INTRODUCTION
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The purpose of this video is to teach 4 Bible-based guidelines for dressing in modest clothing. The clothes you wear are very important to God, as St. Paul commanded Christians, specifically women, to wear “MODEST” clothing in 1 Timothy 2:9.
I TIMOTHY 2:9
» 9
† ¶ In like manner also, that women adorn
themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with
broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
So modest clothing is not a
suggestion - it is a BIBLE COMMAND, for BOTH women AND MEN, as will see later
in this video.
The dictionary definition of
“modest” can be expressed as:
“not revealing or emphasizing
the figure” and “dressing to avoid indecency, especially to avoid sexual
attention”.
Most people consider teaching
on a topic like modesty as a form of legalism. But that could not be further
from the truth because the definition of legalism is “excessive adherence to
law or formula”. If someone simply obeys the Bible teaching on modesty and does
not ADD anything excessive to it, then legalism cannot occur because nothing
excessive or additional from outside the Bible has been taught. We must teach
modesty because the Bible teaches it, just like we must teach that murder and
drunkenness are sins. We are not being legalistic just because we teach
followers of Christ to observe the commandments of Christ. We are simply being
loyal to Jesus’ commands, just as Jesus was loyal to the Father’s commands. It
is a faithful saying that Jesus was not a legalist - but rather He was a
loyalist to all the commands of God, for recall that Jesus never broke one
command of His father (Hebrews 4:15). In fact, we are actually fulfilling the
great commission of Jesus if we are teaching His disciples to observe ALL his
commands.
MATTHEW 28:20
» 20
† Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world. Amen.
In fact, Jesus said a real
Christian wants to live by every word of God!
MATTHEW 4:4
» 4
† But he answered and said, It
is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
The real issue with people
disliking teaching about modesty is that they do NOT want to obey the Bible.
But Jesus said your love for HIM was displayed by your obedience to His Words.
JOHN 14:21
» 21
† He that hath my
commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him.
If you love Jesus, you will
gladly obey the Bible - in this case, with your modest clothing. If you love
sin, you will reject the Bible’s teaching on modesty and dress immodestly.
4 BIBLE GUIDELINES
Before we teach the 4
guidelines, we must show how the Bible defines areas of the body. Some areas
need no explanation, such as the head, feet, hands, and arms. What needs
explanation are the following: the breast/bosom, the belly or abdomen, the
loins or hip or groin or reproductive area, the thighs, and the legs.
The FIRST Bible guideline is:
We should wear clothes that cover areas that God considers “nakedness”. The
following Scriptures teach this guideline: Genesis 3:7, 21, Isaiah 47:1-3.
God considers the following
areas of our bodies “nakedness” and so as Christians we should wear clothes
that cover the breasts/bosom, belly/abdomen, loins, thighs, and legs.
The Bible teaches that Adam
and Eve were both naked, without clothes, before sin entered the world. As soon
as they partook of the forbidden fruit, it caused them to sew fig leaves
together to make aprons, which were loin-coverings. The "loins” refer to
the reproductive parts around the area of the hips. Loins are “nakedness”.
GENESIS 3:7
» 7
† And the eyes of them both
were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together, and made themselves aprons.
1) girdle, belt
2) girdle, loin-covering, belt, loin-cloth,
armour
But once the voice of God came
walking in the garden and acknowledged Adam and Eve's sin, God made “coats of
skins” to FULLY cover their MORE of their nakedness.
GENESIS 3:21
» 21
† ¶ Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD
God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
We learn that God covered the
nakedness of Adam and Eve with MORE clothing than Adam and Eve had chosen for
themselves! God’s ideas about modesty are always BETTER than man’s ideas, and
as we see, God usually asks humans to wear more clothing than they think they
need! We know this because the word “ coats” means “a long, shirt-like
garment”, like a tunic that covers from the breast down to nearly the feet.
Adam and Eve at first chose to cover only the loins, the hip area with
reproductive parts, but God chose to cover nearly the entire body - including
the breasts, belly/abdomen, thighs, and legs.
"But God chose to cover
nearly the entire body, including the breasts, belly, loins, and thighs."
The breast or bosom area is
also considered nakedness in the Bible because the breasts of a woman are
strictly accessible to her lawful husband, as taught by Proverbs 5:18-20.
Whoredom, either adultery or fornication, is committed when anyone “presses” or
handles the breast of a woman other than the husband of the woman, as taught in
Ezekiel 23:3 and Hosea 2:2. Women should wear clothes that cover their breasts,
and rest of the body parts considered “nakedness" because Jesus taught
that men are often tempted to look upon women and lust (Matt. 5:27-28) with
sexual desires in their hearts. If these sexual sins, whether committed in the
mind or body, are unconfessed, those guilty will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God
and will burn in the lake of fire (1 Cor. 6:9-10 & Rev. 21:8).
