Christianity Plain and Simple

Christian Dress

How should Christians dress? There are a number of opinions out there, but the best place to look is the Word of God, when trying to figure this out.

The Bible says a few things. First, it says our dress should cover our nakedness. That was the whole reason it was created in the first place.

Genesis 3:21 - Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

This was after they sinned and realized for the first time that they were naked. Now, what is nakedness? While many would say it is wearing no clothes, the Bible actually defines it as exposing the thigh.

Exodus 28:34 - And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:

Isaiah 47:2-3 - Take the millstones and grind flour, put off your veil, strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers. Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one.

This rule applies to both men and women, as we can see. Showing off our upper leg or many believe even above the knee, is a form of nakedness in the eyes of God and a sin.

It also mentions the breast in the Bible as being an area of intimacy for women.

Proverbs 5:19 - Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

Secondly, God says our clothing should be distinct to gender. Christians should not cross dress even when being silly. It is shameful.

Deuteronomy 22:5 - 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.

I'm not even going to get into if women should wear pants or not. All I would say is, if pants are considered men's clothing in that culture, don't wear pants and vise versa for men and skirt styled clothing. Just make sure by your clothes that it is clear whether you are a man or a woman.

God says even the hair of men and women should look different in the New Testament.

1 Corinthians 2:14-15 - Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for [her] hair is given her for a covering.

God wants men and women to look different. Buzz cuts for women and long hair for men is clearly forbidden in the Bible.

Third, God says we are to be modest in dress. There are different philosophies about this, some saying it is acceptable to dress up in makeup and jewelry as long as we remember to focus on our hearts while others say that we should never wear it because it is a distraction. I kind of fall in the middle, personally. I do wear some makeup and nice things, but I always tone it down for church and try not to look too outlandish in public. Regardless of your beliefs though, we should always put our inside beauty before our outside beauty.

1 Timothy 2:9-10 - 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;But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

Finally, I think it's good to remind ourselves that we belong to God. Many times we may think these are unfair restrictions, and we should be able to do what we want. God says we are His though, in so many ways, and that we should try our best to honor Him in our bodies, which includes our dress.

Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Doing things for God is reasonable, logical. It should be a joy, not a horror.

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Some Personal Thoughts

Something to note is that God never, ever blames women in the Bible for rape or sexual harassment, regardless of dress. When Jesus was addressing a crowd about looking at women and lusting after them, he rebuked the men for committing adultery in their hearts, not the women. So, if you're reading this thinking that God is judging women for getting raped, molested, etc. Stop. That is just sick and unbiblical.

Likewise though, if you just read this and think that because men are responsible for their actions that this is a free card to run around in bikinis, you have also missed the point of the whole message. You shouldn't dress modestly because you are afraid of getting molested but because covering nakedness is a Christian thing to do. God says to cover for ourselves, not men, so dress modestly with joy for God. Sexual harassment is wrong regardless of whether we are half undressed or not, but likewise going around naked is also wrong, whether we are harassed or not.