"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
I Corinthians 6:10-20
The other day I came across an article that emphasized how to lose respect as a woman. It reminded me that both men and women today are careless about their clothing, causing a loss of respect for both. Let us reconsider what parts of our body ought to be private. Can we readjust our "privacy settings"?
No topic is quite so awkward and controversial as modesty. This is one of those subjects that I feel compelled to talk about, whether one likes it or not. We have to be real and speak about it upfront. Yes, it bothers me immensely to see how many Christians care little about God's standards for modesty. It shames me to see pictures posted on Facebook and Instagram of brothers and sisters in Christ, showing generous portions of the skin. I wish there were a better and more discreet or graceful way of talking about this bothersome subject. But there isn't!
As much as I long for the summer to take a break from the burdens of homeschooling, I hate it because so many, men and women, think they have permission to undress in public without shame.
Modesty is not a matter of one's choice but rather a command from God. God has indeed revealed His will through His Word of how we ought to cover our bodies to please and honor Him. We must do as He commands!
In 1 Timothy 2:9, the Lord has commanded that women ought to adorn themselves with modest clothing, i.e., with propriety and moderation. It also implies that they ought to conduct themselves both outwardly and inwardly in a Christ-like manner, in the spirit of Christ.
God calls Christians to a standard of modesty and purity, and we must understand and embrace this command well. It means that we must understand the meaning of clothing; that our primary purpose is to point others to Christ with our godly example; that our main focus is that of becoming more and more like Christ; that we must live by a higher standard since God is holy and righteous and that we cannot under any circumstance follow and imitate our culture with its gods of immoral fashion but to be "imitators of Christ." (Ephesians 5:1-2)
The way I cover my body shows the love and reverence I have for my Father in heaven and the respect and love I have for my husband, myself, and my neighbor. As those who walk in the Light doing the Father's will, we must not accept the world's standard of clothing and indecency. We must reject it! One who has died to sin to live in righteousness and holiness will seek to please His Father and not man (I Peter 4:4; Romans 6:3-4).
I am well aware that the world accepts every form of ungodliness, especially regarding the clothes we wear or how we cover our bodies. By the way, I am speaking to both males and females. It is not strange for the worldly and ungodly (especially those who are not Christians) to wear denim short shorts, halter tops, spaghetti straps, swimsuits, low cut blouses, see-through attires, tight clothing, and other indecent forms of revealing clothing. But for us Christians, is it not a shame to run like the pagans and unbelievers, dressing immodestly and seductively by wearing such godless clothing?! Come on!!!
We are commanded not to love the world nor the things of this world (the gods of fashion and style set by the world without God in mind). It means that we are to "blush" even when one is tempted to dress ungodly. YES, we ought to be ashamed to let that thought capture our hearts. Remember that all this world, along with its lawlessness, will perish one day. It is just temporary. But those who obey doing the will of their Father in heaven will abide forever (John 14:15).
Our attitude as those who profess to be followers of Christ must be that of drawing a line between what is holy and unholy, modest and immodest. Take heed! We are to imitate our Father in heaven and allow His Word to guide us in holiness and righteousness. Let us be lights shining brightly in this world of darkness so that we may glorify our Father (Matt. 5:14-16). Let us study God's Word carefully, putting it into practice in this matter of modesty and propriety so that we may avoid coming into judgment. Let us also not cause others to sin because of our ungodliness. Perish the thought!
I want to challenge you to think about your attitudes toward modesty. Our heart must be pure (Matthew 5:8); clean (Psalm 51:10); steadfast (Psalm 57:7); upright (Psalm 94:15); perfect (Psalm 101:2); wise (Proverbs 10:8); and merry (Psalm 15:13).
Our motivation for modesty must be rooted in a desire to honor and glorify our God as King of kings and Lord of lords. Christ must be the supreme reason for everything we do in word and deed. Modesty is not just about men. Why? Because modesty is not just about helping men in their battle against lust or about preventing men from lusting. And though we must encourage men to maintain their purity, we have our responsibility before God to walk in purity and holiness. It means that instead of asking ourselves, "How does this make me feel, or how far can I go?" We must honestly ask ourselves, "How holy can I be before my God?" God must be the most important reason I choose to dress modestly and decently. Likewise, I want to reflect and represent Him well in the way I present myself, and that is being as modest, chaste, and godly as I can.
You see, when Adam and Eve sinned, and they realized that they were naked, God covered them with the skins of animals to cover the nakedness of their bodies. He protected them from the shame of nakedness. When we expose our naked bodies to the public eye, we are devaluing something precious, our God-given value as a woman or as a man.
