceding information should make it obvious that bathing suits are not deemed "modest", because they expose nakedness. A mini-skirt might uncover three or four inches of nakedness, which is Scripturally unacceptable. A swimsuit will expose a full 15 - 18 inches of nakedness. In today's society, popular opinion is that if we put on a swimsuit that covers our genitals that we are covered and that we are clothed. But God says NOT SO! Covering one's nakedness is not just covering your genitals or the nipple area of the breast! If uncovering one's thigh is viewed by God's Word as nakedness, how much more so a swimsuit which shows off, not just the contour of her form and figure, but the bare skin if her naked body? Thus, a swimsuit is not "shamefacedness". It does not flow. It is not long, therefore, it is not "modest".
We read that when Adam and Eve realized they had sinned they sewed fig leaves together. (Gen.3:7) What did they do? They covered their genitals. Gen.3:7 tells us "...they sewed themselves fig leaves together and made themselves 'aprons'". "Aprons" here interpreted literally means loin cloths or a covering for the genitals. What did God do? He said, "No, that is not good enough. You need to cover more than your sexual area. You need to cover your nakedness." (Gen.3:10-11) So what did He do? He slew an animal and clothed them in skins, so their nakedness would be covered. Gen.3:21 "Unto Adam and his wife did the Lord God make "coats" of skins, and clothed them." this is a vital Scripture in unlocking the mystery of men's & women's distinct apparel. The original Hebrew text translates the word "coats" into two separate words. (First) "kthoneth" meaning to cover-a robe garment; (Second) "kuttoneth" meaning to cover-a tunic and under garment. We have already established that britches were referred to as the garment to be worn below the tunic (or the under garment). So we see here by looking deeper into the original Hebrew text that God actually designed two distinct and separate forms of clothing for Adam and Eve. God has made distinction in male and female by their dress since the first man and woman on earth!
Lets go to some other questions. What about floor length skirts? They flow. They are modest. However, the original Greek word used for "modest" in I Tim.2:7 is "katastole" which means "long and flowing to the knee". The Greek word "poderis" mean a long floor length garment. Since the word used for "modest" is "katastole", and not "poderis", the garment has to be long to the knee, but not necessarily floor-length, since, (Scripturally) nakedness ended at the knee. If you choose to wear a floor length dress or skirt there is certainly nothing wrong with this, but it is not necessary. Note that just because your hemline might extend to the floor and your sister's only to the knee doesn't mean you are more spiritual that she. Both garments meed Scriptural guidelines.
What about tight skirts? I see a lot of women in right skirts. I went to a Bible school where women were only allowed to wear skirts and dresses. They were not allowed to wear pants. But let me tell you, a lot of those skirts and dresses were pretty tight! You could see every curve on their body. Was that "modest" apparel? NO! Because it did not flow. It it flowed it would not have shown every contour of their figures. Was it "shamefaced"? NO! Because "shamefaced" is to be dressed in such a way as not to draw undue attention to oneself. A "modest" garment is a flowing garment. A tight, form-fitting garment is NOT a "modest" regardless of how much flesh it covers. Granted it may extent to the knee, thus you are not naked, but you are still not modest. You are still not shamefaced. Hence, a woman is commanded in Scripture to wear a garment that is long and flowing no shorter than the knee. It it "modest" only if the hemline extends to the knee, and is not tight in that it reveals the form and contour of her figure.
People may say, "Well, what about fashion?" Romans 12:2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is at good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God". We don't have to have the latest style, but we don't have to be afraid of fashion either. I Corinthians 7:31 says, "And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away". It is perfectly acceptable to dress fashionably or to our own individual tastes so long as we adhere to Scriptural guidelines, and live within our respective budget. We certainly want to exercise caution and moderation (temperance) lest we find ourselves enslaved by striving to keep up with the latest styles and trends. Remember we are "in the world, but not of the world". (John 17) The Bible says it is ok to use the world, as long as you do not abuse it. It is ok to be fashionable, as long as your are not a slave to fashion (idolatry). We have liberty in Christ. The only command is to be " modest", to be "shamefaced", to dress with "sobriety", and with "moderation". So if a garment meets these Scriptural requirements, fits into your budget, and happens to be in style, well, God bless you! Go for it!
God wants your clothes to be beautiful. God wants a woman to be beautiful. God wants a woman to be beautiful for her husband. We read of the Proverbs 31 "virtuous woman", "She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple (Proverbs 31:21-22). So we see here that this virtuous woman wore very beautiful clothes. Is it a sin to wear beautiful clothes? NO! God wants you to be beautiful. A woman should desire to be beautiful for her husband. I Corinthians 7 says that the husband owns the wife's body, and if that be the case, if a woman deprives her husband of her beauty, she is actually sinning against her husband. That is why God gave the woman to the man.
