“Shew me thy ways, O
LORD; teach me thy paths.” (Psalm 25:4)
This study will look
at dress codes for worship services. Is
there a biblical basis for instituting
a dress code for a worship service? The word
definition in this study is about
legalism. Normally legalism is used when
talking about salvific issues.
However, the term is broader than that.
A church could be
legalistic by requiring members, for
example, not to go to movies or watch
television.
Drinking or not drinking wine is another
where a church could over step its
bounds. There are biblical concerns about
how you come to church worship. This
area of a dress code is one which false
piety can enter in, and needless offenses
can occur.
Definition:
Legalism:
The tendency to rely
on self-effort—doing good deeds or following
certain rules and regulations—as a
way to gain God’s favor; the belief that a
sinner can do some work to obtain
salvation or fellowship with God; the
inclination to regard things that Scripture
has not commanded or prohibited as moral
precepts. *
The sense that we
want to gain form the above definition is
one of, if the Scriptures has not
prohibited something, neither should the
church.
What can we learn from
Scripture?
“The woman shall not
wear that which pertaineth unto a man,
neither shall a man put on a woman's
garment: for all that do so are
abomination unto the LORD thy God.”
(Deuteronomy 22:5)
The promoters of
transgenderism will probably not like this
passage.
“He shall put on the
holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen
breeches upon his flesh, and shall
be girded with a linen girdle, and with the
linen mitre shall he be attired:
these are holy garments; therefore shall he
wash his flesh in water, and so put
them on.” (Leviticus 16:4)
This was a dress code
for priest, not for the common Israelite.
“Him that is weak in
the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful
disputations.” (Romans 14:10)
Have mercy, gentleness
and humility towards your fellow believers.
“For ye are bought
with a price: therefore glorify God in your
body, and in your spirit, which are
God's.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)
This passage has an
application for the type of clothing one
wears. Wearing clothing that had a
satanic pentagram would not be appropriate.
“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.” (1
Timothy 2:9)
Modest clothing and
clothing that does not draw attention to
oneself surely can be deduced from
this passage.
“My brethren, have
not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Lord of glory, with respect of
persons.” (James 2:1)
In humility, do not
be a respecter of persons.
“Whose adorning let
it not be that outward adorning
of
plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold,
or of putting on of apparel.” (1
Peter 3:3
Again, modest
clothing that does not draw attention to
oneself.
“For the LORD seeth
not as man seeth; for man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the LORD
looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
This passage from 1
Samuel perhaps gives the clearest standard
that should govern our thinking on
dress codes in the church.
Let’s consider Gill's Exposition of the Entire
Bible on this passage:
But the Lord said to
Samuel, by a secret impulse upon his mind,
as if he had spoken with an
articulate voice to him: look not on his
countenance; which was comely and
majestic:
or on the height of
his stature; which was like that of Saul's;
and because the Lord had chosen
him, who was superior to the people in this
respect, Samuel thought he meant to
have such an one now anointed king:
because I have
refused him; or it is not my pleasure that
he should be king; though Ben Gersom
thinks this refers to Saul, that the Lord
had rejected him, though of an high
stature, and therefore Samuel should not
look out for such a person to be king;
and Abarbinel refers it to the height of
stature itself, that God had rejected
that, and laid it aside as a qualification
of a king, or as a rule to judge of
a proper person to be a king; but no doubt
it respected Eliab:
for the Lord seeth not
as man seeth; man only sees what
is without, but the Lord sees what is
within; only the outward visible form of
the body is seen by man, but the inward
qualifications and endowments of the
mind are seen by the Lord:
for man looketh on the
outward appearance; the comeliness of a
man's person, the majesty of his
countenance, the height of his stature, and
size of his body, things which recommended
men to be kings among the nations of
the world; See Gill on 1 Samuel 9:2, or "to
the eyes" (a); the
liveliness, and briskness, and sharpness of
them, thereby to judge of the
sagacity and penetration of the mind, as
physiognomists do; who guess at the
disposition of men by them, when they are
small or great, watery or dry, of
this or the other colour (b):
but the Lord looketh
on the heart; and knows what is
in that, what wisdom and prudence, justice
and integrity, mercy and goodness,
and other princely qualifications are in
that. The Jewish writers conclude from
hence that the heart of Eliab was not right;
it may be, full of wrath, pride,
envy, &c. which disqualified him for
government.
