Sermon Tone Analysis

“Women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.”[1]

A 54-year-old British woman tried to pet a lion in the El Arca wild animal sanctuary in Spain.

The lion “bit off” her arm.[2]

It is a story that seems to be repeated more frequently than one might imagine.

A Siberian tiger bites off a woman’s arm when she attempts to feed it.[3]

A Polish man using his cell phone to take a close-up of a tiger lost his left arm when the great cat seized it and ripped it off.[4]

A German woman apparently wanted to be near the polar bears, and she was bitten severely.[5]

All these incidents illustrate a truth that appears to have been often forgotten: large animals—especially animals with sharp teeth and huge claws—are dangerous.

Such animals are not to be petted; they are to be respected.

Some sins are just as dangerous—if not more so—as the beasts described moments ago.

Coddling such dangerous sin invites permanent injury for the unwary who imagine they can play with sin.

Though contemporary society ignores biblical mores, mankind always does so at the risk of individual and social welfare.

One “beast” that will bite you is provocative dress.

Immodesty is ubiquitous in contemporary society.

Moreover, it seems to be seldom addressed from the pulpit.

Pastors fear offending parishioners with blunt language, though those same parishioners fill their ears with even more offensive language through television shows each evening.

I suspect that pastors don’t want to turn off the youth of the congregation, so they adopt a Pollyannaish attitude that by avoiding confrontation of the sins of the youth; they seem to believe that things will eventually “work out” and the youth will become godly.

Finally, though parental controls appear to be woefully lacking in modern society, those same parents, perhaps out of massive feelings of guilt, become overly protective of the “feelings” of their children when they believe they are confronted by authority.

This is despite the failure of parents to exercise consistent and biblically based discipline for those same children.

In order to understand the instructions Paul provides, we will need to consider the context.

At this point in the letter, he is outlining in broad terms Christian responsibility toward the state and toward society in general.

Toward the state, Christians are to demonstrate loyalty through praying for those in authority.

The reason for this command is the desire of believers to live peaceful and quiet lives that are “godly and dignified in every way” [*verses 1, 2*].

In this way, we provide an environment that is conductive to salvation for the lost.

A key to understanding the verses under consideration is the phrase “godly and dignified in every way.”

Christians are to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects divine parentage.

Adult males are to give themselves to prayer, especially asking for grace to lead holy lives as is fitting for the context.

Turning his attention to the women of the congregation, the Apostle begins by saying “likewise.”

It is a literary device that reminds us that he is continuing his discussion concerning conduct in the assembly of the saints.

In the Christian assembly, adult males are responsible to take the lead in praying and in seeking a holy life for all.

In the same way, women are responsible to dress modestly, exhibiting self-control.

Christian women are commanded to endeavour to reflect the inner beauty that attends a godly life, not depending on external features to reveal the beauty of Christ.

Let’s consider Paul’s instruction to women.

*Dressing to Please God* — I am not a fashion maven, nor even a connoisseur of style.

Anyone who knows me will know that I have little appreciation of style; I have difficulty coordinating colours.

At the risk of alienating the women of the congregation, I am bold to say that there are certain clothes Christian women should never wear.

Ever!

Whether miniskirts, hip-hugger jeans or skin-tight shirts—they should be avoided.

Christian women have a biblical obligation to dress modestly and to reflect holiness.

Immodest clothing is not necessary to be fashionable—but one would not know that from multiple examples of professed Christians.

I have witnessed during the course of my life among the people of God a transformation of women’s dress within the assemblies.

There is a trend to more casual dress at church, and I am not certain that is all together bad.

However, there is a parallel movement toward immodest dress for Christian women.

Perhaps this tendency arises from a desire to hold onto our youth.

While men are not totally immune to the desire to cling to youth, women, in particular, appear to make a concerted effort to hold onto their youth.

One way this is done is through attempting to dress according to the code of youth, which often means revealing sweaters and skirts, bare midriffs and tight jeans, or other items of revealing clothing.

A few years ago Lynda and I attended a church service sponsored by the Gideons.

Various groups from the community were presenting musical selections as part of the program.

One of the first presentations was by some young women representing a church identified with the Holiness Movement.

What struck me was the inappropriate dress for these young women.

Each of the young women wore tight jeans that revealed far more than they intended, I am certain.

Several wore low cut jeans with tops that left the midriff bare.

The genitalia were clearly defined on several of the young ladies and as they raised their arms in praise (?) an inappropriate amount of skin was suggestively revealed.