Modesty is pure humility in action. Why do I say that? Because we have been given God's gracious love. Also, because God has explicitly laid out for us how valuable we are to Him. We must worship God in every aspect of our life. Of course, that includes how we dress and cover our God-given bodies.
As those who have been called from lawlessness to righteousness, we must seek holiness and become more like our Master and Savior. Our bodies belong not to us but to God, our Creator (and with His permission to our spouse). We must dress in a way that glorifies our Creator. How do you suppose we are to teach and reach out to the lost if we are not godly examples ourselves? Surely we cannot be effective in teaching them the "good news" if we are just living like them (dressing immodestly, Matt. 7:1-5), Our influence will be destroyed.
We live in a culture that is bombarded with sensuality and immorality all the time. Everywhere we turn our heads, we find women almost naked, to say the least. The other day I received one of my cook magazines in the mail. To my surprise, when I glanced at the pages, I saw (I am not exaggerating) a woman who was basically topless with only a small scarf strategically placed to obstruct the view of the readers but not the view of the man behind her. She was promoting some kind of perfume. This shocked me tremendously! I would not want my children to innocently see this, nor do I want my husband to have to see it. It is disturbing! The shocking thing is that it seems as if nobody cares. We have become such a desensitized society. They have forgotten how to blush!
"Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the Lord." (Jeremiah 6:15)
My question is, "Where has our dignity and respect gone as a society?" "Why have our women become so shameless and undignified?" "Where has their dignity gone?"
Our women have, without any doubt, lost their respect and dignity, even our sisters in Christ. How can we verbally demand respect from those around us when we behave in such a shameless manner? How can we get mad when others don't value us as dignified human beings? It is a fact that we want others to treat us with respect and dignity, and yet we do not even respect ourselves.
I want to point out that the so-called "women's liberation movement" has given us the "sexual liberation movement" as well. Thanks to these movements, our women, especially our young ladies, have been indoctrinated to believe a bunch of lies. Our girls have been taught that a girl's power gives her the freedom or permission to show or display her nakedness without any shame. They have been brainwashed into thinking that they are finally liberated from all the bonds of righteousness. The bonds of modesty. Free to behave sensually and provocatively as they wish. Sadly this is one of the biggest lies our culture dictates.
Some years ago, a woman who would pose in a sensuous and provocative manner was looked upon with shame by other women. Women who were flaunting their naked bodies, so that the attention of men would be drawn to them were considered a huge disgrace. Our culture has really lost the shame, the value, the dignity, and respect that modesty gives. I am afraid to say it, but in today's culture, our women seem to be trying to imitate the woman of Proverbs 7:10.
"And behold, a woman comes to meet him, dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart."
Nowadays, there is little difference between a woman's appearance and that of a prostitute. They want to view and uphold beauty as attractive and provocative. Our culture teaches women that if they want to look attractive, they have to show or display everything they have. Their worldview of beauty is nakedness. To embrace it publicly without any shame. Their messages are deceitful and full of indecent, shameless, and sensual liberation messages.
In today's culture, our women are viewed as mere objects rather than dignified humans. Women and girls want to be valued and respected. Unfortunately, that is exactly what they're throwing away. The moment they expose the intimate parts of their body for anyone to see, they are sending wrong messages to the world that they wish to be viewed as objects of pleasure rather than as dignified humans. When a woman chooses to sell her nakedness to the world, she is training men and women to view her as an object to be purchased. The more she uncovers her body, the more she throws away her respect and dignity. Sadly with this shameful behavior, we are unconsciously training our men to do the same. What should they expect if women don't value and protect their own nakedness? Don't they know they are cheapening their value? Only something valuable and rare is called a treasure.
One thing that our women and girls are forgetting is that our Creator made us women beautiful. Our God designed us to be simply beautiful. Therefore our beauty is not the enemy here. There is nothing wrong with the beauty God has given us. We must never forget that God designed us to be holy and beautiful in His image. Let us not turn it into something common and cheap!
Some think that the standards of modesty are different for men and women. That men are exempt or can get away with being immodest, wearing more revealing clothing than women. They claim that women don't usually have the same problem with lust as men do (Matt. 5:28). And though it is true that men struggle more with lust than women, it is not true that women don't have impure thoughts. The Scriptural principles of modesty apply to both males and females, though it focuses on women in 1 Timothy 2:9.
