{"id":201,"date":"2009-06-07T11:04:00","date_gmt":"2009-06-07T16:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/2009\/what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-christians-dress-code\/"},"modified":"2009-06-07T11:04:00","modified_gmt":"2009-06-07T16:04:00","slug":"what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-christians-dress-code","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/2009\/what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-christians-dress-code\/","title":{"rendered":"What does the Bible say about the Christian’s dress code?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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And that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24\u2014NKJV<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Clothing issues have dogged men and women since they were booted from the Garden of Eden. With challenges ranging from changing styles, dry clean only, spots which don\u2019t come out, \u201cnothing to wear,\u201d \u201cmaking a statement,\u201d \u201cthe tie makes the man,\u201d \u201cdress down day,\u201d and what to do with comfortable, threadbare duds, our lives can be pretty complicated. People often try to assess their mood before they chose their clothes or change their mood with their choice of clothes. \u201cMall-therapy\u201d comes to mind. We live in a vain world that presses its expectations upon our conscience, our subconscious and our wallets.<\/p>\n

Not so long ago our society had a sense of modesty which encouraged a distinction between acceptable clothes inside our house versus outside in \u201cpublic\u201d (even on a run to the grocery store). Certain clothes were exclusive to work, school and church. Now there is this attitudinal approach to clothing choice that asks, \u201cWhat can I get away with?\u201d<\/p>\n

Believers do not live in an isolation chamber. Pressures mount up with cultural fluctuations. Though the Bible does not speak to fashion it does speak to flare, balance and reflection. For the thinking saint there is a connection between the garb of heart and the draping of body.<\/p>\n

Paul relates spiritual transformation for a Christian to the daily choice of changing clothes (\u201ctake off\u201d in verse 22 and \u201cput on\u201d in verse 24). We are all familiar with individual choice in clothing (remember the first time your daughter said, \u201cMommy, I don\u2019t want to wear that!\u201d).<\/p>\n

In getting ready for a new day the old and soiled clothing must be removed. Paul reminds us that we are to remove the old behaviors and ways of the sinner we were B.C., before being born again in Christ. The old, shabby garment of \u201cfleshly corrosion measured by desires of deceit\u201d is to be removed, laid aside and disassociated from us. This is a conscious choice and yet it is preparatory for a new day.<\/p>\n

The next verse (23) evokes the all too familiar experience of standing before the closet and choosing the outfit for today. That daily ritual requires a review of the plans for the day and the purpose of each hour so that the clothing chosen may be fit for the occasion.<\/p>\n

Similarly, the spiritual choice of verse 23 is a choice both thoughtful and reflective of purpose because God has filled the closet with a very valuable wardrobe designed to a specific task. Paul says, \u201cbe renewed in the spirit of your mind.\u201d We are not saved for selfish ambitions. We are saved so that we may reflect the glory of God in our lives. That is the task for which we prepare as we stand before the spiritual wardrobe and choose.<\/p>\n

Verse 24 gets to the fun part of the daily ritual, getting dressed in the clothes that God has picked out. Put on the clothing of the \u201cnew man\u201d which God has designed for your adornment. It makes a statement of flare\u2014we are to wear His livery, it makes a statement of balance\u2014righteous acts toward man and holy heart before God, and it makes a statement of reflection\u2014we show that we have chosen to be obedient to our Lord.<\/p>\n

What statement are you making before God and man as you have clothed your heart today? Are there principles herein that you can apply to your clothing choices and your relationship with your physical wardrobe? Whose name is written on your clothing? Trust and obey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24\u2014NKJV Clothing issues have dogged men and women since they were booted from the Garden of Eden. With challenges ranging from changing styles, dry clean only, spots which don\u2019t come out, \u201cnothing to wear,\u201d \u201cmaking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}