What about makeup and perfume? Well, once again, the Bible says a woman is supposed to adorn herself with moderation and with sobriety. "Let your moderation be known unto all men" (Philippians 4:5). There is nothing in the Bible that says certain cosmetics and perfume are wicked. In fact, in the book of Esther, after she had bathed, she anointed her body (Esther 2:9). More than likely, she put on perfume & spiced oils. Granted, some who would oppose the use of cosmetics altogether would point out verses in Scripture such as Isaiah 57:9, Jeremiah 4:30, II Kings 9:30, Ezekiel 23:40, Revelation 18:12-13, where wicked women wore perfume or wore cosmetics.They point out where Jezebel wore makeup, and the whore of Revelation wore makeup, therefore, they determine it is a sin to wear any type of cosmetics. But we also see that in Bible days, amongst Jewish women, that the use of cosmetics and facial lubricants was common. We read several references where perfumes and cosmetics were used by godly women who loved the Lord (Proverbs 27:9, Song of Solomon 1:3; 3:6; 4:10, Esther 2:12). Not only did women who were godly and loved the Lord, wear cosmetics and perfume with moderation, not only did God never say it was a sin, but the Bible describes God adorning His bride, Israel, with beautiful clothes and perfumes.
But let us look more closely at the issue of makeup imparticular.
Jeremiah begins chapter 4:1 with a prophetic warning, not to the heathen nations, but to Israel (the chosen people of God). "If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto Me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of My sight, then shalt thou remove". (remove here means to shake oneself). Verse 30 "...though thou clotheth thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thyself with ornaments of gold, though thou "rentest" thy face with "painting",in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life".
God found 3 actions of Israel here that angered His wrath against them:
[1st] they clothed themselves in crimson, a clear reference to the attire of a harlot in that day.
[2nd] thou "rentest" thy face. (The original Hebrew word for "rentest" is "kaw-rah'", meaning to paint the eyes to appear larger, thus seductive).
[3rd]they painted their eyes black. (the original Hebrew word for "painting" here is "stobium" literally meaning "black paint").
We can therefore conclude from the use and tone of this passage of Scripture that the use and practice of painting the eyes black was displeasing to God, since the practice was adapted from the heathen nations of the world around Israel. God's anger with Israel was due to their playing the spiritual harlot with the world as her lover.
II Cor.6:17 " Wherefore, come out from them, and be he separate, saith the Lord, and touch not that unclean thing; and I will receive you".
Once again, Phil.4:5 says "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand". Women are to dress with sobriety, with moderation. Obviously, the Tammy Faye Bakker look would not be appropriate.
What should be the motivation for modesty? Well, we should want to dress the way God wants us to dress, we should want to look the way God tells us to look, both men and women, because God tells us to. We should need no further motivation than that. Just the fact that the Bible says we should do it is all the motivation we should need. But there are some other reasons that should motivate us. One is our testimony. We find God commanded Israel to be a "peculiar people" (Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 14:2 & 26:18, Psalm 135:4, Ecclesiastes 2:8). And we read later in the New Testament that God wants those who belong to the New Testament church to be a peculiar people (Titus 2:14, I Peter 2:9). He wants us to be different from the world.
I Cor.1:2 "...to them that are "sanctified" in Jesus Christ, called to be saints..." ( "sanctified" here means to be consecrated and set apart unto God; to cleanse externally; to purify internally).
That is why God told the Israelites to dress a certain way, because when an Israelite walked down the street, God wanted the people to say, "There is a Jew. There is one of God's people." When the Israelites came marching through a town, God wanted all the pagan societies around to know. "Hey, the Israelites are marching into our town. Those are the people for whom God parted the Red Sea and drowned the entire Egyptian host. We better get out of the way and just let them have our land. We will move on down the road." That was what God wanted. God wanted the world to be able to spot an Israelite a mile away. They were a "peculiar people".
Duet.14:2 " For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a "peculiar people" unto Himself, above all the nations that are upon e earth".
