Christian Modesty - Decrying a Sacred Cow

When I was young (younger than I am now, that is) I was taught that your worldview is the single most relevant influence on your thinking. I still believe this is true, because a worldview includes the way you perceive the world around you, the assumptions you make in daily decisions, and what you hold to be true and believe to be false.
As Christians, the Holy Spirit promises to hold our consciences to the truths in Scripture which means that our worldview will be formed by those truths. So, the assumptions, perceptions, and beliefs of Christians aught to be based on what Scripture says, right?

I am surprised how often we can deceive ourselves into thinking that Scripture remains neutral on some of the most pressing issues of our time. One of those issues is modesty. "Wait, are you serious? Modesty, a pressing issue of our time?" Okay... so maybe there are more pressing issues, but I think any issue is a pressing issue if it is believed to be neutral or relative.
Maybe you've been thinking that our standards of modesty are really just based on our cultures likes, dislikes, and taboos; or that modesty is really just a relative issue that changes from one overbearing father to another.

If you do happen to think that way, I understand. I think most of us do... The reason young ladies are taught to be modest is to protect their brothers in Christ and the reason young men are taught to be modest... well, let's face it, most young men are not taught to be modest! For the most part, the issue of modesty has been relegated to women. What a tragedy! And no wonder we are all so confused if we think that the purpose of modesty is to watch out for the sinful natures of men, how will we ever know what makes one stumble more than the other?

The purpose of modesty is not to keep men from lusting after women. Though a modest woman will always be more helpful to a man's mind that an immodest one, maintaining a healthy relationship with one another is only a benefit of modesty, not the point of it.

Modesty (Webster's 1828): "The lowly temper which accompanies a moderate estimate of one's own worth and importance. In females modesty has the like character as in males, but the word is used also as synonymous with chastity, or purity of manners. In this sense, modesty results from purity of mind, or from the fear of disgrace and ignominy fortified by education and principle."

God's Role in Modesty

Odd... I don't see anything about sexuality or skin. I don't think we have only Webster's word for it, but modesty is a much bigger issue than you may have previously thought. Modesty itself is a worldview! It is a frame of mind and it denotes an estimation for your relationship to God. I'm going to continue talking about modesty specifically in regards to clothing, coverage, and nakedness, but please realize that modesty has more to do with a humble heart before God that any special word or way to dress.

Take a walk through Genesis 1:30-3:25 with me. Genesis 1:31 says that God saw everything that He had made and that is was very good! Then, in Genesis 2:25 is says, (speaking of Adam and Eve) "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

A few verses later, the very thing called good in chapter two, nakedness, is called shameful in chapter 3. Why is that? It is because chapter 3 contains the record of the Fall. Genesis tells us that after Adam and Eve had sinned against God, "The eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves loincloths." Then later Adam says to God, "I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself."

Jeff Pollard puts it well, "The knowledge of their sin transformed their experience of good nakedness into stinging, humiliating shame. Blushing and disgrace entered history, but thankfully, the story doesn't end there. In His great mercy God provided a gracious covering."

What's going on in the garden here is a Gospel application. Adam and Eve sin, they try to make themselves acceptable, but they can't. Then, in verse 21: "The Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins that clothed them." God had to make a sacrifice for the sins of Adam and Eve by killing an animal (or more than one, we don't know) to provide the skins for their covering. While Adam and Eve's "loincloths" obviously only covered their loins, God's coverage or "tunics of skin" denotes coverage from neck to knee. When Adam and Eve's best was still insufficient, God's sacrifice made them acceptable. You see, God is the designer of clothes. He does have a say in the matter.

Most lexicons and scholars agree (as far as I have found) that the word coats or tunics found here and in other Old Testament passages is derived from the Hebrew kuttonet, which was a shirt like garment that was usually sleeveless and extended to the knees or ankles.

