As the proud father of two wonderful teenage daughters, I understand quite distinctly the challenging times in which we live, especially when it comes to modesty. Too many people (including Christians) are allowing our culture, our times and our peers to set the standard for us, without realizing (apparently) the damage that is being done by an immodest, “we-bare-all” way of life.
Some folks would rather that preachers just stay away from topics like modesty altogether. So, this preacher is going to do his best to keep himself away from the topic…and just let God address the matter. Here are eight Biblical reasons that Christian ladies, young women and girls need to keep their bodies modestly attired.
Modesty is commanded by God. “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly” (1 Tim. 2:9). (This list could end right there!)
If modesty is commanded by God, then immodesty is condemned by God. “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion” (Prov. 11:22; cf. 7:10).
Modesty is commended by God. “For Adam and his wife,” who “were naked” (Gen. 3:7), “the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21).
Immodesty is a reflection of the heart. “Do not let your adornment be merely outward…rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (1 Pet. 3:2-5).
Immodesty is a sin, for it puts a stumbling block before men. “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come!” (Luke 17:1; cf. Matt. 5:28; Rom. 14:13).
Immodesty can influence younger women and girls to dress immodestly. “Let your light shine before others” (Matt. 5:16), and “…admonish the young women…to be discreet, chaste” (Tit. 2:4-5).
The “gratifying” anatomy of a woman’s body is for her husband’s enjoyment, not for others. “Let her breasts satisfy you [the husband] at all times” (Prov. 5:19; cf. 1 Cor. 7:1-2).
The body is “the temple of the Holy Spirit” and not the tavern of the devil. “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:19-20), and “give [no] place to the devil” (Eph. 4:27).
This is not some silly, inconsequential, soapbox topic! This affects the souls of the “wearers” and the “observers.”