Therefore, when a man shows his bare chest in public, he does not glorify God. He is drawing unnecessary attention to himself by his lack of clothing. He is not demonstrating humility, purity, and holiness. Men must keep their chests covered and avoid wearing short-shorts in public (whether they are going swimming, running, working in the yard or outside, etc.). Trousers should go from one's waist to the bottom of the knees (Exodus 28:42). Our goal must be that of pleasing God. That simple!
Likewise, when a woman shows her thighs (because she is wearing short skirts, dresses, and shorts), or her chest in public, she is not honoring and glorifying God either. Again, she is drawing unnecessary attention to her lack of clothing. The thighs and chest may be exposed only when sitting or moving in certain ways, yet they are showing their nakedness. The fashion is to show under clothing, straps, brassieres, or even underwear, if only for a moment. It is a tease! She is not exhibiting humility, purity, and holiness.
Alas, many Christians blend very well with the world because they don't take a stand for what's righteous and holy! They do not oppose the ways of sin, reflected by the immodest attire they wear or approve of in others! The question is: can others see the difference between your life as a follower of Christ and the life of those who are not Christians? So if the world loves you, you must be one of them!
Since God is the Creator of allure and had a specific purpose in how it should be used, women and girls must save such allure for only one man, their spouse. Our culture persuades our women and girls to use their allure to attract other men and gain their attention and success at work or sell a product. This apparent eagerness to attract attention cheapens a woman's self-respect and worth. Don't you know that when you, as a woman, dress immodestly, you create carnal desire in many men? Most women today use their beauty with the purpose of intoxicating men. Lest we forget, our allure is a gift from God whose purpose is to intoxicate or attract only one man, our husband. When a woman of any age dresses immodestly, she provokes men to lust after her, men who are not her husband. Do you know that you are using your God-given allure in an ungodly way when you do this?
Let us always remember that as Christians, our bodies are more than just the beautiful handiwork or artwork of God. They are the temple of God where His Spirit dwells,
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." (I Corinthians 6:19-21).
So let us purpose in our heart and mind to treat the body with dignity and respect since it is extremely valuable, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Let us highly esteem God's temple with purity by the way we dress and carry ourselves. It brings honor to our God.
CONCLUSION:
There is no doubt that our culture is always working against God's excellent ways and ideals for us, His children. Indeed, our culture is full of lies regarding our sensual freedom. They say it is the best road to take. Let us not be deceived and take the wrong path. It is a dead-end street that will lead us nowhere good and leave us empty. Why not use our God-given beauty to glorify our Creator? It would put value on our nakedness. Save your allure for one man, your husband. Other men have no business here.
As parents, we must step up and battle where necessary and teach our children the principles of righteousness. Let us be wise and not foolish and learn from the principles of old that were written for our learning (Romans 15:4). Let us cover ourselves properly and with propriety in public no matter what our gender is. We as parents must teach our children, boys or girls, about modesty and chastity. We must not conform to worldly standards but rather to holy standards, as saints who profess godliness. Let us not be enticed by our culture's deceiving messages. Our culture demands that we flaunt what we have. Let us exchange our worldly and sinful hearts for a pure one, asking God and pleading for His help. Women, let us not use our beauty to allure men. Let us use our beauty and modesty as instruments of righteousness. We must be examples of chastity, purity, godliness, and holiness in our conduct toward our children, the church, and those in the world. The way we talk, act, and dress will either bring honor or dishonor to our Father in heaven. Our bodies belong to God, and they must be used to honor Him! (1 Thess. 4:4). Therefore, let us respect our bodies since they are God's temple.
We must use our bodies to the glory of our Father in heaven rather than to shame Him. He desires this for our own good (Deut. 6:24). He wants parents to teach their children all things pertaining to godliness and holiness; they are good for them and us. We must teach our children to please God in all they do in word and deed. Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit because of our ungodliness and unholiness of heart (Eph. 4:30).
As Christians seek to abound in purity, love, knowledge, and discernment (God's excellencies), their lives will be "filled with the fruits of righteousness" (Phil. 1:11). Our "fruits of righteousness" are to glorify and praise our God. Let us shine our light so that men may glorify Him by our good works. Therefore, let us present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. Let us not be conformed to the worldly and unholy standards of this world but rather rebuke them (Ephesians 5:11), being transformed into His likeness. Likewise, let us renew our mind that we may prove what is good and acceptable, His will, before a world of darkness.
May our Lord help us to accept the boundaries of modesty, godliness, and holiness in our daily lives. May we commit ourselves to God's standards of righteousness and not the world's. May we always strive to do His will.
Luci
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