BYM ONLINE DESK Blessing English May 2017 | Page 7

Question Corner
Modern
or
Modest
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I am 17 years old and hail from an unorthodox family. Right
from my childhood, I enjoyed wearing modern dresses.
Recently I heard a preacher say that wearing fashionable
clothes is conforming to the system of the world. Does our
external appearance really matter to God? What does the
Bible say about wearing trendy outfits?
“How should I be clothed?” or “What fashions and
styles are acceptable for me as a Christian?” This has been
the age old dilemma for a child of God. While the Scriptures
do express the importance of being clothed, they never tell us
exactly what to wear. God has always given precise
measurements and directions to carry out anything. For
building the ark God gave exact parameters to Noah. To
Solomon, He laid out clear instructions and guidelines for
building the Temple. Even though God has not prescribed
such specific instructions in the Bible concerning dressing
He has not left us to grope and grapple in the dark. We do find
certain standards and principles laid for us to be followed.
Concerning your question about wearing fashionable
clothes, the Bible does not give us the answer in black and
white. Apostle Paul gives us some guidelines on this; His
advi ce in 1 Timothy 2:9 is that women be modest in their
appearance. The challenge is that today, what constitutes
modesty is constantly changing. At one time wearing
traditional outfits was considered as modest and western
apparels were looked down as immodest and scandalous.
Whereas today, wearing pants, or jeans, or tight lowers, or T-
shirts is widely accepted in Christian homes as modest. Even
the churches which were once vehemently voicing against
wearing modern apparels are now showing greater leniency
and are accommodative towards it. What we observe is that
which was esteemed as modest in one generation, is rejected
as an out dated fashion by the next and what seemed to be
“not a Christian outfit” to an earlier generation has wide
acceptance as modest apparel.
So we cannot vote for a particular fashion or style as
the Biblical standard for one to follow. Bible does not give
significance to any particular clothing. It gives us the
freedom to choose our clothing, with the condition that it
should be decent and appropriate (1 Tim 2:9). The first step
to proper dressing is why we wear a particular outfit.
It is not sin to like nice clothes and desire to look
beautiful. But dressing for exaltation, seduction, or any other
ulterior motive is not considered proper in any way (1 Pet
3:3-4).
It is true that God looks at the heart of a person and not
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