Chapter 2
II. Clothing.
A. The woman’s clothes.
1. According to I Timothy 2:9, women are to “adorn themselves in ____________ apparel.”
2. Matthew 5:28 says, “That whosoever looketh on a woman to ________ after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
3. In Proverbs 7:10, a woman “with the ____________ of an harlot” met a young man.
Note: The question sometimes arises, “What is modest apparel?” There are five areas we need to discuss here: the hemline, the neckline, the fabric, the fit, and the form.
According to Matthew 5:28 listed above, if a man looks at a woman and is attracted to immoral thoughts, then he has committed adultery with her already in his heart — his physical emotions have already been stirred.
While a man is held fully accountable for his thoughts
and emotions, a woman immodestly dressed will also be
held accountable to God for the way that she dresses.
4. In Genesis 38:13-15, Judah thought Tamar was an harlot “because she had ______________ her face.” The veil was covering her face — her identity was unknown. But her eyes could be seen, and a person can also show many feelings through the eyes alone — even while fully and modestly covered. 5. Proverbs 6:24,25 warns not to let an evil woman “take thee with her ______________.”In Proverbs 7:10 listed above, that woman was dressed with the attire of an harlot. An harlot is a woman who sells herself for the purpose of immorality. Men can also be called harlots, as is seen in Joel 3:3. An harlot is usually recognized by the suggestive way that she is dressed; but on the other hand, she may be fully dressed, but a certain look gives away her true intentions.
— We will now discuss the five areas mentioned at the beginning of this note:
a. The hemline.
What is the proper length for a hemline to be, so as to be sure to be modest? Well, what is a long dress?
Everyone would agree that a long dress is down
around the ankles or feet. From that point up,
you have many different lengths of shorter dresses.
The problem lies in determining at what point a shorter dress becomes too short, or unquestionably immodest. A shorter dress is unquestionably immodest when you sit down, and it is not long enough to drape down over your knees. The reason for this is rather obvious when you sit across the room from a woman dressed like that. Only a man who likes to lust, or a woman who wants men’s eyes upon her would argue this point. The longer the dress, the better; but the above length is the absolute shortest for which modesty can be maintained.
b. The neckline.
The front neckline is usually the biggest culprit. How low is too low? Everyone will agree that up around the neck is unquestionably modest. Anything from there on is a lower neckline.
What is an unquestionably modest neckline?
Just what the word says, “to have the line of your clothing
up to the point where only the neck is revealed.”
c. The fabric.What is the purpose of baring the shoulders, the back, and the front? The purpose is very clear — to see more flesh! And what is the motive behind showing more flesh? Just one — lust.
At what point can we definitely say that a neckline is immodest? Ladies can do a very simple test in the bathroom to find out — simply bend forward in front of a mirror. If you can see a part of your anatomy that a man (or your children and other children) should not see, then you are dressed immodestly.
Women try and defend their low tops and say, “Well I never bend over that far in front of people!” But the truth is that they do many times. They do when they bend over to pick up their purses; when they fix their shoes; when they bend over to hug or pick up children, etc. The mirror will tell the truth as to what a multitude of other men, women, and children are seeing all of the time.
Loosely knit sweaters with no blouse underneath are immodest. White, and light-colored blouses are often immodest, because of the thin fabric. If a woman would be ashamed to walk around in her undergarments, then she should be ashamed to wear light-colored, thin blouses, because everyone is seeing her undergarments.
Fabric which can be seen through in any way,
is obviously immodest.
d. The fit.
Some people may be fully covered, but covered with body-hugging clothes. In such a case, the woman is either trying to wear a size that is too small for her, or she is choosing clothes made out of immodest types of fabric.
If a woman’s clothes cling to her every curve,
then her clothes are immodest.
e. The form.
1.) Deuteronomy 22:5 says, “The ____________ shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a ______, neither shall a ______ put on a ____________ garment: for all that do so are _____________________ unto the LORD thy God.”
2.) The Bible refutes that idea, because it says in Romans 15:4 that “whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our ________________.”Some try to excuse away this passage as not applying to us today, because it is in the Old Testament. If they were really consistent in that line of thinking, then they could never quote an Old Testament promise or principle, because it was all for another day.
It seems that it would therefore be wise to learn why God said that a woman wearing a man’s clothes, or a man wearing a woman’s clothes is an abomination to Him. Why is it an abomination to God for men to wear women’s clothes, and for women to wear men’s clothes? Because it causes confusion, lust, and perversion. Many artists draw men’s and women’s clothes exactly alike in Bible times, but that is not true. There had to be a definite distinction between men’s and women’s clothes.
Today, about the only distinction there is in many men’s
and women’s clothes is the label which says, “MEN’S” or “WOMEN’S.”
That is obviously not the point of distinction that God
intended — just for the labels to be different.
That is nothing short of what the hypocrites in Jesus’ day were doing with the law — keeping the letter of it — but not the true spirit or reason for the writing of it.
The spirit of this command about clothing is not about the
label on clothes — but about the look of the clothes. It is the
LOOK of the clothes that causes lust — not the LABEL.