(a) “ad
oculos”, Montanus. (b) Vid. Schotti
Thaumaturg. Physic. par. 4. l. 7. c. 8. (1)
“orderly,
well-arranged, decent, modest” (akin to kosmos,
in its primary sense as “harmonious
arrangement, adornment;” cp. kosmikos,
of the world, which is related
to kosmos
in its secondary sense as
the world), is used in 1 Timothy 2:9 of the
apparel with which Christian women
are to adorn themselves; in 1 Timothy 3:2
(RV, “orderly;” AV, "of good
behavior"), of one of the qualifications
essential for a bishop or
overseer. “The well-ordering is not of dress
and demeanor only, but of the
inner life, uttering indeed and expressing
itself in the outward conversation”
(Trench, Syn., xcii). In the Sept.,
Ecclesiastes 12:9. (2)
Suits and ties and “Sunday’s
Best.” Where
did the term “Sunday Best” come from?
THE “SUNDAY BEST” - The
Origin of the
Custom
There is a tendency
among town people to dress quite simply for
church. The woman of moderate
circumstances in the small village saves her
finery for church. To ber “best hat”
is synonymous with "Sunday hat," and by
"Sunday" hat or frock
tr shoes or wrap she means the things she
wears to church.
“But the greatest
contrast between Sunday and week-day
clothes,” says an English wirier on dress,
“is to be looked for in the country among
agricultural laborers, as the
cessation of labor gives an opportunity for
discarding the rough and heavy
garments oí the field in favor of something
better.”
The whole question of
Sunday clothes is an interesting one. Way
back in the early history of the Christian
Church we find that two venerable saints –
St. Jerome and St. Clement-extorted
the faithful to have, a special dress for
worship. And the Jews put on a
special vestment called a talith for their
religious ceremonies. The idea of
this special dress and the special dress of
the Christians was to wear
something that would detract from thoughts
of every-day activities. Women wore
veils that they might not show their charms
too plainly lest others should be
distracted.
Perhaps now the
tendency not to wear elaborate or special
dress in church is with the effort to
gain lust the result that was once sought by
having special clothes for
worship.
Or
Certainly it is not
in good form to regard church as a place to
display new and expensive clothes.
Humble folk may be frightened from going to
church if you are too gorgeously
arrayed. Bright colors or striking fashions
take the eye of the other
worshippers and keep their thoughts from the
service.
Sometimes you hear a
man or woman say: “I cannot go to church. I
have nothing fit to wear.” They should
be reminded that the best form now a days
requires that people should wear what
ls simple, urobtrusive and quiet in church.
(3)
A Dress code can be
Legalistic:
Romans 14:5 says
“Each one should be fully convinced in his
own mind.” This passage speaks about
the observance of days and a man’s faith. It
also has relevance to other issues
in a church, like eating and drinking and
church attire. There are weaker
brethren and stronger brethren. The stronger
may exercise more liberty than the
weaker. Both should be careful not to
falsely judge your brethren. Do not exhibit
pride over a weaker brother.
James rebukes the church for
giving
seating priority to the rich, stylish and
expensively-dressed:
1 “My brethren, have
not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Lord of glory, with respect of
persons. 2 For if there come unto your
assembly a man with a gold ring, in
goodly apparel, and there come in also a
poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye
have respect to him that weareth the gay
clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou
here in a good place; and say to the poor,
Stand thou there, or sit here under
my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial in
yourselves, and are become judges of
evil thoughts? 5 Hearken, my beloved
brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of
this world rich in faith, and heirs of the
kingdom which he hath promised to
them that love him? 6 But ye have despised
the poor. Do not rich men oppress
you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
7 Do not they blaspheme that
worthy name by the which ye are called? 8 If
ye fulfil the royal law according
to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9 But
if ye have respect to persons, ye commit
sin, and are convinced of the law as
transgressors. 10 For whosoever shall keep
the whole law, and yet offend in one
point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that
said, Do not commit adultery, said
also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no
adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art
become a transgressor of the law. 12 So
speak ye, and so do, as they that shall
be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he
shall have judgment without mercy,
that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy
rejoiceth against judgment.” (James 2:1-13)
Commenting on James 2:2-4,
Simon J.
