What Does Christian Modesty Look Like?
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A lot has been said in recent years about the purity culture of the 90s.
I remember the Josh Harris Book “I Kissed Dating Goodbye”. I had friends who called their dating courtship and wore purity rings.
While I never did any of that, I still made a radical commitment to purity.
I say radical because a commitment to save yourself for marriage is always radical.
I was 34 when I finally got married, and I was still a virgin.
(So yes, Mom and Dad, it is possible; and it’s possible to save yourself without having emotional hangups or a frigid marriage. Don’t believe those lies!)
A few years ago, I put a poll out on Facebook asking whether or not parents should teach their children safe sex.
The answers grieved me.
The majority of Christian parents expressed that they teach their children safe sex and they believe it is better to teach kids safe sex than to have an unwanted pregnancy.
As if we can safely sin.
Show me the scripture where God condones safe sin. Safe fornication. Safe gossip. Safe unforgiveness. Safe murder. Safe lying. Safe stealing. Safe profanity (something a lot of Christians also practice these days, along with outright profanity).
And yes, the Bible calls all of these sins.
Paul says in Colossians 3:5-6: “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,”
He says that because of moral impurity (fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness – all of which are moral sins), God will visit his wrath upon these sons of disobedience who do them.
He says we’re to take off the old man and put on new clothes.
Clothes of modesty.
What Does Christian Modesty Look Like?
People don’t like to talk about modesty today. There are few words that spark debate and anger in the church like the word modesty.
And yet, when I talk about modesty, I’m not talking about how low your neckline is or how high your hem goes.
I’m talking about your heart.
And that’s what Paul addresses in Colossians 3 when he talks about putting off the old man and his sinful behaviors and putting on the new man.
He’s telling us to talk off the old, immodest, sinful, smelly, clothes that used to define us as worldly sinners, such as:
- Anger
- Wrath
- Malice
- Blasphemy
- Filthy language
- Lying
- Among the ones listed above (fornication, uncleanness, passion evil desire, and covetousness)
And we are to put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him (God) who created him.
We’re to stop identifying ourselves with worldly behavior and begin identifying ourselves with Christ!
He then lists what kinds of clothes we’re to put on:
- Tender mercies
- kindness
- Humility
- Meekness
- Longsuffering
- Bearing with one another
- Forgiveness
- Love above all
Our clothes tell people a lot about who we are.
You can tell a doctor or nurse by what they wear. Firemen and police officers have to wear special uniforms that instantly tell the public who they are.
Our behavior is our spiritual clothing.
It instantly tells people we belong to Christ, or we belong to the world.
When a Christian moves to put all profanity out of their mouth, and only speak praise to God, it tells the world they belong to Christ.
When a believer chooses to forgive, when any other normal response would be to hang on to the resentment and trauma, it tells the world they belong to Christ.
When a godly woman takes the opportunity to guard the reputation of a friend about whom everyone else is gossiping, and chooses to speak good, and not evil, about them —
When she steps up to shut down a conversation that tears others down, and instead redirects the conversation to build up, she reveals that she belongs to Christ and no other.
Our behavior is our clothing, and our clothing tells the world to whom we belong.
What does your clothing say about you?
Is there clothing you need to replace?
Are there still parts of your clothing that belong to your old man?
Are you willing today to trade that old clothing for new clothing that tells the world you belong to Jesus Christ alone and no other?
