When it comes to the way we should dress, you may be surprised if I told you that the Bible does not specifically lay out a long list of items that we should wear. IT DOES, however, give us guidance on our appearance and how to dress pleasing to the Lord. When it comes to this subject, their are three key elements we have to look at to understand this.
There may be many more elements concerning this topic but the Bible really elaborates on these three.
The first one I want to talk about can be controversial because their are specific uncovered body parts the Bible describes as being naked. You will see below that the Bible never mentions anything about uncovered breasts as being naked. But I do believe that in today's culture, the breasts being exposed is considered nakedness. The reason I believe this is because we have to look back at the culture of when the Bible was written. It was written in a time when all women breastfed their babies. So it wasn't uncommon for women to have their breasts out feeding their babies. I'm sure women covered up but not to the extent in which we see today. It wasn't until formula was invented and women began bottle feeding that the breasts started to become more of a covered up body part. Over time within our culture, these covered up body parts became a sexual icon. Which leads me to believe that they are considered nakedness in today's culture.
NAKEDNESS
This can look different to each individual and if you let the culture tell you what's appropriate then you may have an even more distorted view of what nakedness is. Regardless of what you think it may be, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ than you will look no further than the Bible to tell us what true nakedness is. First and foremost, the Bible always associates nakedness in public with shame. Having your nakedness uncovered always means shamed. It is mentioned over and over again throughout the Bible.
During biblical times there were certain body parts, that when exposed, were considered shameful. The Bible associates nakedness in public as shame in the following scriptures.
Exodus 22:35, Isaiah 20:4, Micah 1:11, Nahum 3:5, Rev 3:18, Rev 16:15, Isaiah 47:3, Exodus 28:42
So what is considered nakedness?
Below we see a passage, in which Moses is instructed by God, to make specific pants for the Levite priests that cover their nakedness.
And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:”
- Exodus 28:42
We can also compare this scripture with another scripture found in the Bible that speaks to women.
"Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.” Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.”
- Isaiah 47:1-3
When you compare the two scriptures it is obvious that God wants us to cover our loins and thighs. Our loins are from our pelvis down into the pubic area. But this is not all. The buttock is also associated with nakedness.
Here is another passage in which the butt being uncovered is associated with shame.
So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
- Isaiah 20:4
“Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.”“Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.”
- Nahum 3:4
So what we have read so far is that being naked is having our loins, thighs and butt exposed. We also know that all of these things are considered shameful. Never does it mention the breasts but we can assume that the breasts are included today because of the sexualized culture we live in. When our breasts are exposed we draw attention to them and can cause another man to sin. It is better to just cover them up.
MODESTY
In today's world, many people think that being modest means covering up your nakedness. This is partially true but it is ALSO so much more than that. It is an inner quality that comes from being humble, moderate and not drawing attention to yourself. A few examples of this would be to avoid wearing clothing that is flashy or revealing or wearing too many accessories such as jewelry, that screams "Look at me!"
The culture and people of today are obsessed with themselves. People are seen as egotistical, narcissist and self centered. One example of this would be a person who brags. These type of people are immodest because they are glorifying self. In fact, it should be the exact opposite when it comes to being modest. Let's see what the Bible has to say about this subject.
In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But ( which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
- 1 Timothy 2:8-10
So we see that modest apparel is associated with not wearing things that are expensive, flashy or things that draw attention to yourself. We also see that it has to do with our behavior.
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
- 1 Peter 3:3-4
God is telling us that being modest involves several aspects of one's actions. It's covering up our nakedness. It's being meek and quiet. It's being humble in the way we dress and act. For more perspective on this subject read Modesty is Beautiful.
IDENTITY
This may seem like common sense but in today's culture this can be quite confusing for young folks since there is an ungodly agenda pushing for a genderbending society.
The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.
- Deuteronomy 22:5
According to the above scripture, women should not wear men's clothing and a man should not wear women's clothing. While it is obvious that a man should not wear a dress or a skirt, on what terms do we comply with what women should wear? Many of us can agree that both men and woman do wear some of the same type of clothes. We both wear pants, shirts, hats, socks, etc. And when you compare our clothing there is a clear distinction between the appearance of clothes pertaining to a man and clothes pertaining to a women. For example, we could agree that while yoga pants are in fact pants, they are women's pants. We wouldn't see men wearing these type of pants. However, their have been arguments in regards to women wearing pants. As extreme as it may sound, their are still many churches and cultures today that believe pants are completely off limits to women. So where do we draw the line?
As controversial as this may be, there is a good point when it comes to this topic. First we must understand the purpose of clothing. The purpose of clothing is to cover up our nakedness. Obviously the first man and women Adam and Eve covered up their nakedness with fig leaves they had sewed themselves . Than the Lord made them garments out of animal skins as a more sufficient means to cover them up. The bible later gives us instructions on what he wanted men to wear.
And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:”
- Exodus 28:42
Breeches are what pants were once called. Here are some more verses talking about breeches.
Exodus 39:28, Leviticus 6:10, Leviticus 16:4, Ezekiel 44:18
As you see here, God has instructed the men to wear breeches, even down to the details of what they cover. These instructions were given to the Israelites but were passed on throughout nations all over the world. When we look through history we can clearly see the evidence of this and we can see there were differences between men and women's clothing through paintings and portraits. For centuries, in Europe and America, women wore dresses and skirts and men wore pants and shorts. Women did wear pants as an undergarment but they were not called pants at the time. Pants is a modern word.
When it comes to pants, here's a little history.
It wasn't too long ago, just over a hundred years ago when women started wearing pants in America and much of it had to do with the major events taking place here. Around WWII women began working outside of the home and taking on jobs that men had while they were at war. This caused a shift in the workplace as women began taking on more strenuous and dangerous jobs to help while their husbands were gone. Women began wearing their husbands pants to protect them from the dirty jobs of coal mining and other outdoor work. Eventually women began creating their own type of pants and now it is not uncommon at all for women to wear pants.
When you look at portraits of people from the past there is a clear difference between the way women and men dressed. There is a very good reason for this.
God wants physical distinction between a man and a woman.
Not only does God want us to dress differently, He specifically instructs us on how our hair is to be different as well.
We can read about this in Paul's letter to the Corinthians where he is trying to reiterate the importance of men and women having different appearances.
For women, God specifies that women should not have a shaved head and if so, they must cover their heads.
Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
- 1 Corinthians 11:14-15
The point here, is that when we look at a person, we should be able to identify whether the person is a man or a woman. God gives us specifications (such as mentioned above), so that we can easily make these assumptions. Even though we are not bound by the law we can assume that these commandments have moral and practical reasons. God obviously wants sexual distinction between men and women. We can also assume that these laws were given to distinguish God's people from the pagans who practiced cross dressing and many other ungodly habits.
Overall, the message here is to inform you and better help you understand what the Bible says about our appearance. As Christians, we want to live a life pleasing to God. We are not working our way to heaven. The work has already been done by Jesus Christ. However, we put God in authority over our lives and want to glorify Him. We learn more about Him through His word and Creation. The most important concept to grasp here, is that God is concerned with the condition of your heart. If you do not know much about Him, I ask that you read The Path to Heaven, to get a better understanding of who He is and what He has done for you.
Thanks for reading!