"In Isaiah 47:1-3, Isaiah
told the “virgin daughter of Babylon”, or people in the city of Babylon, that
God would allow their “nakedness” to be uncovered, which included bare legs.
Bare legs in these context meant uncovered thighs. Uncovered thighs are
nakedness.”
So we learn from God’s Holy
Word that men and women should cover their BREASTS, Belly, LOINS, and THIGHS
with clothes because any of these body areas left uncovered are “nakedness” in
the eyes of God. Since God is unchanging (Mal. 3:6), then we can understand
that He would have asked Adam and Eve to do the same in Genesis 3:21 - to cover
nearly their entire bodies with coats of skins.
***Isa. 47:1-3 make bare thy leg, uncover thy
thigh that they nakedness appear
1
¶ Come down, and sit in the dust,
O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: [there is] no throne, O
daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and
delicate.
2
Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the
leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.
3
Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will
take vengeance, and I will not meet [thee as] a man.
The SECOND Bible guideline is:
Wear one layer of thick clothing
material or wear multiple layers of clothing. The following Scriptures
teach this guideline: Genesis 3:21, Matthew 5:40, and John 21:7.
In Genesis 3:21, we learned
that God clothed Adam and Eve with coats of “skins”. These skins were probably
lamb skins, since we believe the FIRST animal sacrifices on earth, which were
done by God Himself, would have most likely been lambs as a foreshadowing of
the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Who Is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin
of the world (John 1:29).
Lamb-skin clothing would be
very thick. This clothing would not reveal the form of the body, making it very
modest clothing. An easy example of the thickness of this type of clothing is
to picture in your mind shearling or sheep-skin boots. God wanted thick
clothing that did not reveal the form of the body.
As you read later in the
Bible, you will find Jesus speaking of layers of clothing in Matthew 5:40, in
which he spoke of coats and cloaks. This shows God desired either one thick
layer of clothing, or multiple layers of thin clothing, probably to accommodate
the different weather patterns on earth.
MATTHEW 5:40
» 40
† And if any man will sue thee
at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
coat = 1) a tunic, an undergarment, usually worn
next to the skin, a garment, a vestment
The coats Jesus spoke of were
thin, shirt-like undergarments, like tunics, worn next to the skin. These coats
were the undergarment layer, like underwear today, but with much more cloth or
material than our modern day underwear because it was like a very long t-shirt.
The cloak was the outer
garment, or outside garment, worn on top of the tunic or coat “undergarment”.
Another word for cloak is “robe”, which is like the scarlet robe the Roman
soldiers put upon Jesus (Matt. 27:28). This robe or cloak was an “outer garment
usually worn over the tunic”.
cloak = 1) a garment (of any sort); garments, i.e.
the cloak or mantle and the tunic
2) the upper garment, the cloak or mantle
5511 »
chlamus {khlam-ooce'} clamuvß
of uncertain derivation; TDNT -- omitted,omitted; n f
AV --
robe (2)
1) a chalamys, an outer garment usually worn
over the tunic; a kind of short cloak worn by soldiers, military officers,
magistrates, kings, emperors
It is important to note here
that God considered a person to be “naked” when they took off their outer
garment, or their cloak or robe. If the outer garment was taken off, then the
person would be viewed in only their thin, undergarment. This guideline is seem
in numerous places in the Bible, but most easily seen in John 21:7.
***Peter had not yet been
filled with the Holy Ghost! What would a Spirit-powered person do?
JOHN 21:7
7
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the
Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt [his] fisher's
coat [unto him], (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.
Greek: Fisher’s coat probably
means = 1) an upper garment, John 21:7 seems to denote a kind of linen blouse
or frock which fishermen used to wear at their work
Greek: Naked defined probably
means = 1c) clad in undergarments only (the outer garments or cloak being laid
aside)
Notice that Peter had his
outer garment off, the “fisher’s coat”, and the Bible recorded Peter as being
“naked”. The way to apply this today is for us to be sure we have at least two
layers of clothing on, or have one thick layer of clothing on, and abstain from
walking around in our “underwear” in public. This would include NOT walking
around in public or even appearing in public beaches in bathing suits, as most
bathing suits and shorts only have one layer of thin clothing, which is
certainly immodest according to the Bible. Swimsuits almost always reveal the
form of the body, which is immodest, and almost always expose areas of the body
that God considers “nakedness”.
