Modesty

This is series of articles designed to help professing Christians to turn from their wicked ways and get back to following New Testament ethics.  Compromise is increasing in the church.  Popular opinion among churchgoers is often in stark contrast to the very words of Jesus on many issues.  Christians need to know the word of God and get back to using it as a reference book when they are faced with important decisions.

I am not going to write about Thanksgiving today because today is not Thanksgiving.  It is next Thursday.  I am going to ignore Franksgiving and talk about an entirely different subject.

I have noticed that women (and to some extent even men) have become less and less modest.  Most Christians are going along with it and many are participating in this wickedness themselves.  Many are not even afraid to go into God’s house inadequately covered.  

It is particularly disturbing that parents allow their teenage daughters to dress immodestly in church.  In recent years it seems that a tradition has arisen in which the girls wear their prom dresses to church on the Sunday after the prom and these dresses tend to be very immodest. 

The Bible says:

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; 

I Timothy 2:9

 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. 4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.

Psalms 101:3-4 (KJV)

Our church has dress policy.  “Everything should be covered from just below the neck to just above the knees.”  This is great, but nobody pays any attention to the policy because it is undermined by these sentences:

We will continue to encourage our members to accept visitors whatever their mode of dress.  By meeting them where they are, we can love them to Christ who can transform their hearts so that they are no longer conformed to the world…

In other words, we are cowards.  We would rather see people enticed by the lust of the flesh and put them in danger of going to hell than do what is right.  Jesus said: 

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Matthew 5:27-30 (KJV)

I am tired of all this political correctness and saying that Jesus accepts people just the way that they are.  The Bible makes it clear that you must turn from your wicked ways and repent in order to be saved.  By allowing these people to participate in church service not fully clothed, it is we who are “conforming to this world”.  What is ironic about this is that the visitors aren’t usually the ones who dress too immodestly.  It is actually the regular members are actually by far the worst culprits in this area.  What poor example to set for the visitors!  I am tired of hearing all this garbage about the church being “a hospital for sinners and not a museum for saints”.  The church should be a safe haven for upright Christians, not just another den of wickedness!  If not in the church, where else can we go to be safe from the temptations of sin?  This political correctness is not about restraining a judgmental spirit, but it is about cowering in fear over what people will say if stand up for what is right!  When young girls dress immodestly and it causes young men to sin, God is angered greatly.

6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. 10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 18:6-10 (KJV)

Last week I quoted a verse about disfellowshipping fake Christians:

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

1 Corinthians 5:11

Note that the word “fornicator” is the word “pornos” in the original Greek.  The root of the word is where the word “pornography” comes from.

Someone might say that you can’t totally keep sinfulness out of any place even the church.  That is true.  They may say that you wouldn’t keep a drug or alcohol addict from coming to church.  That is also true.  But I wouldn’t allow the addict to bring his drugs or alcohol into church and do them while the service is going on!  I wouldn’t allow them to tempt children to do the same inside the church!  Duh!  And while it may be difficult for someone to give up an addictive habit, it is not at all a difficult thing to dress modestly.  It is so very stupid not to require a reasonable level decency in the church! 

The Only Other Remedy

For many Christians, Valentine’s Day is a special occasion in which fondness for one’s spouse or potential spouse is especially expressed. But for others, it is a painful time. The apostle Paul actually says that it is better not to get married seven times in 1 Corinthians 7 (vs. 1, 8, 27, 28, 32, 38, and 40). But in this chapter he recommends marriage for those who can’t control themselves (vs. 9, 36) so as to avoid fornication (vs. 2).

But this is not to say that a Christian should always marry when in this condition (not being able to control oneself with respect to a particular person). There are several cases in which marriage would be in violation of God’s Word. Christians should never marry non-Christians (I Corinthians 7:39, II Corinthians 6:14). And they should not even entertain the idea that they might later persuade the non-Christian to become a Christian. You don’t know that this is going to happen and it would just encourage the non-Christian to get baptized for the wrong reasons, leading to a false conversion. If someone is a fornicator, covetous, an idolater, filthy-mouthed, a drunkard, or an extortioner and yet claims to be a believer, then you shouldn’t even eat with such a person! (I Corinthians 5:11). The Bible also says that remarriage after divorce is adultery (Mark 10:11, 12, Luke 16:18) except in certain cases (Matthew 5:32, Matthew 19:9, and possibly I Corinthians 7:15). It also seems logical that one should not marry someone who takes an opposing position on an issue that one feels strongly about, such as abortion. There are also times when God may be leading two people to two different geographic locations at some future time, so things just can’t work out, but in the mean time there is temptation. Other times the romantic feelings one has just aren’t felt by the other person. Sometimes the young are too young to marry or their parents don’t approve.

