Labor Day will soon be here, marking the unofficial end of the summer season, which is traditionally full of beaches and bikinis.
How did you do this summer with your wardrobe? There’s little doubt that our level of acceptable clothing shrinks as time goes by. Some will tell us that modesty is relative. They say that the sight of a woman’s ankle 50 years ago would’ve been immodest, but today it’s perfectly acceptable. This makes drawing a line impossible.
But we can draw a line between modesty and immodesty. God didn’t leave us at the whims or uncertainty nor the decisions of society. Whenever a person dresses so as to excite sexual desire in others, that person’s clothing is immodest and sinful. This goes for women and men. This principle reflects what the Bible teaches about modesty and doesn’t change with culture or climate.
Paul instructed Timothy, “In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing” (1 Timothy 2:9). Peter also added in 1 Peter 3:3-4, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward — arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God”.
Men and women who dress immodestly aren’t ignorant of their effects on one another. Christians are commanded to be modest and sensible in their dress because that determines favor with God. Christians abstain from every form of evil in their clothes, demeanor, and speech (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Finally, Christians know that their life’s work is to exalt Christ and shine as lights in a crooked and perverse generation (Philippians 2:15). This Labor Day, put on a shirt and hang up the bikini, the tiny shorts, and the revealing tops for good, and adorn your true, inner, godly self.
Kyle Campbell
