Modesty and the Christian Woman

By Linda Sabry

It is the Lord’s will for His daughters to present themselves as pure vessels before men and radiate in feminine beauty. In 1 Timothy 2:9a women are instructed to “…adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety …”.

As we explore together the Scriptures on the topic of modesty, may we cry out to God as David did in Psalms 139: 23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” May we pray to our Father that He may convict our hearts through His Holy Spirit of anything in our wardrobes which displeases Him.

Bringing glory to our King

Our purpose here on Earth as women of God is to bring glory to our Father in Heaven””not through our beautiful figures, charm or fashion sense, but through our good works. Matthew 5:16 says “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” The Lord has called us to shine the light of Jesus Christ amidst a dark and perverted world. The way we dress as women of God either hinders us from shinning bright or makes us shine brighter.

Truly it is so precious in the sight of God for His daughters to be noticed by their modest and elegant clothing. Proverbs chapter 31 describes a virtuous woman and portrays her worth as more valuable than rubies. Verse 22 describes her beautiful clothing”””She maketh herself coverings of tapestry: her clothing is silk and purple”. This shows that the Lord does not call us to cover ourselves from head to toe in unattractive clothing, in fact He wants us to dress beautifully and He delights in beauty and diversity. We know that it is God’s pleasure to make lovely things””from a delicate white snowdrop to the magnificent tiger lily””the Lord’s creation is truly beautiful. And in making us all different with different tastes, God gives us the freedom to add our special touch to whatever we wear as long as it is modest.

We are set apart from this world

In shining as lights through what we wear we must stand out in this world and not conform to the world’s dress standards. Romans 12:2 says that we should not be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we may prove what is that good and perfect, and acceptable will of God.

Let us guard our brothers’ eyes

As Christian women of God we must also ensure that we dress in a way which does not cause our brothers in Christ to stumble or lust after us. It is widely understood that a man is affected by what he sees and the lust of the eyes is described in Matthew 5:28. A man is guilty of adultery by lusting after a women with his eyes, but a women who dresses in a way to attract sexual attention to her body is just as guilty. Romans 14:21 warns us from doing anything that will cause our brother to fall.

Displaying feminine beauty

The Lord has called us to dress differently to men, Deuteronomy 22:5 says “The women shall not wear that which pertaineth to a man…”

Our clothing ought to show that we are women””gentle and softer than man and in submission rather than leadership. Our clothing ought to reflect our need to be cared for and treated with gentleness not to be treated as “˜one of the boys.’

The Lord’s standards are clear-cut

As mentioned earlier, God allows His daughters to express individuality in their choice of clothing (we don’t all have to dress in pink frills) but He is clear that there are standards that He has set in order to ensure that we are honouring Him in our presentation. When Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened to sin they realised their nakedness in the sight of God and proceeded to cover themselves with fig leaves””but this was not sufficient! God covered them with coats, which in Hebrew refers to a tunic-like garments, which covered them from the neck to below the knees. This shows that covering the bear minimum doesn’t cut it and as women of God we ought to really think twice when wearing swimsuits and bikinis on the beach or in swimming pools. Also there are numerous occasions in Scripture where the shame of a nation is metaphorically called the exposing of her nakedness. For example in Isaiah 47:1-2 Babylon is said to be put to shame by revealing her thigh and bare leg.

On a final note, the Lord does not call us to dress with different levels of modesty depending on whether we are at church, at work, or at the beach. In fact, as we have seen, the Bible is clear on dress standards, so we are either modest or immodest in what we wear. Regardless of the venue we ought to uphold God’s pure dress standards in order to show that we are different and bless the eyes of those that look upon us.

In closing…

The task to dress modestly can seem like an impossible one but the Lord knows our hearts and He promises to guide us through the Holy Spirit and help us along the way as we pursue pure and godly lives.

While it is so important for us to actively desire a modest wardrobe, we must bear in mind that modesty must start from the inside out. Modesty begins by putting others first, by dying to self, and by loving the Body of Christ. As Christian women and daughters of the Most High King, let us join in prayer that we may be virtuous women after God’s own heart, seeking to live our lives in such a way that points to Jesus Christ in all that we say, think, and do.

What to ask yourself before wearing a piece of clothing:

1. Is it modest?
2. Is it fit for the occasion/is it appropriate?
3. Does is draw attention to your body?
4. Would Christ be pleased with what you’re wearing?

[1] “˜Shamefacedness’ is the natural internal moral quality of blushing when sin is viewed as repulsive.

[2] “˜Sobriety’ is soberness or soundness of mind, resulting in self-constraint.

Linda Sabry is a member of Faith Baptist Church Croydon Park and writes for the Faith Baptist Newsletter. Linda is also active at Givemetruth.net.