Dressing with Modesty

Message / Question

is it wrong to wear mini skirts or short shorts to church and does it make a difference if youre a leader?

Response

If I wore a mini skirt to church it most certainly WOULD be wrong!! If you are looking for an exact dress code, down to lengths of clothing and what parts of your body must be covered when and where you will find no such thing in the Bible.

However, Paul did say to Timothy: 1Timothy 2:9 I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety.

I suggest that the issue around the way we dress is suggested by Paul in Romans 14 ..... make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister....all food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

I do understand that Paul is talking here about food, but his comments on food deal with a principle that can properly be applied to other situations. There are things that we do or choose not to do, not because they are inherently wrong or because of a “rule” that is imposed on us, but for sake of others. Paul says that it’s fine to eat this meat, however we have an obligation to others as Christians and if we eat this meat and it causes offense to another Christian, or worse, it causes them to sin, then we should refrain from eating it.

It is easy to see how this principle applies to the way we dress. God created the human body and said that it was good, however for some people, viewing some parts of the bodies of others causes them to think lustful thought or, because of their view on the way we should dress, it simply causes them offense.

Sure, we can argue that the problem is not in the wearer of the clothes but in the heart and mind of the person looking, so choosing modest dress is a choice that we make for their sake. There are some places where a woman is expected to have her arms covered in church, so when a Christian woman visits such a place, it is appropriate for her to cover her arms rather than cause offense. Likewise, some places require a man to wear a shirt and tie – something that I vary rarely do these days, but if I were to visit a church where this was expected, it would be appropriate for me to comply rather than cause offense.

So that’s the general principle. Modesty is not a criticism of the human body, nor is it a judgment on the moral weakness of others—it is the loving prerogative of the Christian.

Modest dress is something we consciously do for others, not because we are forced to, but because we want to.

Does it make any difference if you stand in front of the congregation to sing, play an instrument, lead, preach etc? I suggest that in any “upfront” role, we have a greater obligation to be aware that our actions and appearance don’t bring offense to people or cause them to stumble and maybe sin – even if only in their mind.

There is one other issue involved here, and that’s to do with proper submission to those in spiritual authority in your church. If the church leadership sets a standard of dress (and, no doubt, they would be doing so in the light of the issues that I have mentioned above), then we have an obligation to submit to that standard. If someone has a problem with submission in this area of their life, then I would suggest that it’s far better if they were not a leader or an “upfront” person!