GOING AGAINST THE TIDE

1 Peter 2:9,10

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Summer being here, I thought it important for us to revisit the important teaching God’s Word gives concerning our ‘dress’, both outward, and inward. Part of the root word for being God’s holy people means ‘separate,’ and includes the idea of being different….. that is, from the mainstream world, driven by a secularistic world-view. Realizing the ‘extremes’ that have existed in time past connected with legalism in the church, there is a legitimate ‘word’ God teaches us concerning outward apparel and proper dress. One such passage is 1 Timothy 2:9 where it says, “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety…” It’s pretty obvious that, given the moral pollution in our society and the extreme sexuality common in much of the fashion industry, that Christian men and women who love the Lord and want to please Him often have to go ‘against the tide.’ What the world often calls “sensational” is often an abomination to our holy Father. In general, God would want us to dress smartly and modestly; and men should be as well groomed as their circumstances permit. This is all a part of the collective ‘witness’ God wants to exude from the church, ‘the called-out ones.’ While we understand that God is primarily interested in the hearts of His people than the outward appearance, yet it is probably wisest for us in our desire to glorify God in all things (1 Cor. 10:31) to look the best we can on the outside. We surely never want our church meeting to become a ‘fashion show,’ yet inappropriate dress can be both distracting and not helpful to the worship of God. I believe God honors our efforts to be neat and clean. If you need more specific spelling out of inappropriate dress, it would include clothing that is too tight, possibly overly large, clothing that is too revealing such as low-cut tops or dresses that are too short, or even shorts that are too short. In the light of what Paul says regarding our general concern for the spiritual welfare of others, there may be times when sacrificing our personal comfort is necessary to keep another person from stumbling spiritually. The priority set Jesus, others, yourself (the acrostic JOY) is a practical rule of thumb that works. But let’s look further at God’s Guide to proper fashion that will positively affect the growth of God’s Kingdom on earth. Colossians 3:12-14 says, ‘Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience….And over all of these virtues put on love which binds them together in perfect unity.’ In this important chapter the apostle Paul exhorts the Christians in Colossae to be what they are in Christ. Since God had raised them to a new life in Christ, they needed to keep setting their ‘minds on things above, not on earthly things.’ (Col. 3:2) After all, their new and permanent source of joy and peace would be found only where ‘Christ is.’(v.1) As members of God’s family, they also needed to ‘put to death’ old, sinful inclinations and rid themselves of the evil habits they used to practice. (v. 5) Paul pointed out that this was only logical, since at the time of their conversion they had ‘taken off’ their ‘old self with its practices’ and had put on the ‘new self’ which is being renewed in the image of its Creator. (v. 9,10) Notice the imagery of ‘take off’ and ‘put on.’ This is in keeping with the idea of being dressed spiritually according to God’s plan for our lives. God has provided a beautiful wardrobe for us for us to wear. Let’s be wearing it all.