What Constitutes As Modest Clothing?

Hi everyone. So, in the last post I talked to y’all about modesty. We learned that modesty is humility. We are to be humble. Not boastful, not wrapped up with vanity, not showy. We shouldn’t be shouting “hey world look at me”. As Christians, we strive to honor God and bring glory to Him in every aspect of our lives. And this includes our outward adornment.

Now, the topic of modesty has brought about much debate. There are so many different opinions and views about what constitutes as decent (modest) clothing. And so, today we will focus on the clothing aspect of modesty. 

Paul teaches us in 1 Timothy that we are to adorn ourselves with modest apparel (decent, proper clothing).

“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 2:9-10

The question is, what is appropriate when it comes to clothing?

To begin we must first understand why we wear clothes.

In the beginning God made Adam and Eve.

Genesis 2:25 “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed”

God made man and woman naked. But this changed after Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:7-11 “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?”

Before they chose to disobey God, Adam and Eve were completely pure and in perfect fellowship with God. But once they sinned they covered themselves ashamed. But the fig leaves were not enough. By the shedding of innocent blood, an animal was killed in order to properly clothe Adam and Eve.

Genesis 3:21 “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”

God clothed Adam and Eve. And since that day men and women have worn clothes.

So here we have the basic standard for our clothing which is to cover our nakedness. For God wants us to. 

Now we do not get many specifics on coverage in the Bible. This is why there are many different opinions and views about what constitutes as modest. For example, many say that one should cover down to the knees and cover the shoulders. But there are no verses in the Bible which state hem length or whether we are to cover our shoulders. And we don’t have photos of the animal skins God clothed Adam and Eve with. And tunics (which came into style later) went down to the ankles. So, I can’t say if the appropriate hem length is at the knee, mid-calf, or ankles. The same goes for the shoulders.

But, I do know we are to cover our nakedness. We just need to use common sense, and ask God for guidance. For God wants us to cover our nakedness.

Now that we understand why we wear clothing and that we are to cover our nakedness. The next question is, what type of clothing am I supposed to cover up with?

It is important to note that fashion has changed overtime. The first sets of clothes were animal skins. Then later down the road, tunics came into style. As time went by fashion continued to change. We can see this for ourselves just by looking at American fashion beginning from the 1600s up to now. Fashion also varies depending on the country. Like that of Germany, Spain, and Scotland.

There is not a one set modest wardrobe. That being said, whatever style of clothing you choose it is important to first cover your nakedness (like we just went over), and second to stay gender specific.

Deuteronomy 22:5 “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.”

God tells us in this verse that we are not to cross dress. It’s very simple, a man is to wear men garments only and a woman is to wear women garments only.

I don’t think we as Christians have to worry about this.

But one of the false comments amongst modesty teachers are that women are not to wear pants. I have heard many versions such as pants are men garments, women are trying to be like men, even the bathroom signs show women wearing skirts and men wearing pants, it is more lady like to wear dresses and skirts, etc. Yea, most of the time when I read statements like these I just shake my head in disappointment.

Men did not wear pants in the Bible. Men and women both wore robe like garments called tunics. They were the same style of clothing, but of course they had their differences for God forbids cross dressing.

And just like tunics, pants are the same style, but they too are gender specific. Men’s jeans do have a masculine fit, while women’s jeans have a feminine fit. Not only that, but with pants you must wear a top. So, the whole outfit together takes on a feminine look for women and a masculine look for men.

To wrap up what constitutes as modest clothing. We need to remember what we learned in 1 Timothy 2:9-10.

“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 2:9-10

We need to remember that when it comes to our outward adornment we need to have on the attitude of humility.

We don’t need to be buying outfits with a desire to show off, or get people’s attention. We want others to focus on God, not ourselves.

So, to conclude for today…

As Christians, we strive to honor God and bring glory to Him in every aspect of our lives. Including our outward adornment.

And when it comes to our clothing, while there is not a one set wardrobe, and while fashion is diverse, we can keep in mind three key Biblical concepts to help us stay decent in our clothing choices.

1. We are to cover up our nakedness (Genesis 3:21).

2. We are not to cross dress (Deuteronomy 22:5).

3. We are to wear modest apparel which reflects humility. (1 Timothy 2:9-10).

These are standards to go by when it comes to clothing. And hopefully these standards will help you as you make your clothing choices.

I know there has been a lot said about modesty. But it really is not confusing at all. We just need to use common sense and cover ourselves up properly and remember to be humble.

I hope that this post has helped you today. If you have any questions, please let me know down below. 

Thank you for reading :)