A Lost Virtue

If you haven't noticed by now, we live in a very loose society. In particular, though, society's standards for modesty has dropped to an uncomfortable low. What at one time may have been considered "too revealing" has now been termed "not revealing enough". What once was considered underwear has now become outerwear. But, does it really matter what society's standard of modesty is? Not really. Why? Because God's standard for modesty and nakedness has never changed.

Adam and Eve

They had sinned. They had brought shame into their lives. They had dissapointed their heavenly Father. They had fallen out of their right relationship with Him. But only after this did they recognize their nakedness (Genesis 2:25; 3:6-7). So in order to "remedy" their new-found shame, Adam and his wife made for themselves loincloths. Obviously they were convinced that loincloths would be enough "covering". God didn't feel the same way. Because of this, He made for them garments of skin and "clothed them" (Genesis 3:21). Since this was the insance that God clothed them, that means that God did not consider their loincloths as adequate covering.

Some would have us believe that bikinis are acceptable in mixed swimming and as casual wear on hot summer days. But what is God's definition of "clothed"? It must be different from the majority of Americans'!

The Aaronic priests

An interesting and rather minute instruction is given by God to Moses. Jehovah commands that Aaron and his preistly descendants wear linen undergarments that would cover their naked flesh, from their thighs to hips (Exodus 28:40-43). God made sure that when they would fulfill their priestly duties in the tent of meeting, that their flesh would not be exposed to anyone. What a preventive measure for a potentially lustful situation!

Christians

In the New Covenant, God gives further instruction to His people concerning modesty. He said through Paul that Christian women should, "adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness--with good works" (1 Timothy 2:9-10). Through Peter He said, "Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing--but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious" (1 Peter 3:3-4).

What did you notice about those two passages? God wants His people to focus more on inward modesty than outer. Is this to say that outward modesty is unimportant? NO! It is to say, though, that a woman who is modest in her heart will allow her external clothing to follow suit.

God's standard of modesty has never changed. He still expects those who are His children and who hold His priesthood to dress appropriately (cf. 1 Peter 2:9). Because Christians are called to live according to a higher standard, God expects us to not conform to the low standards and lusts of this world (1 Peter 1:14-15). He calls us to be holy as He is holy. This holiness affects our language, our worship, and among other things, our dress. Please, let's not dissappoint God with your wardrobe, because His Son wore our sins on His body.