Why Christian Women Should Dress Modestly in a Modern World
Is it appropriate for Christian women to dress like modern women? Today, it is sometime confusing to tell the difference between a Christian woman and a non-Christian woman based on their attire, and in some cases their behaviour. It is laid out in the Word how Christian women should adorn themselves and behave. But, they reject God’s Word because they want to continue dressing immodestly to conform to the fashions and ideals of this modern world in which we live today. When we dress and behave like others, outside our community, we tell them that we want to be like them, and to belong to their community, so we prove it to them. However, Christian women should dress modestly to prove to God that we want to live for Him and therefore, we will honour Him with our bodies by our dress attire.
It is very disheartening to see Christians dressing and acting like the world. We are ambassadors for Christ and it should reflect in our attire and behaviour. How is someone supposed to know to tell us apart from non-Christians, if we look and act the same as the world? The main difference seems to be that Christians go to church every Sunday and pay tithes. And non-Christians don’t. Other than that, they listen to the same music, use the same coarse language, and dress the same; there are no boundaries for them to cross. Nothing is off-limits.
I know this topic is controversial, but I’m illustrating what it says in the Word about Christian women and modesty. And spreading the Word of God to encourage others means stating exactly what is written in the Bible. And, if I’m to be a good steward of the Lord, I must tell the truth for His honour and His glory. I do hope this post convicts whomever it is meant for so that they can do what’s right for God’s honour and glory. Therefore, I will list scriptures that speak to women and modesty, talk a little about why Christian women should dress modestly, why they should set examples for young girls, how Pastor condone Christian women’s immodestly, and finally, I will encourage Christian women to seek God’s wisdom to learn how to live modestly.
What Does the Word Say About Women and Modesty?
“In like manner also, that the woman adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair or gold, or pearls, or costly array. But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”
1 Timothy 2:9-10
“That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh to holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children. To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to thier husbands, that the Word of God be not blasphemed. Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.”
Titus 2:5-6
“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment. For all that so, are abomination unto the Lord thy God.”
Deuteronomy 22:5
“As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.”
Proverbs 11:22
“Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”
Proverbs 31:25-25
“Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1 Corinthians 6:19
Why Christian Women Should Dress Modestly
As ambassadors for Christ, Christian women should dress modestly for Him. When we dress modestly, we prove to Him that we live for Him, in the face of increased immorality and sin in this modern world, as well as pressure the conform. The Apostle Paul states that “for me to live is Christ.” This should be our stance, to live is to live for Christ, otherwise, what are we living for? We know that we have eternal life with Christ. So, why jeopardize our souls while we are still living by creating enmity between ourselves and the Lord by participating in the world? Modern, non-Christian women wouldn’t dress modestly to conform to our way of Christian living, why? Because it does not reflect them or their lifestyle. So, why do Christian women want to conform to their way of living?
Moreover, I acknowledge that we live in an ever-changing, modern world, but as Christians, we don’t have to change with it and conform to that world. God’s Word is immutable and unchanging; it is written in heaven and will stand forever. Therefore, we need to continue living by His infallible Word and stay faithful to Him. Sometimes in life, we do things not for ourselves, but for others whom we love; we must put them first. Therefore, Christian women should dress modestly to please God because they love Him. And to stand out from the crowd and up for Christ. By doing this, we give Him honour and glory.
Christian Women Should Set Examples for Young Girls
Today, when I look around, I see very young girls dressed in tank tops and leggings advertising their bodies. These young girls do not have examples of what it is like to dress modestly, because it’s all they know. And, unfortunately, they will grow into adults and continue dressing the same way, not knowing that there’s anything wrong with it. This is why Christian women should dress modestly, to set examples for young Christian girls.
Moreover, modern women dress so immodestly these days, that they leave nothing to the imagination. Every summer it seems like their shorts are getting shorter and they are wearing bras as shirts; they’re wearing less clothing than before. This is what little girls are growing up to know. This is normal to them. As a society, we are normalizing immodesty, just like immorality. Everything bad is now good and vice versa. And this is all because of living in a godless society where people have rejected God and His Word.
This reminds me of when Moses went to meet with God to get the Ten Commandments, and because he was gone for so long, the people thought that he wasn’t coming back. So, they decided to create their own rules for their new society where everything was godless and they were fearless. Everything went, they did whatever they wanted because at that time, there was no rule of law, until Moses appeared, disgusted by what he saw, and destroyed the Ten Commandments.
