What Should I Wear?

Contents

Clothing ............................................................ 3
Make-up and Jewelry ...................................... 9
Hair ................................................................. 11
Conclusion .................................................... 11

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?

This question has been around as long as there has been variety in clothing. In today's society, it can present quite a dilemma for men as well as women. However, the Bible gives definite guidelines for the appearance of the Christian before God, other believers, and the world.

WHAT ABOUT CLOTHING?

What is the main purpose of clothing, and why was it instituted by God? Before Adam and Eve sinned, they were naked before God and before each other. When they sinned, they immediately lost their innocence. First, they covered themselves with fig leaves, and then they hid from God (Gen. 3:7-8), all because they were ashamed. God, in His mercy, provided them with animal skins (Gen. 3:21). The curse of sin was already realized in the death of these animals sacrificed to cover the nakedness of sinful man.

Covering For The Body

According to the Bible, then, the primary purpose of clothing is to cover the body. Since the unbelieving world is estranged from God and freely practices sin, it is no surprise that its styles often violate God’s primary purpose for clothing. When Christians wear styles that expose, rather than cover the body, they dishonor the Lord Jesus Christ. Brief, tight, or otherwise revealing clothing is designed to accentuate those parts of the body which God intended to be hidden from sight.

While this applies to both sexes, women need to be especially careful about what they wear because men are so easily aroused sexually by what they see. This is evident considering that the worldwide, multi-billion dollar pornography industry appeals to the lustful desires of the man.

If a woman wants to be loved and treated as a person, and not as a sex-object, she should not wear clothing that exhibits her body in a sensuous or provocative way. If she does so, she will be liked and wanted for her body—and often nothing else. She might also unwittingly be the cause of sinful thoughts and practices in others (Mt. 5:28).

Enticing clothing, a product of our sexually permissive society, has been directly linked with the increase in rape, sexual abuse, and other sex-related crimes. This was documented a number of years ago by Dr. Lichenstein, physician of the Tombs Prison in New York City (as reported in R. K. Campbell's booklet, Women's Place According to Scripture). Revealing styles often denote deficient moral values of the wearer and of our world as a whole. Realizing that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20), and that we are to glorify God in our bodies, we should avoid sexually arousing the opposite sex, because that is a direct appeal to the flesh and its lusts (Rom. 13:14; Gal. 5:13,16).

Distinction Between the Sexes

God created man and woman different from, yet complimentary to each other. As their bodies are different, so their clothes should portray that difference. Realizing that the blurring of distinctions between the sexes can lead to perversion, God says in His Word: “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God” (Dt. 22:5).

In today’s permissive society where perversion is on the increase, men sometimes dress as women and vice versa. As Christians, we should want to honor God by dressing in a manner that clearly maintains the masculine/feminine distinctions which God has established.

With this in mind, when we shop for clothing, we should select apparel which is distinctly feminine or masculine. By doing so, we will visually testify to those around us that God created two sexes, not a unisex.

In most cultures, the distinctions between male and female clothing are clear, but questions may arise about certain types of clothing. For example, while slacks may be more modest and comfortable for women in sports, work, or casual activities, they should not become the pattern of dress for all occasions. An honest examination of our own motives for choosing one type of clothing over another will help us dress in a manner worthy of Him who created us male and female.