Kistemaker explains:
2. Suppose a man
comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring
and fine clothes, and a poor man in
shabby clothes also comes in. 3. If you show
special attention to the man
wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good
seat for you,” but say to the poor
man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit on the
floor by my feet,” 4. have you not
discriminated among yourselves and become
judges with evil thoughts?
The
term religion (1:26–27) immediately
brings to mind anything that pertains to the
church. Perhaps this was the reason
that James resorts to an example taken from
the setting of a Christian church.
Actually, the Greek for “meeting” (v. 2) is
the word synagogue. Even though
James employs the expression church when he
mentions “the elders of the church”
(5:14), the term synagogue reveals something
about the writer and the readers
of his letter: they are of Jewish descent.
a.
“Suppose a man comes into your meeting.”
The author chooses the general term meeting
that can mean either the worship
service or a special gathering for official
purposes. James does not specify
the purpose of the meeting in question. Some
scholars think that James portrays
an assembly that meets for official, that
is, judicial matters. Common opinion,
however, favors the concept of a worship
service. The point of the example is
to show that in a gathering of believers
snobbery prevailed.
b.
“A man … wearing a gold ring
and fine clothes.” Was the rich man a member
of the church? Was he a visitor?
Was he a government official or dignitary?
We do not know. Perhaps he was a
person with authority, and not a member of
the local church. For instance, the
centurion who built the synagogue in
Capernaum presumably was a proselyte (Luke
7:2–5). The meetings of the church were open
to the public, so that people of
the community were given the opportunity to
meet with Christians for worship
and instruction (1 Cor. 14:23–24).
c.
“And a poor man in shabby clothes also
comes in.” The contrast is deliberate, for
the rich man wears bright, shiny
clothes; the poor man’s clothes are dirty,
shabby, and unsightly. He is
poverty-stricken; the only clothes he has
are the clothes he wears. Again, we
do not know whether the man is a member of
the church. Probably not. He also
seems to be a visitor.
d.
“If you show special attention.” The
emphasis in this particular section is on
the external appearance of these two
visitors. Only the apparel of the two men is
significant. Of course, dress also
reflects the status of these two
individuals: the one is rich and has
influence;
the other is poor and has nothing.
The
immediate reaction of the church members
is to pay deference to the rich man by
showing him to a good seat. In the local
synagogue of that day, scribes and Pharisees
occupied the most important seats
(Matt. 23:6; Mark 12:39; Luke 11:43; 20:46).
In the setting of the church that
James depicts, the rich man receives a warm
welcome and is ushered to a good
seat, perhaps somewhat elevated. The poor
man can either stand in the back
section of the building or sit cross-legged
on the floor. In fact, the text
says, “Sit down by my footstool.”
e.
“Have you not discriminated among
yourselves?” To ask the question is to
answer it. Certainly, they discriminate
and have “become judges with evil thoughts.”
Instead of looking at the
incomparable glory of the Lord, they are
staring at the splendor of a gold ring
and fine clothes. Instead of honoring Jesus
Christ, they are paying respect to
a rich man and despising a poor man. And
instead of accepting persons on the
basis of faith in Christ, they are showing
favoritism based on appearance and
status.
James
points not to officially
appointed judges but to the members of the
church. The congregation ought to
realize the full extent of its sin of
discrimination. It is not a sin that can
be labeled insignificant. What is at stake,
says James, is that justice is not
being served because the believers’ hearts
are filled with evil thoughts. A
judge whose thoughts are evil can never be
impartial; the justice that he
administers is a farce. Since time
immemorial, justice has been depicted as a
blindfolded lady who holds scales in her
hand. The blindfold prevents her from
seeing anyone so that she is able to serve
impartially the cause of justice.
Within the context of the Christian faith,
practicing discrimination is the
exact opposite of loving one’s neighbor as
oneself.
Whether
James cites an actual incident that
occurred in the church of his day or
constructs an example of something that
may happen is immaterial. Of importance is
that believers in Christ ought to
shun the sin of discrimination. In short,
“don’t show favoritism.”
Practical
Considerations in 2:1–4
God
loves the poor, watches over them, and
provides for them. When the church of Jesus
Christ proclaims the gospel and welcomes
the poor into the communion of the
believers, does it show love and concern for
them? When the poor hear the gospel of
Jesus’ love, the message of salvation,
and the promise of God’s constant care, and
then experience a cold
indifference, a lack of interest and concern
from the members of the church,
they feel slighted.