1. Confusion.
When clothes on men and women look the same, it first causes confusion. You are not sure whether you are looking at a man or a woman. Everyone has seen two people walking down the sidewalk and thought, “Which is which? Which is the man, and which is the woman?”
2. Lust.
That confusion leads to lust.
If you cannot tell at a glance whether you are looking
at a man or a woman, then your eyes will be drawn to the differences
in the way God made men and women. That is why the devil is behind
all look-alike clothing and hair styles. He knows that look-alike styles will
get people to automatically look-over people’s bodies, thus causing lust.
3. Perversion.
When a person is confused as to who he is looking at, his eyes automatically go to areas that arouse lust — which easily leads to perversion.
Illustration: There was a psychologist who once did an experiment with a dog. He would ring a bell, and then feed the dog. He repeated this over and over — ring the bell, then feed the dog. Then one day he rang the bell, but did not feed the dog. Guess what happened? The dog’s mouth started watering — even though no food was there. Because of learned behavior (a habit), the dog’s glands were aroused before there was any food present. Many people could learn a lot from that experiment with the dog.
The present practice of wearing look-alike clothing has
gotten many people into the habit of having roving eyes.
They are lusting out of habit — before they even
know at whom they are looking.
Imagine a man’s emotions being stirred out of habit to lust, and then to discover that he is actually looking at another man! And imagine a woman being stirred to lust, and then upon closer examination find that she is looking at another woman! That is exactly what happens to a lustful person, because he/she begins to lust as soon as the eyes start to rove — before he/she even knows what or who is the object in view.
a. Romans 1:26 says, “even their __________ did change the natural use into that which is against nature.”
b. Romans 1:27 states, “And likewise also the ______, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another.”
To wicked minds already in the habit of lust and
immorality, perversion is just the next step down.
Question: This discussion inevitably leads to the question, “Should a woman wear pants?” Let us look at Deuteronomy 22:5 again: “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man.” According to Webster’s Dictionary, the word pertain means, “to have reference to, to relate.” So with the question at hand, do pants “relate” or “have reference” to men, or to women?
Any honest person has to admit that pants have
reference to men — not to women.
That is clearly shown in the often used phrase, “Who wears the pants in your family?” What does that mean? It is usually said because a woman is taking over her husband’s position of authority and leadership in the home. In that example, pants “relate to, have reference to” the man and his position. If pants pertain to a man, then according to the Bible, women should not be wearing them.
Illustration: We are living in a society where people can read less and less, so more things are going to pictures and symbols. For “Deer Crossing” signs, there is now just a picture of a running deer. For “Stop Ahead” signs, there is now only a picture of a wordless, red, stop sign, and an arrow.
What about public Rest Rooms? More and more, the
doors are appearing with no words, just symbols of men or women on the door.
Guess which door has the pants on it? Right — the men’s door!
Guess which door has the dress on it? Right — the women’s door!
Even the unsaved world knows that pants “pertain,
have reference to, relate to” men — not to women.
Question: What would you do if you went to use a public Rest Room, and there were no words on either door, just symbols of people with pants on both doors? Which door would you enter? Hard choice? I hope you are not in a big hurry! Would you get out your magnifying glass and try to see the labels on the pants, whether they said, “Jeans for Men,” or “Jeans for Women?” Sound ridiculous? It is. And so it is with Christians who claim to be obeying the Lord in this matter — when, in fact, they are clearly disobeying the whole spirit or reason that God required men and women to wear different clothing from each other. LABELS do not cause lust — it is the LOOK of a garment that causes lust.
B. The man’s clothes. 1. Genesis 9:22 says that Ham saw the __________________ of his father, and told his two brothers about it. 2. The next verse says that Shem and Japheth took a garment and walked ________________, and covered their father. 3. That verse stresses that “ their __________ were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.” 4. Exodus 20:26 says that they were not to go up by steps to the altar, “that thy __________________ be not discovered thereon.”
5. According to Genesis 39:1,7, Potiphar’s wife “cast her ________ upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.” 6. Verse 8 of that same chapter says, “But he ______________.” 7. Verse 10 says that she tried to talk him into immorality day by day, but “he hearkened not unto her, to lie ______ her, or to be ________ her.” Please carefully note that Potiphar’s wife could not even get Joseph to be close to her — let alone touch her. But she was certainly filled with lust just at the sight of Joseph.Illustration: It is generally accepted (even in many Christian circles), that there is nothing wrong with a man running around with few clothes on; because, we are told, “Women do not lust at the sight of a man, but at his touch.” That may be what the psychologists say, but what does the Bible say?
Note: Read the Song of Solomon in the Bible, and you will find that both the husband and wife are equally stirred at the sight of each other. Men and boys commonly run around today wearing no shirt, and only a pair of jogging shorts. They justify themselves by saying that women and girls do not look at them.
Remember, God made coats for both Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:7, 21).
He fully clothed them both, and did not allow Adam to just keep the apron.
If it is immodest for girls and women to wear garments above the knee, then it is also immodest for boys and men to wear them.
