Theology of Clothing (Part 2)

In the first blog post of this series, Olivia Master dove into the origin of clothing in Scripture. We see that clothing is a gift from God and a reflection of the Gospel. God covered Adam and Eve’s shame just as He covers ours. For Olivia Master and I, the Biblical foundation for clothing was only the beginning of our journeys in learning how to honor God in the way we dress. As we continue, we invite you to join us in the journey of learning to apply this theology of clothing to our everyday lives. 

Stewarding God’s Gift of Clothing 

“What should I wear?” / “What are you wearing tonight?” / “Does this look ok?”

Do these questions sound familiar? I bet they do. I’ve asked each of them myself. Why are these questions asked so often? What do they have in common? At the root of these questions is a desire to wear what is “appropriate” or “fitting” for certain occasions and settings. Most of us care about staying within the socially accepted realm of dress. But as Christians, should we let others set the standard for us? Aren’t we called to be set-apart? 

We must follow a different standard. Rather than thinking about what is appropriate for where we are going, we must think about what is appropriate for who we are. So as citizens of Heaven, how do we decide what to wear? 

Maybe you are thinking to yourself, “I don’t care what others wear.” Some people hardly think about social norms when getting dressed. Maybe you dress for “yourself” or simply don’t put much thought into it all. You still make decisions about what to wear every day and as Christians, we should leave no corner of our lives untouched by the Gospel.

Whatever category you fall into, the question remains: As citizens of Heaven, how do we decide what to wear? How do we honor God in the way we dress? How do we steward this good gift of clothing? 

Modesty as Humility

Modesty. This is likely what you think of when you consider Christianity and clothing. Maybe you think of the finger-tip rule for shorts you had to follow at school as a kid or the one-pieces you had to wear at church camp. These rules are put in place to encourage modesty, but they only scratch the surface of what modesty truly is. 

Because modesty is often a controversial word, let’s start with a definition. Webster’s definition of modesty is two-fold: “the quality of not being too proud or confident about yourself or your abilities” and “propriety, appropriateness, or reserve in dress, speech, or conduct.” Together, these definitions give a picture of a humble heart leading to a humble lifestyle. So, although modesty often has implications on what we wear, it doesn’t actually start there. 

In the book Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America, Jeff Pollandsays, “Modesty, like humility, is the opposite of boldness or arrogance. It does not seek to draw attention to itself or to show off in an unseemly way.” Therefore, “Modesty is not first an issue of clothing. It is primarily an issue of the heart.” Our words, actions, and clothing reveal to those around us the condition of our heart. Pastor Jonathan says that modesty is an inner disposition that echoes with our fashion choices the words of John the Baptist, “I must decrease, he must decrease” (John 3:30). This is modesty as humility. 

Although modesty is a trait all believers should pursue, the Bible specifically speaks to women on this topic several times. After the Apostle Peter gives a brief list of things women should not adorn themselves with, he encourages women to let their “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 3:4). Over the last few years, I have grown to deeply treasure this verse. Imagine a lake early in the morning… still, quiet, peaceful. This is the picture of a gentle and quiet spirit God is calling us to as women of God. Not invisible. Not weak. But beautifully at peace and secure. Evoking peace and awe in its onlooker. 

But how does this relate to clothing? If the heart is at peace and secure, we will walk in humility and express ourselves modestly. We will long to serve rather than to be seen. 

Distortion of God’s Gift

But, something has obviously gone wrong. The enemy has taken the gift of clothing and distorted it. The world’s view of beauty is far from that of the Lord’s. 

From childhood my view of beauty was shaped by the culture around me. I was a stubborn child (and for better or worse am still a stubborn adult). But, one of the things I was most stubborn about as a young girl was my clothing. I had strong opinions and refused to wear many of the pieces my mom bought for me. There were two consistent issues I found with the clothing my parents provided for me: I thought I looked like a “baby” if I matched with my younger sisters and everything was “too long”. 

Why was I so concerned about potentially looking younger than I was? Who told me that the shorter my dresses or skirts were the more beautiful I was? How did I come to these conclusions at such a young age? I can’t point to a particular TV show, role model, or conversation that led to these beliefs. But, this is what I learned beauty looked like. My natural tendency was to conform to the pattern of the world. 

Learning and growing in humility is often a part of our discipleship while modesty is often not. Why is that? I think the reason modesty is often skipped over in discipleship is because immodesty is not seen as sin. This is what happens when we let the world set the standard for us. We get as close as our conscience allows to the ways of the world. But as Christians, we are not to be one step more modest than the world; we are to be set apart. We are called to not conform to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 10:1-2)! 

Growth is a Process

Just like sanctification in other areas of life, growing in modesty will be a process. The solution is not to throw out all of our clothes and buy the baggiest clothes we can find. My hope is that we would intentionally dress for the glory of God, not for ourselves, as the women God has created us to be. The comfort we have is that we have been fully covered by the blood of Jesus, so, as we stumble towards holiness, may our hearts rest in His grace and forgiveness. 

Sisters, let’s pursue true beauty! What is one step you can take this week to dress with humility? How can you intentionally honor God in the way you dress moving forwards? Take note of the reasons you put on certain clothes. Would you pray that the Lord would help you to be selfless in your daily decisions about clothing? How can you begin to dress for who you are rather than where you are going?