Compromise with the world has been an ongoing issue in the church since the beginning -from the sons of God desiring the daughters of men, to the Israelites demanding a king so they could be like other nations, to Paul dealing with the Corinthians in their drunkenness and immorality. It is certainly no less an issue today. We are salt and light – preserving and guiding – and are supposed to call the world to repentance and obedience to Christ, but very often we the church happily consume the world’s produce and adopt its standards for music, entertainment, and dress as our own.
In light of the recent teachings on the family – the role of the husband and wife and children, and how the marriage relationship reflects the relationship between Christ and His bride – the issue of modesty cannot be overlooked. If wives represent the church, then, as Paul says, they ought not to deck themselves out in a costly array as if they are trying to attract attention from other suitors. Nor should they wear so tight or so little that they advertise what should not be for sale. Rather “let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”
Husbands also, if we represent Christ as the head of the church, should be jealous for our wives and daughters as Christ is jealous for his bride, not allowing them to be conformed to the image of this world, but sanctifying them so that they may be presented as glorious brides – holy and without spot or blemish.
Read more:
Doug Wilson’s Modest Daughters article on Credenda Agenda
and his Apology for Feminine Modesty
Comments
One response to “An Appeal for Modesty”
When I got older, I literally thanked my mother for not letting me leave the house as a teenager without covering myself up. I didn’t understand why, and she never explained it, but with age I figured it out and am still grateful.