I am fired up about this topic and thought I'd share this well written article that I found. I know it is long but please take the time to read this and think about it. :)Mona
Check out these adorably cute modest swimsuits! Love them!
we need to Dress to please the Lord not the world. We live in an age that glorifies immodesty and immorality.
1.
Summer and Today’s society: we need to Dress to please the Lord not the
world. We live in an age that glorifies immodesty and immorality.
Civilization is good; civilization in exposing nakedness is not good.
God himself created summer, and all seasons. If God was not serious to
give command for women to dress properly he would have said thou shall
dress half naked in summer or full in winter. Gods command was for all
seasons, for all situations and for all cultures and for all women, for
all time.
Summer should not be excuse; souls are more exposed to occasions of offending God through sinful fashions of dress.
Immodesty
has become so commonly accepted that it doesn't bother most people.
Most people feel no shame if they see
someone on television. or in public who is dressed immodestly, and
wouldn't have any problem dressing the same way. As summer temperatures
rise standards of modesty seem to fall. In the U.S.A., as well as many
other nations of the world, our societies have become the most sexually
saturated societies. Today's society says, "You can do whatever you
think is right". In the summertime especially, we have our biggest
opportunity to test our consecration to Jesus. Sheer blouses,
halter-tops, "short" shorts, and skimpy bathing-suits are the norm for
many careless Christian women. They use the rationalization that "it's
hot" or "I'm swimming" to excuse their lack of modesty. Clothes that fit
too tightly, tops that are cut too low, and skirts that are cut too
short are not only a distraction to those around us-but the wearers show
an unloving lack of concern for their responsibility as a
representative of Jesus.
Unfortunately, it seems that many
Christians are lost in their own selfish little world-either oblivious
or uncaring about the affect they have on others. They may even appear
to have a real excitement and love for the Lord-however, their body is
sending out a totally different message. "Charm is deceitful and beauty
is vain, but the woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."
(Proverbs 31:30)
2. True Godly and Christian women: Godly women
in the bible never dressed improperly. Godly women should stand firm
with holiness and modesty being her watchword. Mother Mary (Mother of
Jesus), whom God has presented to us, was the Perfect Model of Modesty
and Purity.
True beauty radiates from the face of a godly woman,
clothing with the righteousness of God. If a woman dresses with dignity
and carries herself with grace, most men will approach that woman with
respect and honor. If a woman dresses a man will often view her as a
sexual object.
But God wants women to be
people of influence not because of their female "charms" but because of
their character. We have the Holy Spirit living in us and that is
supposed to make us different. We are supposed to be watching out for
each other and bringing each other closer to Christ, not causing another
to lust. Women who love and respect the Lord won't wear bikinis at the
beach, or wear miniskirts or pose in filth magazines. Any swimsuit or
any mini skirts or shorts, no matter how modest it claims to be will
inevitably cling to your body, drawing attention to the parts that cause
men to stumble.
What a privilege it is to honor Him with more
than our lip service, but also with our bodies and minds as Paul states
in Romans 12! The Godly woman is the woman who draws attention to
herself for the cause of the Gospel, not to be considered sexy, freedom
of dress.
3. What God and Bible says? The Bible will be our guide
and authority not our choice and feelings. Our
priority as a Christian is the biblical not the cultural. Dressing
modestly is a gift from God. Modesty in dress is one of the identifying
characteristics of true saints. In the Bible, God clearly indicates his
desire for us to hide our nakedness from others. He helped Adam and Eve
hide their nakedness after they sinned against Him. Evidently, the
"aprons" that Adam and Eve made for themselves didn't provide enough
coverage in God's eyes, so He made them garments of skins and dressed
them properly. "And the eyes of them both were opened: and when they
perceived themselves to be naked, they sewed together fig leaves, and
made themselves aprons... And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife,
garments of skins, and clothed them." (Genesis 3:7, 21). Our Outward
dress should match our inward holiness; and if our inward holiness isn't
up to standard, then let our outer dress reflect the lofty goal we
aspire to be in Christ Jesus.
4. Parents have
responsibility: As the twentieth century progressed, the Bible and
Godly standards was increasingly ignored in our families, relationships,
in our society and cultures and shunted aside as an absolute guide and
authority for life.
