Truth Or Bare: Does God Care What I Wear?

TRUTH OR BARE:

DOES GOD CARE WHAT I WEAR?

1 Tim. 2:9-10, And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do. (NLT)

1 Peter 3:2-4, Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.

You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. (NLT).

What you wear signals what you are. Your clothes speak a language: You are what you wear. The clothes you wear communicate a message. Look at Proverbs 7:10, And there a woman met him, With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.

The harlot of Proverbs 7:10, intentionally dresses in such a way to lure men to her body in a sexual way.

ILL- In 1960 Mary Quant introduced the mini-skirt. She said she designed it to announce to the world that she was ready to go to bed with a man, day or night.

This shows us the power of clothing! Much of the modern ladies clothing that we see today would be even more revealing than the harlot’s clothing years ago. Has the nature of men changed? Absolutely not! What has changed is our culture’s attitude towards God and His moral Standards and Principles.

We are living in a culture that has declined over the last several years. There has been an erosion of morals & values in our society. The message the fashion industry communicates is often in direct conflict w/Christian values.

ILL- There is a popular discount store that boasts a line of clothing called “Xhilaration.” It is targeted to girls as young as 6 years of age and it comes with this label: “There are no rules. Whether you choose to dress crazy or dress to thrill — make a statement, make a scene, wear what you want and it won’t be wrong.”

That sums the world’s philosophy in a nutshell. The attitude is “if you’ve got it flaunt it; leave as little to the imagination as possible and as for modesty, get real, this is the 21st century.”

For young people, this conflict between the world & the Word causes an intense personal struggle. Yes, there are some traditions that we adhere to, but their also some very vital Biblical principles to consider as well.

While God’s Word & the world differ along the views of modesty, it is true that they agree on one thing: THE CLOTHES YOU WEAR COMMUNICATE A MESSAGE. Fashion expert John T. Molloy said, “What you wear signals what you are. You can elicit any effect or desire through the way you dress.” You can look sexy, smart, nerdy, poor, successful, or “Amishical”…all depending on what you wear. BTW 98% of male fashion designers are gay.

In today’s culture, the message communicated is often a moral one. A person can convey the language of their soul through what they wear. They can make an outward statement about their inner values just by how they dress or adorn themselves. You never see a prostitute holding a sign.

Often you can just look at a person and form an opinion about them. Clothing that shows cleavage; tight form fitting skirts or blouses; short skirts; short blouses; lots of make-up; or clothing that exposes the body tells you that that persons moral values are in question. Baggy pants; falling pants; heavy chains; studs in ears, chin, nose, tongue; a cap perched on the head in the wrong direction, send out a message that gives them a low rating in areas of honesty, industry,& morality.

1. The World has a Message to Communicate

Designers are guided by 4 principles:

A. Utility Principle

This addresses the needs for various types of clothing. Like uniforms, athletic attire, seasonal clothing. Some clothes you see in Alaska you don’t see in Florida.

B. Hierarchical Principle

This could also be called the principle of pride. This guides the designer to design clothing in such a way that appeals to human pride. They create styles & options that enable the wearer to feel proud. ILL- The Oscars—they try to outdo or “outdress” or “out’undress’” each other.

C. Autonomy Principle This is clothing designed to give the wearer the ability to feel free from all inhibitions; a sense of total self-expression. This allows the wearer to rebel against society & Biblical principles. This is usually shocking clothes. This is the principle that says, “Look at me I’m trying to make a statement”.”