I grieved as I thought of the many believers who preceded them in the Holiness Movements—believers who were conscientious about their appearance.

What grieved me even more was the fact that no one in the audience exhibited discomfort at the lack of decorum or at the inappropriate nature of the dress.

The event was hosted by a Baptist church, and no one from that congregation objected to the inappropriate dress.

There was a day in the not too distant past when such displays would have been immediately addressed or halted.

I am not suggesting that God places a premium on “frumpy” or “dowdy,” or even on “ugly”; God is the author of beauty and all that He has made is beautiful.

However, many contemporary humans confuse seductive with symmetry.

Our culture, and perhaps all fallen humanity, teaches us to enhance superficial features to draw attention to ourselves.

Though the Apostle’s instructions specifically address women of the assembly at worship, the principle is applicable in a general sense.

As Christians, we are responsible to focus on leading lives that are “peaceful and quiet,” “godly and dignified.”

We are to seek the salvation of others, our lives strengthening the pleas that we make as we point others to Christ.

The issue for Christians is not either~/or when it comes to life and witness; it is both~/and.

There exists no dichotomy between life and witness; rather, life and witness are integrated.

If our lives are not godly and dignified, it is doubtful that we are turning others to righteousness.

If we are not telling others of the grace of God in Christ the Lord, our lifestyle is of small moment.

By the same token, Christian women who dress according to the standards of the world are embracing to a false standard of beauty that degrades whatever witness they might otherwise have and renders the power of God in their lives as flaccid and anaemic.

The world’s attitude toward fashion should not be that of the people of God.

Regenerate women are called to be diligent in their efforts to live godly lives—and that includes being aware of their dress, and in particular how they are viewed by others.

Adult Christian women are responsible to model decency and modesty for younger women, according to what is recorded in *Titus 2:3-5*.

The instruction is not merely about attitude, but is inclusive of every aspect of modesty by the inclusion of the admonition to “teach what is good.”

Younger Christian women and girls must be encouraged to resist the call of fashion and the style of the world.

Perhaps it is carelessness or naiveté, or perhaps it is because of busy lifestyles or cultural pressures, but immodest dress has become a serious problem in congregations on Sunday mornings.

To make the point, Mary Mohler points to several fictitious examples of Christian women.

Clueless Clarice simply pulls something out of the closet before going out, not taking the time to examine herself in the mirror.

She is wearing a shirt that is way too tight; and though she sings praise songs all the way to work, she is not modelling modesty.

Disorganised Delores has four children and says she doesn't have the time to consider what she wears.

She is out of milk and diapers, and she is fully aware of the admonition of Proverbs 31 to look “well to the ways of her household.”

She quickly dresses the children, feeling lucky if she can find four pairs of shoes.

She finds some shorts that she knows are too tight and too short, but she does need those diapers.

She is too tired to care that she is not modelling modesty.

Stylish Stephie only wears what's fashionable.

For her, it is more important to be in vogue than it is to be modest.

In fact, in her pursuit of fashion, she jettisons modesty without a thought.

It is not that she wants to be immodest, but she permits the world to dictate style, and consequently, it is immaterial whether or not she will be modest.

Frugal Frances only wears what's cheap, and thus some items of clothing may have shrunk, but she will get her wear out of them.

Bargain Hunting Barbie buys what is on sale regardless of size, and consequently is frequently forced to wear clothing that is too revealing or too tight.

Dieting Diane has one size of everything and often wears clothes that are too small—simply to reward herself for shedding a few pounds.

None of these ladies are able to model modesty in the clothes they wear.

Mrs. Mohler calls these cases accidental immodesty.

It's not deliberate, but the result is the same and what it looks like to the world is, “These Christian women dress just like we do.”

[6]

Even a casual reading of the Word of God demonstrates that God cares about how we dress.

When our first parents sinned, in an attempt to cover their rebellion against the Lord God they dressed themselves, and God was forced to correct their choice of clothing [*Genesis 3:7, 21*].

God expects a distinction between men and women, and that extends to the manner of dress.

Certainly, *Deuteronomy 22:5* is teaching that women should be feminine in their dress.

Have you ever noticed the importance placed upon going against the flow of culture in the Word of God—surely this biblical emphasis includes dressing in modest fashion!

Consider a few passages of the Word.

Peter instructs women who will be pleasing before the Lord, “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewellery, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious” [*1 Peter 3:3, 4*].

It is important to note that neither here nor in the text for this message does God proscribe jewellery or coifed hair; He admonishes against depending upon such things to appear attractive.