Parents should be committed in raising modest
daughters. : A true Godly and a Christian parent will instruct from
earliest childhood, how their daughters are to be dressed. we must teach
them God’s perspective of modest dress, and educate them about the
temptations of men. And we must have clear standards, informed by
Scripture and not culture. This will make it easier for them to follow
our leadership when difficult choices are necessary. So many girls and
young women are growing up today without direction and, like so many
misled sheep, are following immoral fashions to the destruction of
souls. If we want our girls to be treated with the dignity and respect
they deserve, we'll teach them to dress modestly. If we
want to protect them from boys who are more interested in their bodies
than in their minds, hearts, or spirits, we'll teach them to shop for
clothes that present a passion for purity rather than a plea for
attention. But as followers of Christ we are to pursue not just physical
purity, but mental, emotional, and spiritual purity as well.
When
parents let their twelve-year-old dress like she's twenty, they are not
protecting her from vulnerability to unhealthy, premature
relationships. Regardless of how powerless we may feel, we do have
control over our daughters' wardrobe as long as they're living under our
roofs. We simply have to be secure enough in our role as parents to
exercise that control. If your daughter looks to others to determine
what she should wear, she will be more likely to look to others to tell
her what to do in other areas of her life. She will be more likely to
follow the crowd into sexual compromise. Teach her to blaze her
own trail through life -- one that will steer clear of the many
pitfalls to sexual compromise. Better to prepare her for modesty in the
near future by expecting it today. Every struggle you may experience
along the way toward instilling these values is worth the fight. Every
ounce of energy you pour into encouraging these concepts is a worthy
investment. These lessons on modesty and responsible stewardship will
guide your daughter not just through puberty and her upcoming teenage
years but also throughout her lifetime. The "accepted styles" of
clothing generally tend to be immodest, and it is often the case that
even Christians, will either encourage or at least allow their children
to dress immodestly in order for the child to be accepted by others.
They want their children to "fit in" with their friends and classmates,
and this desire leads them to compromise biblical principles of modest
dress.
This is especially true in the areas of sports
and cheerleading. Though these particular activities usually require
participants to dress immodestly, yet many parents are so excited about
their son or daughter's abilities and accomplishments in these fields
that they are willing to compromise their scruples to promote the
child's physical excellence and acceptance. These parents will sometimes
argue "the children are young, and these things do not matter as much
at this time in their lives." Oh, to the contrary! It is exactly at
"this time in their lives" when these things matter most! Young people
are often more impressionable and teachable than older ones. It is in
one’s "youth" that he should "remember His creator" and develop a
deep-seated God-Consciousness (Eccl. 12:1). It is in these early years
that the principles of Godliness, including the principles of modesty
and decency, must be ingrained in the children. The sense of needing to
be covered, as well as the sense of shame when uncovered,
should be a part of a child's early psyche. Immodesty leads to
lasciviousness, lasciviousness often leads to fornication. God wants
people, including young people, to dress and behave in such a way that
will not present a stumbling block to others. And once again, let us not
be naive. If 10-12 year old children are sexually active, and 12 and 13
year old girls are getting pregnant, then those in this age group are
certainly capable of lustful thoughts! As for stumbling blocks, Jesus
said, "It would be better for them if a heavy mill stone was tied around
their neck and they were thrown into the depths of the sea" (Matt.
18:6). This "stumbling block" is exactly the kind of offense which could
lead to the sin Jesus discussed in Matthew 5:28. There He said, "But I
say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has
committed adultery with her already in his heart." This "adultery in the
heart" is mental only because it lacks opportunity to
be fulfilled physically. Those who dress immodestly will generally make
the argument that the fault is not with them (or with those whom they
defend), but that it is with the person who does the lusting. No one
denies that the man who lusts after a woman is wrong, and Matthew 5:28
clearly teaches this. Furthermore, the man's lust for the woman is wrong
regardless of how she dresses! James 1:14-15 coupled with 1 Corinthians
10:13 proves that each person is responsible for his own lust and any
subsequent sin that may follow. However, depending upon her attire and
demeanor, it is possible for the woman to also be wrong on such
occasions. Such would be the case if that woman either dressed or
behaved so as to incite the man's lust, thereby laying a stumbling block
and contributing to his sin. Immodest words, clothing and actions are
all potential contributors to this sin.
