Jimmy,

Excellent post! Modesty indeed starts with the heart. In my own walk with the Lord, as I've grown and matured, I have found that i naturally have given my own "wants" and "rights" to wear what I feel like wearing, but instead consider others. Yes, the Lord does lead us if we are sensative and listening. And no, not everyone will agree with us on everything we wear.

I have come along way from wearing skimpy workout outfits to the gym just because i thought i'd worked so hard, I might as well show all my hard work. Now i see how prideful that was and how it probably caused others to stumble. I was only thinking of myself.

I am not one to be legalistic about hemlines (i haven't worn a skirt or dress in over a year i don't think) and I wear jeans and capris everywhere- yes even to church.

To me modesty is also humility. I also believe that just because some people have enough money to buy whatever clothes they want-that they don't have to dress flashy and wear the most expensive outfits. To me, this creates a barrier between me and those who may feel intimidated by my dress. That is why I choose to dress casually almost 99% of the time. Casual but modest.

The Lord has led me to my own conclusion on clothes, do not wear things that would cause people to feel they couldn't approach me and feel at ease with me (especially women). Now this may not be an area of concern for someone else. It is just a point of interest which the lord has shown to me for whatever purposes He has. In the past, some women have thought it was intimadating approaching me(i honestly cannot see why myself-and this is no joke, maybe because i was a personal trainer?), so I have gone to lengths to resolve that as much as i can.

C.J. Mahaney from Sov. Grace Ministries has a good article on the soul of modesty and how it relates to humility. http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/sgo/v20no4/modesty.html

"Any biblical discussion of modesty begins with the heart, not the hemline. What fruit of the Spirit is seen in the modestly dressed woman? Self-control: an intentional restraint and moderation for the purpose of purity.

Modesty, therefore, is simply humility expressed in dress. The humble Christian woman who understands this passage will have a wardrobe that expresses self-control, moderation, and restraint. What she wears will demonstrate that she lives with a settled resistance to the ceaseless pull of the world. She will dress to show the grace and beauty of womanhood and to reveal a humble heart — not to call attention to herself, flaunt her beauty, impress her peers, or allure men sexually." C.J. Mahaney

In Him, Chanin

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Chanin

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Jimmy H

Here are a few quotes I found on this issue:

Mary Quant, known as the mother of the mini-skirt has been quoted in Newsweek as having said, "mini-cloths are symbolic of those girls who didn't want to wait until dark to seduce a man.

Designer Leo Narducci says that the woman who wears revealing clothes is one who is sure of herself, who thinks of sex more openly...she is not concerned about nudity. She has a body and she knows it!!

Enuf said...
ginnyrose

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Sandra Miller

Just because something was designed with a certain intent in mind, doesn't mean it has to be used by others with that intent. For example, a believer is free to buy meat from the market that was offered to idols. For it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

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Jimmy H

KJ, I beg to differ with you! meats do not harm the body, of this the scripture is clear. But what you see with your eyes can lead you to sin. Jesus teaches us about the sin of lust and that comes through sight.

KJ, I am a female, obviously, and women do dress immodestly to be noticed by men. They like the looks it attracts. Christian women are commanded to be modest; it is not optional. A Christian woman will not want to be identified with the devil's crowd!! and this is what you get when you dress like that crowd.

Are you saying you like to see women dressed like harlots?

ginnyrose

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Sandra Miller

Ginny,

Please reread all I said and think about it some more. Modesty is a mindset, not a dress code. Exactly what does a harlot look like? What do you do with the Scripture that teaches Isaiah walked around buck-naked 3 years at the command of God? Was that not a violation of modesty?

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Jimmy H

I heard a preacher say one time that he attended upon an emergency call to a hospital to visit a lady out in the country. It was a small community and the Dr. was on call. He was also a farmer. When the preacher arrived at the hospital about the same time as the Dr. The Dr. was dressed in cowboy boots, overhalls, a cowboy hat and the like; all clothes that he had been wearing while out on the farm. He walked in to attend upon the lady. He started the examination. The lady became uncomfortable and restless acting. Finally she spoke up and said- "Dr. if you would not mind would you go into your office and put on your white Dr.'s smock?"

There was nothing wrong with the way he was dressed? Yet there was something unsettling about it all for the woman. The Dr. did not [u]look the part[/u].

Putting on that white outfit never aided a single bit in treating this woman. He could have well done the job without it. Yet, as far as the woman was concerned he was not going to do anything to her until he looked like a Dr.

As believers who profess Christ we need to use caution when we are in the world. Often we think that if we look just like the world we may well win them to Christ. Is that so? I once asked one of my youth if they were to "go under the knife" and looked up as they were being wheeled into the operating room what they would think if the Dr. had a mohawk and studs all in his face? Uhh Uhh well, um, I might be a little concerned. Really? Why is that? Uh, well, em, (clear the throat), I just would. Are you JUDGING him! Uh, no! Well then whats the problem? "I get your point."

Does it really matter? Is it more than a heart issue? The guy wearing the cowboy hat was a good Dr.! The man wheeling the teen into the operating room may well have been the best and most qualified surgeon in the world. What was the issue in both cases? People have an expectation of what the part 'ought' to look like. And no excuses can change the unsettled feeling that rises up in the conscience of a person who sees a Christian not dressing the part. The believer may not mean anything by it. But when they got dressed they intended that day to send some sort of message. What part or 'role' were they dressing for? if picked out of a crowd- what would the average person [i]perceive[/i]?

God Bless,

-Robert

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Robert Wurtz II

I'm enjoying reading the topic.

KingJimmy, I agree with you on keeping more clothes on at the beach than most - good expression of modesty.

Early you said that even a woman in a 2-piece bathing suit could be modest. I would have a hard time listening to a lady witness to me if she were in a 2-piece bathing suit.

As far as the Isaiah passage goes, in context Isaiah was picturing the judgment of God upon Egypt. He was commanded by God to walk naked and barefoot. He said they would be carried away naked into Ethiopia to their shame.

Anybody have more Bible verses on the subject and personal thoughts that we can discuss?

Kendal

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Kendal Shipley

Indeed Robert, we should consider "looking the part" so to say. For example, it is generally expected by heathen that it is a sin for Christians to drink alcohol in any amount, thus, if they saw a Christian drinking, they'd probably think, "hypocrite."

However, I'm not so sure how much we should get into this "looking the part" business. Isaiah walking around naked hardly looked the part. Hosea taking a wife of harlotry hardly looked the part. John the Baptist with his odd behavior hardly looked the part. Then when it was all said and done, Christ eating with sinners, tax collectors, and riding into Jerusalem on a beast of burden hardly looked the part either. Perhaps he should have at least ridden in on a nice but modest horse, more fitting for a king? These men hardly looked the part, and were not quite what was expected. Reminds me of:

Luke 7:31 To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? 32 "They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, `We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.' 33 "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, `He has a demon!' 34 "The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, `Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, F180 a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' 35 "Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children."

Just some thoughts...

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Jimmy H

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Jimmy H