This isn't the only place God had a say in modesty or clothing either. In Exodus God tells Moses how he ought to clothe priests coming into His presence. God himself wore clothes when he became a man in human flesh, Jesus Christ. Then, in Revelation, we even see God clothing those in heaven with white robes.

In Leviticus, God terms sinful, sexual acts as, "uncovering ones nakedness". In Nahum 3:5, "I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts; and I will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame."

Isaiah 47 says that even uncovering your thighs was considered nakedness (which explains why coverage to the knee was important).

All this to say, yes, though we all may disagree on minor particulars or preferences, God does have a standard for clothing and does care how we clothe ourselves. There is a right and wrong to modesty. It is clear that the intention of clothing is not just to cover our private parts but our bodies.

Key Considerations for Modesty

Now we know that God designed clothing, it is a type of the gospel, and that it is meant to cover our bodies. That being said, there are a few more points in Scripture that I think are important to point out.

In Deuteronomy 22:5 we see, "A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God."
Then, later in 1 Corinthians 6:9 it says, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, or men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
Because of the context of this discussion, it is important to note that the word for "homosexuality" in the Greek comes from malakoi, meaning "soft" or "effeminate". It seems that this verse also gives us insight into the kind of gender distinctiveness that God expects. For men, not to be effeminate, which would also apply to the choice of their attire.

Lastly, that in 1 Timothy 2:8, "I desire that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that 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." (emphasis mine)
I'm under the impression based on my limited study of this passage that "not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire" is in reference to the common garb of harlots/prostitutes of the day. In essence then, to paraphrase, dress respectably with modesty and self control, not like prostitutes, but with proper attire for those who profess godliness. I don't know if you've ever seen a prostitute... maybe you have and didn't realize because they really don't look much different from other immodest women in our culture... regardless, I have, on a busy street or outside a hotel and sadly some of the women I see on Sunday mornings are not striking because of their beauty or "good works" but because their dress so much resembles that of prostitutes.

In conclusion, I would also point out that Adam and Eve were clearly not ashamed at their nakedness because of their relationship to each other, but because of their relationship to God. This should show us then, that it is an error to teach our children that we dress modestly (as well as speak and act modestly) for the benefit of other men or women. If we continue in this error, we will perpetuate their confusion and propensity toward relativism and they will learn to think of their bodies and dress based on man's ever changing standard instead of God's unchanging one.We are modest because we obey God from a heart of love.

"What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?
For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:20-21

John Bunyan asked, "Why are they for going with their naked shoulders, and paps hanging out like a cow's bag? Why are they for painting their faces, for stretching out their neck, and for putting themselves unto all the formalities which proud fancy leads them to? Is it because they would honor God? Because they would adorn the gospel? Because they would beautify religion, and make sinners to fall in love with their own salvation? No, no, it is rather to please their lusts."


From my study on modesty I've taken away many things. Chiefly, that in regards to clothing, God designed clothes and their purpose and that clothes are a picture of the Gospel, for us and for others. That we aught to strive to base our standards of modesty in our dress on what is said about those things in Scripture, that God is not silent on the matter, and that He does have a moral will concerning the use of clothes. Clothes were meant to cover our bodies, not just our private parts. God expects us to distinctly communicate through our clothing that we are either men or women and it is an abomination to Him when we cross that line. As men, we should be careful not to err towards effeminacy and as women not towards sexually exploiting your own bodies.
It follows then, that even though women are responsible for dressing immodestly, men are also responsible for their own passions or lust, whether a woman is modest or not.

I realize this post was awfully verbose, unfortunately for you, I have much to learn in how to be more concise. Mainly, if you don't agree with the particulars of my exegesis I won't mind, but I do hope that you've seen enough to realize that God does have a standard regarding modesty and clothing, it's found in His Word, and saying that the issue is neutral or relative is simply not true.

Much of the content of this post is inspired by Jeff Pollard's "Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America". It is astutely written and is greatly recommended if your are interested in further direction on the issue of modesty.