So what is one to do when one finds oneself in one of these situations—not able to control oneself and not able to stop having impure thoughts about the other person when Paul’s recommendation of marriage can’t be followed because it is forbidden by other scriptures or scriptural principles? Jesus said:

You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

Matthew 5:27-30 (ESV)

Don’t fool yourself. If marriage is not an option in this situation then the only other remedy is to stay away from the person whose presence causes you to sin. You may have to start going to a different church, quit your job, or even move away. Everyone else may think that this is a foolish overreaction, but such is often the case when a Christian does the right (1 Corinthians 2:14, 3:19).

This is a hard to decision to make and it should be done with great care. It is a sad thing when a great friendship has to come to an end because of something like this, but what must be done must be done. It is often no one’s fault. In this case, telling the other person that this is the way it has to be should be done so that there is no impression that you are laying blame for the situation. Whatever the case may be, you should be careful to make clear that the reason is the avoidance of sin and not to hurt the other person.

These situations are made worse when you put off talking about the important issues mentioned above (2nd paragraph). They are also made worse when tempting situations aren’t avoided and by engaging in things that lead to fornication or cause impure thoughts. I recommend the book I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris.

This is an unpleasant topic, but I hope that someone will benefit by reading it.

God Created Man in His Own Image

I want to comment on a previous statement made by Blogger Brian a few days ago:

“If you are truly a Christian you will abandon this hateful website, and help those around you who are in need, as opposed to complaining about people just because God happened to make them homosexual.”

We view homosexuality as being not only sinful, but harmful. We could not anymore condone it than we could condone pedophilia, eating disorders, or cutting (people have a disorder that causes them to want to cut themselves). These, like homosexuality and the like are destructive behaviors that lead to sickness and death. If you really care about someone who is doing something destructive themselves, then you will do all you can stop them from doing it. God’s wrath is upon such people and we want them to be free of God’s wrath. GOD DOES NOT MAKE PEOPLE HOMOSEXUAL ANYMORE THAN HE MAKES A PERSON PEDOPHILIC, ANOREXIC, BULIMIC , OR A CUTTER. I heard a news story about people who have strange desires to cut off their limbs. Did God give these people these desires? First of all, all of these things are choices even if people have the tendency to do these things. Secondly, God does not give people these tendencies. It is a sin for a man to look at woman (other than his wife) with lust (to fantasize about having sex with her). I have an inherent tendency in my physical body to do this, but that does not mean that it is an acceptable or healthy behavior. In fact, if I were to really follow my tendencies, I would go ahead and try to convince the woman to have adultery with me. But this, just like homosexuality, would be an abomination to God. These tendencies come from what the Bible calls “the flesh”. Our flesh is corrupted because of sin (Read Romans 1). Sin causes more temptation to sin and it causes sickness and death and its degrading. When God created Adam, he did not have any sinful tendencies in his physical flesh. Adam did sin because Satan tempted him audibly. That got the ball rolling and here we are. But Jesus came to break this cycle.

My church’s former minister once admitted, in front of the whole congregation, that he a problem with homosexuality. He said that he was molested as a young boy. ONE’S SINFUL TENDENCIES ARE NOT ALWAYS CAUSED BY ONE’S OWN SINS, BUT CAN BE CAUSED BY THE SINS OF OTHERS. This cannot be used as an excuse—it is still a choice. The congregation was willing to forgive him and help him. He continued to pastor our church for a couple more years, and then stepped down to head up a ministry to help people overcome addictions. This ministry helps people overcome alcohol, drug, sex, and overeating addictions and helps people with anger management problems. The philosophy of the ministry team is that there aren’t “those people” and “normal people”, but rather, we all struggle with sinful tendencies and everyone needs prayer, encouragement, and knowing the love of Christ to overcome them.

This philosophy is different from that of Exodus International, which tries to change the sexual preference of homosexuals. The goal should be to overcome the temptations of homosexuality, not to gain a heterosexual bent.

The news media are out to get people to believe that sex is necessary. Homosexuals must have homosexual sex. Teenagers must have sex, and so forth. They talk as if you would die without it. The same ideas are being pushed in public schools. It simply isn’t true. Marriage is not necessary for salvation. I struggle with lusting after women and I am ashamed of this, but I am almost 35 years old and I am still a virgin! The reason why it seems so hard to prevent teens from having sex is that most parents, even most who call themselves Christian, allow their kids to look at sexually explicit things and put themselves into compromising situations. They allow their teens to dress inappropriately. They want to please their kids rather than disciplining them. Kids are shown pornography in schools in the name of sex education. The people who are pushing the idea that sex is necessary (therefore we must pass out free condoms to twelve-year olds) are the very people who are giving them temptation to have sex. Hypocrites!

If you want to know what the difference is between the mean-spirited bigots that you may presume that we are and what we really are, read my next article (I will post it soon).