The third Bible guideline is:
Wear clothing that pertains to your gender. If you’re a man, you should wear
men’s clothing. If you’re a woman, you should wear women’s clothes. The
following Scriptures teach this guideline: Deut. 22:5 and Heb. 4:15.
DEUTERONOMY 22:5
» 5
† ¶ 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.
This is an OT Scripture, but
you must recall that Jesus never cross-dressed like a woman. We come to this
conclusion because the Bible teaches Jesus NEVER broke ONE commandment in the
OT, and cross dressing was strictly forbidden in the law of Moses, the OT.
Furthermore, this means Jesus INSTITUTED the New Testament and the Kingdom of
God upon this earth while upholding the truth that men and women should dress
with different, separate clothing. Separate clothing for men and women is a
teaching we must follow in the NT because Jesus modeled and lived this standard
before us.
HEBREWS 4:15
» 15
† For we have not an high
priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in
all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
These Scriptures prove that
God-fearing, obedient Jewish men and women had separate INNER and OUTER
GARMENTS in the days of Jesus. Jesus was one of those God-fearing, obedient
followers of the Law of Moses.
In the days of Jesus, men and
women could be easily differentiated visually just by looking at their outer
clothing. This is the way God wanted His society to operate - a society with
defined, God-given roles, easily determined by gender and outer clothing. When
gender and clothing becomes hard to determine, a state of confusion occurs, a
state of “Babel”, and God is NOT the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33).
This obvious confusion was
recently manifested in 2015 when Bruce Jenner publicly came out as being
transgender and changed his name to Caitlyn. This act was both “widely praised
and heavily scrutinized” (Britannica Online). According to the Bible in Deut.
22:5, we believe God considers this act an abomination, because a man, Bruce
Jenner, is wearing the clothes of a woman. What most people do not realize,
though, is that the same public scrutiny that Bruce Jenner received, partly for
his cross dressing as a woman, was the same public scrutiny that women such as
Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn received for wearing pants and dressing
as men in 1930s and 40s - not even 100 years ago. The undeniable history of the
scrutiny of women cross dressing by wearing pants has been fully documented by
many resources, which includes the book "Women in Pants" By Catherine
Smith, Cynthia Greig.
Here is a simple visual to
show what modern day modesty should look like according to the Bible.
In our society today, we
believe men should wear shirts and pants and women should wear long dresses or
blouses and long skirts. Today’s American society is quickly becoming a
complete and total perversion of God’s standard for separate clothing. For the
entire history of our country, the majority of men and women obeyed the the
Bible guideline of separate clothing for men and women. It wasn’t until the
1970’s that it became socially acceptable for women to wear pants. Please watch
the video “Long Dresses and the Bible” for an in depth study into these facts.
The fourth and final Bible
guideline is: We should wear clothes on Earth like Jesus wears in heaven -
which are loose, long, and flowing. In Revelation 1:13, St. John, the
discipline whom Jesus loved (John 21:20), saw a vision of Jesus in His
glorified body, as Supreme Diety. Jesus was clothed in a garment down to the foot.
REVELATION 1:13
» 13
† And in the midst of the
seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to
the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
Greek: garment
AV --
garment down to the foot (1)
1) reaching to the feet; a garment reaching to
the ankles, coming down to the feet
Notice that Jesus was NOT
showing off toned, muscular arms, abs, legs and thighs, like many do today. He
was not showing off any body part. Jesus was clothed in a modest way.
If Jesus Christ chooses to
gladly wear modest clothing in heaven that covers his body all the way down to
his ankles, then we want to lovingly follow His example here on earth and wear
clothes down to our feet. Jesus taught us to pray and say, “Let it be done on
earth as it is in heaven”. When we wear modest clothes that cover our bodies,
even down to our ankles, we are letting the clothing style of heaven come down
to earth!
Jesus is the “Great Shepherd”
according to Heb. 13:20. He leads the way for the sheep to follow. Jesus, as a
Man, models complete modesty and holiness in the clothing He wears. This means
that all MEN and women today should follow in the example Jesus left and wear
modest clothing at all times.
If we read further in the Book
of Revelation, we find that ALL Christians that are washed in the Blood of
Jesus will wear white robes in heaven and these robes extend to the feet. If we
are going to spend all eternity with modest robes that cover our bodies,
according to the command and DESIGN of God Himself, then we are happy to start
wearing the same type of modest clothing right now.
REVELATION 7:14
» 14
† And I said unto him, Sir,
thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great
tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb.
Greek: robes
2) an equipment in clothes, clothing; spec. a
loose outer garment for men extending to the feet, worn by kings, priests, and
persons of rank
The Greek word for robes
literally means” a loose outer garment…extending to the feet”. So this
Scripture provides yet another witness that we must seek to cover as much of
our bodies as possible, whether we are male or female.