When parents either
encourage or allow their children to dress immodestly, they
fail to instill a sense of shame in those children, and instead, they
succeed in training those children to be shameless and indecent.
5.
Worldly fashion is moral confusion: Today’s fashion says that are women
are sex objects and can ignore God’s purpose for clothing. The goal of
many women today is not dressing to be Godly and covering up nakedness,
but rather to be sexy. Sex crimes have increased in numbers and women's
dress habits have contributed to this problem. Some women are good at
trying to use their physical beauty, their charms, their bodies to "win"
with the men in their world. Todays fashions are unbelieving designers
without the true Spirit of Christ. Fashion or style is not bad as long
as it does not violate the modesty and sobriety standard of the
Scriptures-I Timothy 2:9. We are living in a time of moral confusion,
and our generation's indifference to moral concerns is reflected in many
of today's styles. Christians should be
concerned that many fashions, particularly for women, are harlot-like
and amount to public undress. A swimsuit will expose nakedness and I
have seen some men and women defending themselves that swimsuit will
cover important parts. We think that if we get on a swimsuit, our
genitals are covered and we are clothed. God says no, you don't just
cover your genitals. You cover the thigh. Plus the swimsuit shows off
the form and the figure, and is not shamefacedness. It doesn't flow. It
is not long. It is not modest.
The Bible says we are not to be
conformed to the world, in Romans 12:2. And in Proverbs 25:29, the Bible
teaches us that "the fear of man bringeth a snare." We don't have to
have the latest style. We do not have to be afraid of fashion. But at
the same time, First Corinthians 7:31 says, "And they that use this
world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away."
So we don't want to be a slave of fashion.
The fashion
industry does not believe that the principle purpose of clothing is to
cover the body; it believes that the principal purpose of clothing is
sexual attraction. At the beach or pool, nakedness is on parade. Wearing
a bikini is sinful because the purpose of it is to show off as much
flesh as possible while still covering the absolute essentials of
private parts. There is nothing God-honoring about bikinis and much that
is gratifying to the flesh: for men to leer and for women to show off
their bodies. Scripture calls us to live and dress modestly, not to
gratify the flesh. It calls us to do everything to the glory of God:
wearing bathing suits that are designed to cause men to lust and women
to publicly display their bodies is the opposite of glorifying God.
Clothes that begin to reveal what should be covered, such as low
necklines and skirts with slits up the side. Many young ladies have
fallen to the trend of wearing spaggetti straps that don't cover
their under garments. The harlot of Proverbs 7:10, intentionally
dresses in such a way to lure men to her body in a sexual way. much of
the modern ladies clothing that we see today would be even more
revealing than the harlot's clothing years ago. There is no reason why
decent leg coverings can't be worn under a dress or skirt. They may cry
out, "but what about my Christian Liberty?" Please turn your attention
to what God says in Galatians and Romans:
Galatians 5:13 For,
brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an
occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
6.
Some women dress immodestly even in Churches: There are some other
women who says that they are Christians but still dress inappropriately
even in churches. There are some women comes to church wearing garments
which will
display all their inner garments. Revealing clothes that attempt to
draw attention to yourself in a sexual way, that begins to reveal your
"nakedness" , that will cause others to "lust" or "commit adultery" even
in their imagination.
The Bible says: Today's fashions, on the
contrary, dishonor and corrupt the Christian woman. Christians should
dress in a modest and decent way, showing respect for God, themselves,
and others. A woman professing to be godly would never knowingly adorn
herself in a way that excites lust in another person.
Modesty
then clearly involves an attitude of reservedness, propriety,
moderation, of one professing godliness, chaste conduct, one who fears
God, whose hidden person of the heart reflects a gentle and quiet spirit
- meekness. A great inner spiritual strength that comes to be
manifested in the outward demeanor of the woman. Prophets of God have
always counseled His children to dress modestly. The way you dress
is a reflection of what you are on the inside. Your dress and grooming
send messages about you to others and influence the way you and others
act. Today, the fashions are so pervasively broadcast over every media
outlet that everyone dresses the same when they swim. But, there are
lots of people in our churches who think that if you are swimming or
competing in track and field, it is ok to go half naked or wear
revealing clothing.