God wants the Christians in the local New Testament churches to be a "peculiar people". We are to be living epistles, a chosen priesthood. People ought to be able to look at you and know you are an Apostolic Christian. They shouldn't have to ask. And by the way, if they have to ask, chances are you do not have much of a testimony with them anyway, and you are not going to be very successful in leading them to Christ. They are going to say, "If you are a Christian, and you are just like me, why do I need to become a Christian, go to church and give my money?" How can they expect "religion" to do anything for them if they do not see that it has changed you...if you blend in with the crowd and are just like them. If we are going to win the world, we have to be different from the world. God wants us to have a testimony. God wants us to be different. He wants us to LOOK different. He wants us to be a peculiar people, chosen to Himself. That is another motivation for dressing and looking properly.
For a woman, a great motivation for dressing and looking properly should be that she is jealous for her husband. I Corinthians 7:4 says, "The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband." The Bible says the wife belongs to her husband. She is his property. That is really not "politically correct," But it is true. (one Apostolic minister said) "The Bible says it, and I would not want another man to be taking possession, even if only in his mind, of my property. I'm very territorial. There is only one man in the world who has the right to lust after my wife, and that man is Me." When a woman dresses in such a way that she shows her form, she shows her figure, shows her nakedness, what she is doing is taking something that belongs to her husband and giving it to another man. So you may say, "Well, I didn't go to bed with him." No, lady, but you showed him something that didn't belong to him. You showed him something he had no right to see. You showed him something that your husband and only your husband has the legal right to see. So a woman, for the love of her husband, should want to be modest. She should want to be dressed appropriately in public. And by the way, if you are not married, your body still belongs to your husband, whoever he will turn out to be. Therefore, if you go showing it all off because you are not married, you are robbing your future husband. You are taking something that will belong to him and giving it to someone else, and that is not right. So you may say, "Well, I have to show it off to get a husband." If You do that, and there is a good chance that you will wind up with the wrong kind of husband. If you dress shamefacedly, then the only thing a man could be attracted to would be your countenance, your face, your character and your personality. It would take quite a man to become attracted to that, because men are not naturally attracted to those things at first. Naturally, the man is attracted to the flesh first, and the rest comes later. So if you can find a man who, without first having seen your body, is attracted to you, you have attracted the right kind of man.
Men ought to care how their wives dress. There are some who may say, "Well, I don't care how my wife dresses. If she wants to dress that way, that's fine." If you don't mind her showing her body, I guess that is your business. Personally, I don't want my wife showing off her body. If you don't care, well, I have a phone number of a pretty good divorce lawyer, and you are probably going to need him sooner or later, because I doubt if you love your wife. Sooner or later, it is going to end, if you don't care. Obviously, your affection is in the wrong place. If you really loved something, you would want to protect it. So if it is not something you want to protect, chances are you really don't love it. Here are some things to consider. When we buy a garment, if you are a man or you are a woman, you should ask yourself a question. Is this garment gender appropriate? You are in the store, and you are thinking, "Okay, I'm going to buy some clothes." The first question you ask yourself, "Is this garment gender appropriate?" And men, I hope you are not in the skirt section. And women, I hope you are not in the britches section. So you ask if the garment is gender appropriate. Another question to ask is, men, "Is my hair short?" What is long? It is the opposite of short. "Is my hair short? I don't know." Well, let's get rid of the doubt right now and go to the barbershop, men. "My hair isn't exactly short, but it isn't long either." Well, long is the opposite of short, so if it is not exactly short, then it is long. Get it cut. And the Bible says a woman's hair is her glory. I wonder about the self-esteem of women who cut their hair off. The Bible says their hair is their glory. Why would a woman want to cut off her glory? It doesn't make sense.
Here are some other questions a woman could ask, if they are shopping for a garment.
#1. Obviously the first question you should ask yourself is: "Does it pertain to a man?"
#2. "Is this garment something that only a lady would wear?" In other words, is it unisex? Well, the Bible says it is an abomination to wear that which pertains to a man. You should want to stay as far away from an abomination as you can get. If there is any question, if you have any doubt, then stay away from it and the doubt is dissolved.
#3. "Does this garment in any way reveal the thigh?" Remember, if a woman shows her thigh, she is revealing her nakedness. Does the garment reveal the thigh? In other words, does it come up above the knee?
#4. "Is the garment modest?" Remember, long and flowing. Does the garment extend in length to the knee and does it flow? Is it shamefaced? Will it in any way draw attention to your form or figure? Of course, if it does, then it is a garment you should not to buy.
#5 The final question to ask is: "Would I like to be wearing this garment when Jesus returns?"
Well, I guess that is about it. I hope that this has been a help to someone. And I hope it doesn't make too many enemies, and even if you are mad right now, it is not because you are rebelling against my opinion, but against the Word of God.