As stated earlier, Scripture
teaches we should at least cover the area from the chest or breasts all the way
down to the thighs, for those body parts are nakedness in the sight of God.
While God is well pleased when we cover those body parts, as seen in this
visual, we also feel the heavenly
example of Jesus covering His body down to the feet should be taken into
consideration by Spirit-filled Christians today. True Christians desire to stay
as far away from sin as possible in an effort to keep anyone from stumbling
(Rom. 14:21, 1 Cor. 8:9-13). This is why we encourage all Christians to pray
and seek God’s face to see whether God would have them to cover more of their
legs, even down to their feet, as to follow the heavenly example of the LORD
JESUS CHRIST.
WHY DO MOST PEOPLE DRESS
IMMODESTLY?
If the 4 Bible guidelines we
presented are true, then you might wonder why people still choose to wear
immodest clothes, like: Mini-skirts, sun-dresses, high-slit skirts and low-cut
dresses, shorts, short-shorts, halter or tube tops, sheer blouses, almost every
swimsuit and bikini, tank-tops - to name just a few.
One reason people still wear
those clothes is because they are ignorant of the Bible. It is our job to tell
others, and so that is why we are making this video. This will make them accountable
before God, and any true, Bible-loving Christian will be so thankful to learn
the Bible guidelines for modesty that they will gladly change their entire
wardrobe in order to please our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to the Bible, the
main reason people wear immodest clothing is because of the deception or work
of demons. Demon possession caused the “maniac of Gadara” to be naked and take
off his clothes in Mark 5:15. But once the man got delivered from demons, he
was clothed in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Jesus. The same is true
today! A demon possessed man in Ephesus
stripped off the clothes of the 7 sons of Sceva when they tried to cast the
demons out in Acts 19:13-16. Demons take clothes off of people and make them
immodest!
Demons “anoint” or influence
the thinking of human minds when humans disbelieve the Word of God. This is
most easily seen in Genesis 3:1-6, when the serpent seduced or deceived Eve
into thinking she would not die if she partook of the forbidden fruit, which by
the way, was not an apple or literal fruit, but it was the fruit of adultery
according to Prov. 30:20.
Jesus explained this demon
influence upon the human mind through the parable of a house being spoiled or
robbed and completely taken over by demons in Matthew 12:25-29, and 43-43.
Demons can influence a person’s mind when their faith in the Word of God grows
weak, just as Jesus taught.
So in today’s world, this
happens in many ways, but one example is that people watch TV and Hollywood
movies and see immodest and sexually revealing clothing on actors and
actresses. Then demons try to influence them to dress the same way and draw
sexual attention to themselves. Anyone who is not “strong in the faith” of the
Bible will eventually yield to the influence of demons and break these 4 Bible
guidelines in their choices of clothing.
TIMELINE
Here is a very brief timeline
of how the 4 Bible guidelines were destroyed in the United States.
All history points to the fact
that early Americans wore separate and modest clothing for men and women. One
simple example is that of George and Martha Washington. Paintings from the late
1700s show their modest and separate clothing. Most Americans honored the Bible
the kept these clothing standards.
The Roaring 20s, or the decade
of the 1920s, is widely believed to be the first time that a large majority of
women began rejecting Bible truth in regards to clothing and holiness. It was
during the Roaring 20s that women first cut their hair short, began wearing
makeup, and began wearing skirts and dresses that revealed their “nakedness”.
Short hair, makeup, and short skirts all transgress the Word of God and are
sins that Christians should NOT commit.
The 1960s and 1970s brought
about the shortest skirts possible, exposing thighs and legs - which God
considered nakedness - and also promoted cross dressing of women wearing pants,
and tight, form-revealing clothing.
The 1980s, 1990s, and more
recent decades have brought in more revealing of flesh, including the breasts,
backs, abdomens, and nearly everything else.
CLOSING
In closing, we pray that your
prayer will be, “Lord, help me to dress modestly, since it is your NT, Bible
command. I want please you in everything, making my body a living sacrifice for
you, perfecting holiness in the fear of God! I love you, dear Jesus, and I know
that without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.
I want your Bible to be my
guideline for how I dress. I will not look to Hollywood or anyone else for my
standard. I will look to Jesus and His example, as taught through the Holy
Bible!
I TIMOTHY 2:9
» 9
† ¶ In like manner also, that women adorn
themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with
broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
HEBREWS 12:14
» 14 † Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Transcript of teaching originally delivered on video, by
Pastor Jesse Smith, from Bride of Christ Fellowship, in Akron, Ohio, USA.
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