Modest Apparel: For the Glory of God

Many believers today stand against cultural norms in apparel not for the purpose of looking different or strange but for the purpose of honoring and glorifying God.

I am grateful for preachers, like my own, who continue to plant themselves firmly against the world in areas in which others are not willing to “go that far.”  I appreciate those who have continued to take a stand against women wearing men’s apparel, as mentioned in my previous post.  I likewise appreciate the freedom which comes from seeking to glorify God in both our bodies and our spirits, "which are God's" (I Cor. 6:19-20).  One way Christian women can glorify God is by dressing modestly, which includes times spent swimming in the company of the opposite gender. 

  

In a world that is anti-God and anti-Bible, we do well to consider the history of clothing in our culture and to investigate, in a Berean-like manner, the mind of God on the subject of modesty in apparel.

I'm thankful for a dad who willingly studied the Scriptures for himself in these areas and did not fail to teach such truths to his children.  When I was about five years old, I learned for the first time the freedom of obedience in this area of biblical modesty.

As I heard the Scriptures presented, I embraced these truths for myself.  Covering one’s body with modest apparel never seemed a stretch to me, for such teaching was clearly that of Scripture (I Tim. 2:9).  Later, when I got into high school, I began to fight a little bit on the exact standard of where that modesty was (which I’ll describe in a later post) but this issue of covering one’s body, even when swimming in mixed company, made sense to me.

While many today assert that grace teaches we can dress as we please, God's Word explains what grace actually teaches--that we are to deny worldly lusts.  I would contend that such strong desires include our own desire to fit into the world in areas such as apparel (Titus 2:12).  Grace liberates us to behold freedom in Christ--not rules or bondage.  Such freedom has its root in obedience to His Spirit and results from looking into God's Word and habitually living it out.  Second Corinthians 3:16-18 illustrates this beautifully—

“Nevertheless when [their heart] shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

This freeing Spirit transforms us into the image of our redemption-loving Lord!  As sinners sunken in despair, we can be both lifted from the miry clay and transformed into the likeness of our Redeemer! Indeed, we who were bought with a price—the precious blood of Christ—ought take seriously our obligation to “glorify God in our bodies and our spirits, which are God’s.”

One woman blogger ridicules IFB women, who--she says--cover “nearly every square inch of flesh.”  She asserts this practice illustrates that these women are ashamed of their bodies--that they're not free.

The Bible, however, describes shame as being first illustrated in a Garden where a man and woman broke fellowship with the God of the Universe after having sinned.  When they recognized the sin, they covered their naked bodies the best they knew how—in fig leaves, probably similar to the kind of covering one would observe on today’s beaches. 

But God covered their nakedness with modest coats of skin.  The blood sacrifice of an animal illustrated that Christ’s blood is needed for forgiveness.  God's covering showed not only the divine standard of covering but also pictured salvation—when one’s sins have been covered, he is clothed in the righteousness of Christ. 

So, clothing and covering illustrate the Gospel.

That’s why this issue of modesty, or covering, matters.

At its heart is not a bunch of outward standards but a picture of the cross.

We can’t forget this.

As believers, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, housing the third person of the Trinity!  As such dwelling places of God Himself, our bodies are to be covered in “shamefacedness and sobriety” (I Tim. 2:9).  This is a choice of obedience we can make each day.

Dressing in modest apparel is a New Testament commandment and would rule out a great deal of wardrobe choices offered in popular culture.   Adherence to this principle would likewise rule out wearing traditional swimming suits at the beach.  The biblical standard of modesty ought be followed, whether one is in the water or out of it.

So how do I respond when I hear of other believers engaging in the practice of mixed swimming?

I don’t look down at them. 

I just wonder if they understand that it is a noble thing for women to obey God’s command to “dress in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety” (I Tim. 2:9)—even in such places where the culture dresses differently.  Believing women are princesses of the great I AM and are “all glorious within” (Psalm 45:13).

As such, the King’s daughters care about the inside.  They want to please God in their spirit—which isn’t a self-indulgent spirit but one that reflects the mind of Christ.  They look to find God’s mind at the heart of the issue and then willingly, joyfully obey--allowing their presupposition to be, “Let God be true and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).

The princess of the great I AM looks to the God of the Universe on culturally uncool issues like apparel and takes her cue, not from the unsaved culture about her, but from His Word, for her lifestyle is grounded upon obedience to God’s Word.  She views modesty as an issue to be determined from God’s definition--not her own and not culture’s.

I appreciate those who study this issue in-depth and have produced mammoth volumes describing nuances of words.  But, having been raised in a Bible-preaching IFB church, where standards of modesty were embraced and mixed swimming was preached against—I must say, I get it.  And I don’t ever remember rejecting the truth of this area.  I wanted to cover my body, because I saw it is as a good thing reflecting God's standard.  Later, I began to see that it pictures the Gospel.  

In a day of compromise and rejection of biblical standards of apparel, those who stand against the world’s way when swimming in mixed company are considered “old-fashioned,” out of date, and far from relevant, I contend that believing women ought to accept and embrace the biblical definition of covering and modesty in apparel.

Many IFB women joyfully wear modest apparel when swimming.  We don’t feel restricted to cover our bodies.  In fact, we are grateful to dress in a way that honors God.

Not to earn favor. 

 

But to obey.

You see, obedience in each area of life, even in what we wear, is about our relationship with God.  It's not about about adherence to some outward rules of man.  It’s about loving God and wanting to please Him Who gave His all for us--even in areas that are culturally uncool.

And that’s ok.

Because it’s not about us anyway.

It’s about our Savior...

His Gospel.

And His glory.