Pastors Condone Christian Women’s Immodesty
If a Pastor speaks directly to women and addresses their immodest attire, they will get up and walk out of the church. And this is due to living in a feminist and modern world, where women are in positions of authority, are independent in their own right, and in control of every aspect of their lives, including their bodies. Regardless of the recent overturn of Roe vs Wade; my point is to delineate that women have more control of their decision-making these days and no one can tell them anything, or they’ll be deemed out of order. Unfortunately, this includes Christian women, because they too believe that they should have equality with men in every aspect of life.
However, when you are in a position of leadership and you see wrong in someone and don’t offer corrective teachings, it means that you condone and support it. But, what would be a reason for a Pastor to not correct the women in his congregation when they dress immodestly? Fear of losing membership. And, less membership means less money on the collection plate. Therefore, they turn a blind eye to sin, in and out of the church, and casually mention it occasionally. They’d rather be palatable with their congregants to save face than tell them the truth to save their souls and be good stewards of the Lord. Withholding the truth is to the detriment of God’s people, for Pastors do not take a firm stance and speak out against immodesty. This begs the question, who are they beholden to? The women or God?
In addition, a lot of Christians go to church and only listen to what the Pastor teaches, and it’s the only time they crack open the Bible. There’s so much in the Bible that the Pastors don’t preach. They preach for the people and not for God. For Pastors to withhold corrective teachings from God’s people is to lead them astray and put their souls in jeopardy. Therefore, Pastors condone Christian women’s immodesty when they don’t give correcting teachings and speak out against sin.
Christian Women Should Seek the Wisdom of God to Learn How to Dress Modestly
It is incumbent upon Christian women to learn how to dress modestly to reflect Christ. Therefore, they should seek God’s wisdom to learn how to do so. Christ gives us free will to make our own choices. But, if we profess to be Christians, we must live in His will, and His will for Christian women is modesty. Living in His will means denouncing the world and the things of the world. This means giving up selfish desires, pride, the contrary things we find pleasure in, and of course sin.
When we seek the Lord’s wisdom for something, it pleases Him. Because we’re telling Him, I want to do what’s right for your sake, but I don’t know how, or I’m struggling with it, please help me. Thus, when you’ve cultivated a close relationship with Christ and you diligently and sincerely seek His wisdom about modesty, He will speak to you and show you scriptures to back up what He tells you, so you’ll know for sure, it’s His voice speaking to you. Therefore, seek God’s wisdom to learn how to dress modestly.
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation appered to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”
Titus 2:11-12
What Message Do Christian Women Send When they Dress Immodestly?
When Christian women dress immodestly, they send a message of, “my body my choice.” As this seems to be the mantra of modern women today. Whether they don’t consider it, they stand in solidarity with the feminists of this world. Not considering that they are ambassadors for Christ and they should dress to reflect a Christian lifestyle. The number one reason why Christian women dress immodestly is to conform to modern-day women’s fashion. They desire to look sexy and appealing to others. They look for acceptance in the wrong places. Women, in general, don’t always dress for themselves, but to compete with other women and for men’s attention. When competing with others in general, there must be a sameness or similarities to compare. Therefore, Christian women wanting to conform to the fashions of this modern world will have to dress in accordance with modern women’s fashions.
“And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:2
Consequently, when Christian women engage in the world through worldly fashions, they have no place with Christ. The Word says, if you are a friend of this world, you are an enemy of God. If you like the things of this world, then the love of God is not in you. Thus, you have created enmity between yourself and God; and the Holy Spirit does not live in you. If Christian women care about how their immodest attire reflects on them, especially if their motives are innocent, then they should seek to change it. Because immodest attire on Christian women has implications for their Christian values and importantly, their relationship with Christ. Therefore, Christian women should dress modestly to appropriately represent Christ and advance His kingdom.
To that end, Christian women CANNOT dress and behave like modern women and still reflect Christ. That’s an oxymoron. Although we live in this modern world as Christians, we are not of this world; therefore, we cannot conform to a world of which we are not a part. Conformity to this world is in direct opposition to God, and thus creates enmity between ourselves and Him. We must make a choice.
Christian women should set examples for the young ones coming up to emulate and carry on when they get older because God’s Word will still remain unchanging. Young women must be taught good morals, modesty, and dress attire to reflect Christ in their lives. And, they need to know when something isn’t right and is against God’s Word to make informed decisions for their Christian lifestyle.
Finally, pastors owe it to their congregants to scripturally teach the truth to women on how to dress appropriately to reflect Christ. However, it is incumbent upon Christian women to seek the wisdom of God on modesty, so that the Holy Spirit can convict their hearts when they dress immodestly. Christian women dress immodestly to conform to the fashions of modern-day women, rejecting what the Word says about women and modesty. When they come to know the truth, through God’s wisdom and scripture, Christian women should dress modestly to represent Christ and advance His kingdom.