From Adult Sunday School Class message, delivered on June 8, 2014 by Frank DeJuana entitled Perfecting Holiness #5 in Trinity Baptist Church, Montville, New Jersey.

The purpose of the Apostle Paul’s writing of I Timothy 3:14-16 was to instruct the young pastor, Timothy, about how church members should conduct themselves in the house of God. In chapters 2 and 3 he wrote about the conduct in prayer meeting, the roles of men and women and the qualifications of elders of the church.

Paul conveyed that the function of the church (members) is to reflect the image of God and to promote the Gospel through their conduct. The Church is responsible for holding up the truth so that the world may see the great work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the reason why Paul was very much concern that each member of the household of God should behave properly in God’s house — because God is there.

When Paul addressed the women, one of his main concerns was their manner of dressing. “In the same way also, I desire that women adorn themselves in decent clothing, with modesty and sensibleness, not adorned with braiding, or gold, or pearls, or costly clothing, but with good works, which becomes women professing godliness.” I Tim 2: 4

Holiness should characterize the clothing of godly woman. Whenever people observe the way we dress, they must notice at once our profession as children of God. Our clothing is one area in our lives that must reflect God’s glory.

This call for modesty is not encroaching in the area of Christian liberty as stated in Romans 14, because holiness and liberty are not mutually exclusive. They should actually complement each other. It is not to be legalistic if Christians are encouraged to dress modestly because liberty must be ruled by the holiness of heart.

How Christian women should dress?:

The first thing that Paul mentioned about women ‘s dressing is that their style and choices of clothing should support and validate the Gospel.

Modesty is defined as having a deep concern not to transgress or go beyond the bounds of impropriety. A modest woman will be shamed if she has trespassed propriety. She will feel dishonored if impropriety is attributed to her, thus she is very careful not to dress immodestly.

Modest clothing does not attract attention. It is not gaudy, it is not flaunting it’s brand or style, it is not exposing more skin than what is proper; thereby tempting men to look and sin. Modesty is to be kind and considerate to men who are easily tempted by what they see. Dressing modestly is for the good of our souls and others. It is refusal to be an accessory for men to sin.

In order to hide their bodies properly, modest women wear clothes that are long – “from the base of the neck up to the knee” – and loose, so as not to reveal one’s figure. It may seem old fashion but Christian women are pleasing the Lord, not themselves and men.

In this world, where most women bare more skin as a fashion statement, men find refuge in a the church, where women are dressed modestly. The church became a place of rest for the men who are constantly assaulted by the indecent clothing of women in the workplaces, in the streets, or anywhere they look. Yet for most of these women, they are just following a trend and could be ignorant of what is proper clothing. It is our responsibility to warn and correct. One way to do this is to dress modestly ourselves.

But how can I know if my dress is modest? According to Pastor Albert Martin, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in New Jersey, the following are attractions for men to sin and should not be worn. He called these, magnets to men’s eyes.

1.  Skirts and dresses that are too short so as to reveal too much of our legs and thighs which are magnets to a men’s eyes. Some skirts are okay when standing, but can become temptation for men to look when one sits down.
2.  Too tight dresses which reveal the contours of the body.
3.  Too sheer or flimsy, where the silhouette of the body is revealed..
4.  Plunging neck lines, unbuttoned shirts or blouses that expose the cleavage of the bust especially when one stoops down.
5.  Fitting shirts and blouses that show the roundness of the bust.
6.  Tight jeans that hugs the buttocks and crotch.
7.   Skirts with slits that are too high and attracts men to look further.

Modesty begins in the inner person.

Holiness is not promoted by external engagement to spiritual activities. Modesty springs from a heart cultivated by prayer and intimacy with the Lord . Is now difficult to be modest in this time where one can’t buy modest clothing. It requires extra effort to alter clothes or give more time to look for stores that cater to modest tastes.

When we dress modestly, we may look plain and unnoticeable. When that happens, we have gained success of diverting the eyes of men to God. When God is pleased with our little effort to give glory to Him, that will be one of our highest achievements.

 

From Adult Sunday School Class message, delivered on June 8, 2014 by Frank DeJuana entitled Perfecting Holiness #5 in Trinity Baptist Church, Montville, New Jersey.