7. The Way Of The Harlot: A woman in the
Bible, named Jezebel, also refused to maintain a shamefaced appearance.
According to 2 Kings 9:30, she painted her face and "tired" her hair.
This was only a symptom of the inner workings of her heart. She was a
deceptive and evil woman. In describing this woman throughout I. and II.
Kings the Lord felt it important to mention how she conducted herself,
wore her hair, and adorned makeup. If the Lord found it noteworthy then
so much more should we. Christian men have trouble in
controlling their sexual thoughts toward the opposite sex. Seeing
immodestly dressed women does not help Christian men become more
virtuous. Immodesty in dress is worldly, excites passions and lusts,
places undue emphasis on sex and lewdness, and frequently encourages and
invites petting and other immoral practices. It is an outward sign that
the immodest person has become hardened to the finer sensitivities of
the Spirit and been overcome by a spirit of vanity and pride.
Flee
also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace,
with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. — 2 Tim. 2:22
7.
Some women who dress like worldly claims as a Christian and Godly:
Those who claim to "love the Lord," and yet wear these styles, testify
to little more than their lack of discernment and confused loyalties.
They put their personal reputation and the integrity of their Christian
witness at risk. The Bible speaks of those that
are "double-minded," and warns that they are "unstable" in all their
ways and receive nothing from the Lord (James 1:7, 8). More serious,
particularly in the church, they pose an unholy distraction and a
stumbling block for others. Scripture is clear: it’s fundamentally a
matter of discernment, self-discipline, and self-control (Mark 9:47;
Rom. 12:2; 1 Thess. 4:3-8; Titus 2:6). A wise man will do his best to
avoid situations that invite impure thoughts and lust (Luke: 9:23; 1
Cor. 6:18). He will do this through faith in God and in His power (1
Cor. 10:13; Eph. 3:20; Phil. 4:13). He will do this because he fears God
and doesn’t want to offend His holiness (Ps. 51:4; 2 Cor. 5:9-11, 7:1; 1
Thess. 4:2-5). He will do this because he understands and fears the
consequences of disobedience (Heb. 12:9-11; James 1:13-15). And knowing
that lust rarely remains a private matter, he will do this on behalf of
his own reputation (Prov. 22:1; Eccl. 7:1a) and out of
consideration for others (Eph. 5:3; 1 Thess. 4:6, 5:22). People will
claim and profess godliness, but their worship will be only a form, only
an outward profession, only an appearance of godliness. They will not
possess God; they will not have God in their hearts and lives. The
look-a-likes will: profess God, be baptized, attend service, participate
in the church and sometimes talk about God. Sadly, the people that have
a form of godliness will deny the Power of God.
Paul tells Timothy to be careful for there is a form or type of godliness.
"Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." - 2 Timothy 3:5
Paul
continues to tell us to "exercise ourselves unto godliness". People
that exercise themselves unto godliness have the necessary key for
accomplishing anything in this life. This is a personal call that Paul
is giving Timothy, "train yourself unto godliness", not the Church or a
group of friends
but you, train thyself. The call to train ourselves for godliness also
demands directing all of our energy toward godliness.Each person can
enjoy different styles of dress as long as they do not violate the
principle of God's word.
8. Scriptures for all the women who keep
trying to justify nudity and immodest clothing: We are living in evil
times, when unrepentant sinners are trying to justify every sin
imaginable with the Bible. To reject the instruction of Scripture
because you have already decided what you want to do, is sin and
rebellion against God. I heard a woman on the news, a professional
pornographic model, claim that God approved of her vile career. She said
that God created Adam and Eve naked, so nudity must be ok. Evidently
she's never read Genesis 3:7 or 1st Timothy 2:9. God expects all
Christian women to be more concerned with displaying their godly
character, than their skin and wealth. The Bible rebukes such
compromising
Christians in the following verses;
1 Timothy 2:9 says,
‘Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing,
modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or
costly garments; but rather by means of good works, as befits women
making a claim to godliness.’
