Lesson 14
Christian Dress and Adornment
In the Bible a woman represents God’s people (Jeremiah 6:2; Isaiah 51:16). The church (God’s people) is made up of God’s true and faithful followers — men and women. Therefore this study applies to both men and women.
Jeremiah 6:2 “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.”
Isaiah 51:16 “And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.”
1. How does the Bible say women should adorn themselves?
1 Timothy 2:9: “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, . . .”
A word study in Strong’s Concordance reveals modest to mean “orderly, of good behaviour”.
2. In this same passage the apostle Paul goes on to list some of the things not to be used in adorning oneself; what are they?
1 Timothy 2:9: “. . . with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;”
[Further Study]
1 Peter 3:3 “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;”
Continuing the word study on this passage we find shamefacedness to mean “. . . modesty, reverence”; and sobriety to mean “soundness of mind, sanity or self-control.”
3. How then is the Christian to be adorned?
1 Timothy 2:10: “But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”
1 Peter 3:4: “But let it (adorning) be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”
4. Is meekness among the fruit of the Spirit?
Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
5. How are God’s people to be clothed?
Revelation 19:8: “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”
[Further Study]
Job 29:14 “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.”
6. By contrast, how does the Bible describe the attire of the woman who represents satan’s kingdom?
Revelation 17:4: “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:”
In Isaiah 1:18 scarlet is the color of sin. Compare the “great red dragon” of Revelation 12:3.
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Revelation 12:3 “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.”
7. Because of the apostasy of God’s people, what criticism did God have towards the “daughters of Zion”?
Isaiah 3:16, 18-21: “Moreover the Lord saith, because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks (arrogance) and wanton eyes (flirting), walking and mincing (flirting) as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: . . . In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon (necklaces), the chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers (fluttering veil), the bonnets (fancy head-dress), and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets (perfume), and the earrings, the rings, and nose jewels.”
The idol-worshipping countries that surrounded Israel used many of these items of jewelry, thus influencing Israel. People in that part of the world still heavily adorn themselves with jewelry.
8. When God judged ancient Israel what did He tell them to do with the ornaments of jewelry they had adopted from the surrounding countries?
Exodus 33:5-6: “. .. therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.”
9. Many years before, what did Jacob bury, along with the household idols, before meeting with God?
Genesis 35:4: “And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.”
10. What did Hosea’s harlot wife do when she put on all her jewels?
Hosea 2:13: “. . . and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the Lord.”
11. We determined in question 5 that God’s people are to be clothed in fine, clean, and white linen which is the righteousness of saints. Who gives us this garment of righteousness?
Zechariah 3:1-4: “And he (the Lord) showed me (Zechariah) Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he (the Lord) answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.”
12. What do our garments look like when we try to clothe ourselves with righteousness?
Isaiah 64:6: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; . . .”
13. What is God’s solution to our filthy garments?
Revelation 3:18: “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”
Our characters are to be clean and pure, covered with Christ’s righteousness (Revelation 19:8); hence our physical clothing should be neat and clean when we come into the presence of God for worship (Exodus 19:10; Numbers 8:21).
Revelation 19:8 “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”
Exodus 19:10 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.”
Numbers 8:21 “And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.”
14. What will become of the world’s vain adornments?
1 John 2:15-17: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust (desire) of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”
[Further Study]
James 4:4 “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”
15. Rather than drawing attention to ourselves by our adornment, what does Jesus say we should do?
Luke 9:23: “And he (Christ) said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
John 12:32: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
16. How do we uplift and glorify Christ?
Romans 12:1-2: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
[Further Study]
John 17:15 “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.”
After the children of Israel were brought out of Egypt, they were commanded to have a simple blue ribbon in the border of their garments, distinguishing them from the nations around them, and signifying that they were God’s peculiar people.
Numbers 15:38-41 “Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.”
Today God’s people are not required to have a special mark placed upon their garments; however in the New Testament we are frequently referred to ancient Israel for examples. God uses clothing to represent our characters; and if God gave such definite directions to His ancient people in regard to their dress, will not the dress of His people in this period of earth’s history come under His notice? Should there not be in their dress a distinction from that of the world? Should not the people of God, who are His peculiar treasure, seek even in their dress to glorify God? And should they not be examples in point of dress, and by their simple, modest style rebuke the pride, vanity, and extravagance of worldly, pleasure-loving professors? God calls for every Christian to be renewed, both internally (spiritually) and externally (physically). He desires we dress tastefully and becomingly, in a manner that will attract attention to Jesus rather than to ourselves. God forbids external adornments that encourage pride as pride is rebuked in His word.
Proverbs 16:5 “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.”
Malachi 4:1 “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.”
James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
The perfect character of Christ is the only adornment needed by the true Christian.