Today
many church sanctuaries are partially
filled during the worship services. The pews
in these sanctuaries are padded,
the worshipers sit in comfort, but the poor
are absent.
The
gospel must be proclaimed in word and
deed to the poor. The loving heart of the
believer is shown when he extends a
helping hand. The love of the Lord Jesus,
when it is genuinely extended to
those who hear the gospel, effectively
builds the body of Christ. (4)
In Closing:
The Bible is silent
about any dress code. There is no indication
that Jesus and the disciples were required
to use dress code before going to the
synagogue. If the Bible is silent, we
should not presume to add our own code or
infer one.
Be on guard against false
piety which
may manifest itself as:
What about the dress
requirement for
the priest in the Old Testament?
The clothing and
decorations of the high priest can teach us
about Christ’s perfection. The
sacrificial law was of this nature.
Blemished sacrifices were rejected. The
high priest was to wash before priestly
activities. Perfect law keeping was
required. But to use the perfection required
of the High Priest in Israel to require
a “Victorian” dress code is completely
unwarranted.
Clean and modest
clothing that does not draw attention to
yourself is all that can be required. It
should be noted that men can wear lewd
clothing in addition to women. The
command of modesty applies to both sexes.
And certainly, if a stranger comes
into the church with old worn out dirty
clothes they should never be driven
away. Many conversions happen after a person
reached rock bottom or the bottom
of the barrel. In the First Century, many
believers were slaves. They did not have
“Sunday’s
Best” to wear.
When talking about
clothing in the church, there is a cultural
aspect that may change and a
biblical binding aspect. First, today, blue
jeans are a cultural norm. Two
hundred years ago it was different. Cultural
dress codes within modesty may
change. Second, the binding aspect is
modesty and a prohibition of offensive
wording on clothing. For example, consider a
shirt with wording that endorsed
John Lennon’s song “Imagine.” The song
“Imagine” promoted atheism and
communism. Under Christian liberty, it may
okay to listen to the song, but in
church worship where an offense may happen,
promoting or endorsing the song is
a different story.
I’ve been in churches
where there is an unspoken dress code that
is expected. The reader of this
article probably has too. Does God respect a
suit and tie more than a casual
shirt and blue jeans? If so, why? Defend
this code from Scripture and not just by
appealing to “Sunday’s
Best.” I am
not arguing for dressing up or dressing
down. I am asking, what do the
Scriptures require.
“Everyone the Father
gives Me will come to Me, and the one who
comes to Me I will never drive away.”
(John 6:37 Berean Study Bible)
“Blessed
art
thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.”
(Psalm 119:12)
“Study to shew
thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy
2:15)
Notes:
1.John
Gill, Exposition
of the Old and New
Testaments, 1 Samuel, 9 Volumes,
(Grace Works, Multi-Media Labs), 2011, pp.
232-233.
2.W.
E. Vine, An
Expository Dictionary of New
Testament Words, (Iowa Falls, Iowa,
Riverside Book and Bible House), p. 751.
3.Sunday Times (Perth, WA,
Australia: Sun 15 Feb 19310, Page 19.
4.Simon
J. Kistemaker, New
Testament Commentary,
James, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker
Book House, 1973), pp. 72-75.
“To God, only wise,
be glory through Jesus Christ forever.
Amen.” (Romans 16:27) and “heirs
according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:28,
29)
Mr. Kettler has
previously published articles in the Chalcedon
Report and Contra
Mundum. He and his wife Marea attend
the Westminster, CO, RPCNA Church. Mr.
Kettler is the author of the book defending
the Reformed Faith against attacks,
titled: The Religion That Started in
a Hat. Available at:
www.TheReligionThatStartedInAHat.com
For more study:
*
For
a great source of theological definitions go
to Rebecca writes at Rebecca
Writes:
http://www.rebecca-writes.com/theological-terms-in-ao/
What Should We
Wear to Church?https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-should-we-wear-to-church
Sunday Best (Does
God Care What I Wear to Church?)
http://www.travisagnew.org/2011/08/25/sunday-best-does-god-care-what-i-wear-to-church/