“Ye have wearied the LORD with your
words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one
that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in
them; or, Where is the God of judgment?” (Malachi 2:17).
'These
people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They
worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'
(Matthew 15:8-10)
"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not
do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears
my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a
house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock.
When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake
it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does
not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground
without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it
collapsed and its destruction was complete.". (Luke 6:47-49)
"Not
everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in
your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you
evildoers!' (Matthew 7:21-23)
If we deliberately keep on sinning
after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins
is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire
that will consume the enemies of God. (Hebrews
10:26)
So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with
fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send
forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling
blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the
furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth. (Matthew 13:40-42)
For you have spent enough time in the
past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust,
drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. (1 Peter 4:3)
But
among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any
kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's
holy people. (Ephesians 5:3)
It is actually reported that there
is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even
among pagans: A man has his father's wife. (1 Corinthians 5:1)
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man
commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18)
James4:4:You
adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is
hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world
becomes an enemy of God.
We should not commit sexual immorality,
as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.
(1 Corinthians 10:8)
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the
surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and
perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment
of eternal fire. (Jude 1:7)
Your beauty should not come from
outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry
and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the
unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in
God's sight. (1Peter 3:3-4)
We have been called out (1 Peter 2:9
by
God, to be His workmanship (Eph 2:10) for good works. We belong to
Christ and are the ones who have crucified our flesh and its passions
(Gal 5:24). We are to be as aliens on foreign land, and the world is not
to have the same influence over us, as it does those who don’t know God
(Eph 2:3).
9. There are some spouses who encourage to be
immodest: nakedness in front of a husband is different because they are
made of one flesh. But if we dress up either by partially also you
showed him something that your husband and only your husband has the
legal right to see. First Corinthians 7:4 says, "The wife hath not power
of her own body, but the husband. You showed him something he had no
right to see.
There are many husbands and wives who encourage and
sometimes even demand their mates to "look sexy rather than to Look
graceful and glorious at the expense of others. We must stay within the
boundaries of the Holy Spirit, putting Jesus and His
pleasure first in all we do. Some women claim to be doing this to
attract their husband's attention. As we noted from Proverbs 5, marriage
partners should certainly be "exhilarated" by each other's love.
Obviously, the principle of Ecclesiastes 3:1 applies here. That is,
there is a time and place for everything. No sin is committed by the
wife wearing suggestive clothing for her husband, in the privacy of
their home, but that is not what we are here discussing. The wife who
dresses loosely in public attracts more attention than just that of her
husband. She attracts the attention of other husbands, and other men!
Her actions do nothing but intensify the problem of immodesty. In fact,
her actions are self-defeating. All she really accomplishes is training
her husband to focus his attention on those particular parts of her body
that are uncovered while in public! A woman is sorely deceived if she
thinks that her dressing immodestly will keep her
husband’s eyes on her and off of other women. Men do not think that
way. What this practice actually does is stimulate the man’s thinking
and attention on those areas of the body. This increases the likelihood
that he will focus his attention on those same areas of other immodestly
clothed women.
It sickens me to hear of "Christian" men who
actually encourage their wives to dress in a revealing way in public. By
so doing, they not only encourage their wife to sin; they also
encourage sin in the lives of any that would look with lust upon her.
The man who encourages his wife to dress immodestly has no business
condemning her if she commits adultery against him. The Bible speaks of
"the attire of a harlot" (Prov. 7:10). If a man is going to encourage
his wife to dress like a harlot, he has no business blaming her for
acting like one.
Shorts, mini Skirts attract unnecessary
attention, by wearing provocative clothing increase the
temptation and chances for an accidental look. Modesty in dress reveals
a modesty and godliness of the heart, attitudes that should be the
desire of all women who live to please and honor God.
Glorify God
with your body. Do not allow your body to be on display for the whole
world to gaze upon. If you do, you are not glorifying God. You may be
glorifying yourself, and you will be leading others into sin.
( This article has been adopted from various internet websites. I give credits to all those websites)