8. Genesis 9:25 says, “____________ be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.”It is the same problem as sitting across from a woman with a garment on that does not cover the knees — you can see right up the person’s leg. With boys and men, it is even worse, at times, because they pay no attention whatsoever as to how they sit. It is a fact that most Christian schools would never let their boys wear shorts in class, but when it comes to sports, all standards of appearance are thrown to the wind. It is but another sad proof that many Christians have made sports their god — just like the world has done.
Note: This curse was placed upon Canaan after Ham, his father, saw the nakedness of Noah. (Genesis 9:22)
God does not want women/girls to see men/boys unclothed
or immodestly dressed, and God also does not want men/boys
to see other men/boys unclothed or immodestly dressed.
The public schools (and, sadly, even many Christian schools) totally disregard this principle. Boys and girls have to dress and undress in wide open locker rooms right in front of everyone. The showers are not private, but are in one wide open room. Even the toilets in some schools are in a wide open room, with no stalls. There is not a boy or a girl who can honestly say that they did not feel embarrassed the first time they had to undress in front of a room full of people, or take a shower in front of many others, or even have to use the toilet in front of a bunch of people. Only when a person has become callused to seeing so much nakedness does it become a common thing. Whether people get used to seeing the nakedness of others or not, God still condemns the practice, outside of marriage.
Note: Some argue that Ham’s sin was not in seeing his naked father, but in committing some immoral, perverted act with his drunken father who had passed out from consuming too much wine. That is not true for at least a couple of clear reasons.
If that was the case, verse 23 would not have been so careful to explain how that Shem and Japheth covered up Noah without seeing him. If there was nothing wrong with seeing their naked father, they would have just walked in forward and thrown something over their dad.
Also, the Bible uses certain terminology when dealing with intimacy between a husband and wife; or, in many cases, in the matter of wicked perversion.
9. In Genesis 19:5-7, a couple of angels came to take Lot out of Sodom before they destroyed it. A crowd of men at his door told Lot, “bring them out unto us, that we may ________ them.”
10. Now this did not have reference to shaking their hands and becoming acquainted with them, as is seen by Lot’s statement in verse 7, “I pray you, brethren, do not so ________________.”
11. The same terminology is used in Judges 19:22,23, where a traveler is staying at another man’s house, and a group of men gathered outside and said, “Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may ________ him.” 12. Once again, they were not talking about a “friendly welcome” to their city, but about wicked, perverted immorality, as is seen by the home owner’s statement in verse 23, “Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so ________________; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.” No terminology is used in the case of Ham to insinuate in any way that he knew his father in a perverted, immoral sense. His sin was in seeing the nakedness of his father.
13. Psalm 147:10,11 reminds us that God “taketh not pleasure in the ________ of a man.” 14. According to I Timothy 4:8, “bodily exercise profiteth ____________: but godliness is profitable unto all things.” We constantly hear that sports builds character — butNote: The biggest area of compromise in modest clothing today seems to be in the realm of sports. Man’s physical prowess and strength in sports means absolutely nothing to God.
we constantly see the opposite to be true — sports builds
pride and conceit — both of which are an abomination to God.
What God is pleased with is godliness in a person’s life. If certain sports dress immodestly, and a person cannot stand to give up watching or participating in them, then that person has an idol in his life.
REVIEW: 1. Women are to adorn themselves in ____________ apparel. 2. Whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed _______________ with her already in his heart. 3. While a man will be held fully accountable for his thoughts and emotions, even so a woman ______________________ dressed will also be held accountable. 4. A long dress is down around the ankles or _________. 5. A shorter dress is unquestionably immodest when you sit down, and it is not long enough to drape down over your __________. 6. An unquestionably modest neckline is to have the line of your clothing up to the point where only the ________ is revealed. 7. Ladies should do a test in front of the ____________ to see if their clothes are too low cut. 8. __________ colored blouses are frequently immodest because they are made of such ________ material. 9. Women that wear men’s clothes, and men that wear women’s clothes are an ______________________ unto the Lord. 10. The true spirit of that principle is that there is supposed to be a difference in the “________” of the clothes, not just the “labels.” 11. The devil is behind look alike clothing for men and women, because if you cannot tell at a glance whether you are looking at a man or a woman, then your eyes will be drawn to the _____________________ in the way God has made men and women — thus causing lust. 12. A lustful person actually begins to lust as soon as the eyes start to ________ — before he/she even knows at what or whom their eyes are looking. 13. Deuteronomy 22:5 says that a “woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a ________.” 14. Any honest person has to admit that pants have reference to ______, not women. 15. It is the psychologist’s lie that women do not lust after the sight of men, but only at their touch, because Potiphar’s wife could not even get ____________ to be close to her, let alone touch her — but she lusted exceedingly. 16. If it is immodest for girls and women to wear garments shorter than the knee, then it is also immodest for ______ and ________ to wear them. 17. A curse was placed upon Canaan after Ham, his father, saw the __________________ of Noah. 18. Whether people get used to seeing the nakedness of others or not, God still __________________ the practice. 19. Ham’s sin was not in committing some perverted act with his drunken father, but in seeing his nakedness; because the Bible stresses how Shem and Japheth covered up Noah without ____________ him. 20. If certain sports dress immodestly, and you cannot give up watching or participating in them, then you have an ________ in your life.
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