Jan. 4, 2006 - Fashion

Fashion

Romans 12:1-2 KJV

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1-2 NLT

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

This world has a mould.  This mould is largely shaped by the entertainment and fashion industries.  Many people are becoming influenced but they are not aware. 

Some recent trends and fashion is far from what women would have worn just a few years ago.  What we have seen develop to a large extent over the past ten to fifteen years is a trend toward “dressing down.”  Our way of dress has become relaxed and it has affected us in our way of life.  We have been influenced to embrace more relaxed manners as well.  I fear the change over the past few years has made people look for a life of ease and entertainment instead of service.  People are concerned that they are comfortable.  Since the sporting craze, people are also found in their running clothing and shoes all day long.  Women are hardly ever seen in a dress.  If we do wear one, we get the comment, “Where are you going?  Why are you so dressed up?”

You see many young people today in revealing and provocative clothing, unfeminine and some things are even down right vulgar.  Most of the daily wear available for the shopper is unfeminine, unbecoming and ugly, but we buy and wear, largely because they are in style. 

How should we think and act?  Shouldn’t we be concerning ourselves with the renewing of our mind and allowing ourselves to be affected by the unchangeable Word of God?

I think Christians should stop buying the stuff the fashion industry puts out and maybe they would stop producing it.  If we only bought modest clothing or made our own, we would maybe put some of these establishments out of business. 

The fashions are largely influenced and dreamed up by those who are homosexual and feminists who wish to make the women of our country look stupid at best.  If what was advertised was worn in many countries of the world, the person would be regarded as a loose woman or prostitute.

My husband went to India and Srilanka and was very impressed by the standard of modesty upheld by the entire country.  What a shame that those who are of Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu persuasions are more careful in their dress.  Isn’t it time that Christians started looking like Christians?  I know what some of you are worried about at this point?  What about legalism?  What about looking like a “religious” person?  I know these questions have come up in my mind many times as well. 

The Jews a moral code, it was called the Torah or the law which included God’s law for His people.  This law that God gave was filled with guidelines for daily living.  Even though we are not “under the law” as believers in Jesus Christ, we can still read the law and see what pleases God and we come to know God better and how He thinks.  We can begin to put our thinking into line with His thinking. 

We are not going to go back into a legalistic way of thinking which is the belief that somehow my dress or what I eat or the observance of the Sabbath, will make me righteous before God.  But God does have good reasons for his standards.  We should obtain the principles with which to base our life from the Word of God.  These will be the standards to live by.

The apostle Paul made it clear that we are not under the law, but under grace.  We are to govern our life by love and walk in the Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit will remind us of truth in the Word of God if we have been diligent to study it.  The Holy Spirit also warns our conscience if we are beginning to go in a direction that is not pleasing to God.  But here again, we must know God’s will or we will be ignorant and our conscience won’t tell us much.  We also must be careful to listen to our conscience for if we ignore that still, small voice long enough, we will not be able to hear it any longer.  We will be blindly charging ahead into foolishness.

I am willing to be misunderstood if it means I am pleasing to God.  I am not sure if God really cares what I have on, as regard to my salvation being at stake, but what do I appear to men?  If I appear with my suggestive clothing or masculine clothing to be anything other than I really am as a born again child of God, then I am being deceptive and subject to misunderstanding.  I really would rather be misunderstood on the end of righteousness than on the end of promiscuity.

I have come to realize that we need standards.  We need to establish our standards as a well thought out plan.  What questions should we ask ourselves before we purchase that item of clothing?  I have come up with a sort of list….

By wearing this garment will I be sending the right message to my loved ones and the public ?

Is this garment feminine, Would a man wear this?  Is it genteel, refined, dignified, discreet, and elegant?

Would this garment make me look like a woman of God?  Could I witness in it?

Would this garment make me look ridiculous, ugly, sloppy, nude or masculine?

Does this garment exaggerate my bulges, bumps and body lines?

Where does this outfit attract the eye - To my face or to other areas of the body?

After taking a backward glance, does this cover my derriere ?

Is it clean and neat, sloppy?

Is it see-through, low or showing partial nudity in any way?

Are these clothes beautiful and appropriate for the intended occasion?

Does this honor Christ?

Will it reflect an orderly and mannerly behavior.   Will I act like a lady in it?

We do have a check list given to us by God.  Let us consider what He wants for us: