Expert: John Fields - 4/9/2010

Question
Hi bro Fields,
I must confess, i love your approach to questions in the few answers i read.
I would like to understand better how Christian women are supposed to dress. The Bible in 1Tim. urges women to adorn themselves in "modest apparel" but in Church of Christ we are taught that a woman is not supposed to put on that which pertains to a man with reference to Deut. 22:5. While teachers refer to this verse, they regard the garment here to be dresses for women; but to the contrary, Christ was also dressed in garment (Mark 5:27). Please kindly use your God-given wisdom with your experience to explain to me what kind of wears are meant for women.
Thank you as i look up to a faith-uplifting reply.

Cornelia

Answer
I appreciate your kind words of encouragement. In my view God had in view the regulating of behavior rather than in creating dress codes. Due to the fact that Eve sinned, her punishment was that she would be ruled by her husband and that she would have terrible pain in child-birth. This was a state that would be ongoing for all women to some degree.

The prohibition against women dressing like men seemed to have been for the purpose of having them be submissive and not have an attitude that would cause them to be less servant oriented. If a woman was attempting to dress like a man it was apparently seen as a daring display of rebellion both to God and to men. God wanted women to know that He wanted them to be meek and submissive. Dressing as a man apparently showed that they were not willing to submit to the role of woman.  It may also have been considered as a perversion. God also had prohibitions against men dressing as women. If a man dresses like a women and a woman like a man it can indicate sexual deviancy and perversion. God obviously wants us to have no part in such things.

God wants us to dress in such a way that we do not exhibit arrogant and selfish behavior nor cause others to stumble. With that in mind, as far as we are reasonably able, we wear clothing which will not cause others to stumble because of lustful desires and which will not cause others to stumble in their faith journey because they see us engaging in actions they think wrong.

If I see a Christian woman wearing a bikini I am offended because I think she should know that her wearing of such clothing will cause men to stumble in temptation. This is why I have taught my girls from a young age to NEVER wear such a thing. Are there people with different ideas of modesty that it would not bother? I’m sure. But I believe any man or woman should dress in such a way as to lift up and honor God in the process. So we should dress and act with others in mind.

Can a woman wear pants? In MANY cases she can without fear. If an outfit is worn with NO VIEW to rebellion or similarly bad motives, it may be okay. But if she is in a society where people as a whole are offended by women wearing pants, she should not. Saving the souls of others and lifting God up in praise without causing others to stumble is too important. We should be willing to dress in ANY way that will lift Him up or not cause problems and avoid the ways that would cause problems.

Pay attention to what others are wearing and what they are saying. If women dressing in pants is an issue where you are, don’t dress that way out of love for those who would be bothered. If it is not, do it as much as desired.

Context is very important. Look at a comparison between what Peter and Paul say about modesty. In 1 Timothy 2:9-10 (9) I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. 1 Peter 3:3-4 (3) Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
If I understand correctly, Peter and Paul have essentially the same message. Don’t dress in such a way that you are trying to make someone else envy you or make them feel bad because they do not have as much as you. The churches in their time had difficulty in this area. The rich saw themselves as much better than the poor and treated them accordingly. Basically, Paul and Peter were saying not to dress in a way that would identify them with the world at large. And dress, as well as act, in love.

The final word on this is that ALL Christians are under a different law than Moses and his followers. The bible says that Jesus is the END of law for all who are Christians (Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes). This means that we are made pure and righteous apart from law. We do NOT observe law to be made righteous. We observe law because we have already been made righteous. Paul said in Galatians 5:14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If we do everything with love in mind for God and others without reference to selfish motives and ambition, we fulfill ALL the law through Jesus Christ. We are no longer under the condemnation of law but under grace. This means that we strive to do EVERYTHING according to love and our best intentions being diligent to learn what pleases God. It means that when we mess up relating to clothing or other things that we will be forgiven anyway for Jesus’ sake. Praise God! I hope this helps.