The Woman’s Adornment - 1 Ti. 2:9-10
November 7, 2024
David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061
866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
Even so-called “fundamentalist” churches are giving up the “battle”
The following is excepted from the Way of Life Commentary Series, Pastoral Epistles.
When Paul turns from the ministry of the men in verse 8 to the ministry of the women in verse 9, he first addresses the woman’s apparel. We see, then, that modesty in dress is not a “non-essential” and dress is not strictly a matter of personal preference, as is commonly believed in this apostate age. Further, to teach the biblical principles of modest dress is not “Phariseeism” or “legalism.”
Paul taught on apparel, and he taught it as one of the things whereby we are instructed how to behave ourselves in God’s house (1 Ti. 3:15). 1 Timothy 2:9-10 is not Paul’s teaching; it is God’s Word. Paul wrote this epistle as an apostle of Jesus Christ (1 Ti. 1:1). This is how God wants His redeemed daughters to dress.
Paul’s example of putting the apparel issue first is instructive in light of the fact that the vast majority of churches today ignore the issue almost entirely. Even so-called “fundamentalist” churches are giving up the “battle” on this issue. When I was saved in 1973 and joined an Independent Baptist church, I was attracted by the fact that the church took the Bible literally and seriously. There was a pilgrim lifestyle that set the people apart from the world. But that is quickly disappearing even among those types of churches. In 2002, the new pastor of Bethlehem Baptist church of Fairfax, Virginia, a formerly conservative church, sent a letter to his people that said, “With regard to dress and modesty issues, we enforce no rule on our folks.” Lukewarm people want to live like the world, and the compromising pastors don’t want to offend them.
Churches are simply following in lockstep with the world. There is great, worldwide rebellion against God’s created order today, as prophesied in Psalm 2:1-3. When I was a boy, American society was still very conservative in dress because of the influence of the Bible. Most women wore modest dresses and long hair. People dressed up even for sporting events, not to speak of church attendance. This was destroyed by the onslaught of the rock & roll culture that began in the 1950s and exploded in the 1960s. (There was an earlier jazz age in the “Roaring Twenties,” but it was more limited to certain segments of society, most of the nation remaining conservative and biblically influenced.) Prominent rockers and fashion designers such as Mary Quant had an agenda of overturning every biblical element of society, including sexual distinctives. God made man male and female, but the rock & roll culture says, “We don’t agree; we will be whatever we want to be.” Unisex fashion (the androgynous look) and feminism paved the way for the homosexual rights movement and transsexualism. Even something as “little” as the Beatles wearing longer hair was a significant unisex statement. Paul McCartney boasted of their role in destroying traditional convention: “There they were in America, all getting house-trained for adulthood with their indisputable principle of life: short hair equals men; long hair equals women. Well, we got rid of that small convention for them. And a few others, too” (Barbara Ehrenreich, “Beatlemania: Girls Just Wanted to Have Fun,” cited by Lisa Lewis, The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media, p. 102). Those “conventions” had come about because of the Bible’s great influence on the nation, and these were not small things at all.
One reason why the apostle Paul begins with the woman’s attire is the visual nature of the man’s sexuality (Pr. 6:25; Mt. 5:28) and the woman’s natural vanity and her tendency to adorn herself in such a manner as to attract attention in the wrong way. In arguing against being “limited” by modest clothing, one woman said, “I don’t believe it is wrong to use my God-given assets to attract men’s attention.” This is the voice of rebellion. A woman’s “God-given assets” are to be used in God’s will and according to God’s law, not as she pleases. There is also the “pride of life,” which is the way of the world (1 Jo. 2:15-16) and which causes women to dress in an ostentatious manner to draw undue attention to themselves.
Paul lays out fundamental principles of modest dress which should be taught in every church. This is the substance of the “testing mindset” that is to characterize God’s people in this present world. All things are to be tested by the absolute standard of God’s Word to prove whether it is right or wrong, true or false, acceptable or unacceptable to God (1 Th. 5:21). Spiritual maturity requires exercising the senses “to discern both good and evil,” and those who do not live like this are labeled “babes” in God’s Word (Heb. 5:12-14). Mature spiritual women want to test their attire by the standard of God’s Word. It is this fundamental thing (the testing mindset) that is so glaringly absent from most churches, and which is disappearing from even the most “fundamentalist” of churches in the 21st century.
Observe that these guidelines are for “women professing godliness.” No other kind of woman will care about these things. To profess godliness is a description of a true Christian. She is saved by God’s free grace by the blood of Christ, and she is saved unto godliness. The true grace of God teaches us to “live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Tit. 2:11-12). So to profess Christ and salvation in truth is to profess godliness. It is to profess that I have repented and turned from ungodliness to godliness. It is to make godliness my standard of life because I have been born from darkness to life. To profess godliness is the opposite of the apostate Christianity described in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, which aims to live according to its own lusts. Women who are moving along according to the spirit of apostasy do not profess godliness and will not submit to the rules of godliness. If a church is full of women who refuse to heed the instruction of 1 Timothy 2:9-11, women who have the attitude of “no preacher is going to tell me how to dress; I refuse to be a weirdo,” it is a church moving with the spirit of apostasy, no matter what it might call itself or boast itself to be. It might have a name that it lives, but in reality, it is dead. Proper attire is no small issue.
The woman’s dress is to be modest (“modest apparel,” 1 Ti. 2:9).
The Greek word for “modest,” kosmios, means orderly, decent. It is the opposite of disorderly. It also translated “of good behaviour” (1 Ti. 3:2). So in 1 Timothy 2:9 it refers to clothing that is not disorderly, clothing that represents good behaviour, clothing that is becoming to, suitable for, proper for a woman who is behaving right. The Christian woman should not wear anything that would be characterized as NOT of good behaviour.
This is the fundamental guideline about modesty in a nutshell.
But there are five specific biblical principles in this passage that further describe modest apparel. As we will see, all are different ways of saying the same thing, of emphasizing the same thing, which is that the apparel of the woman of God is to express her godly character.
The modest Christian woman will apply these standards to every part of her wardrobe. She will apply these standards when she purchases or makes her clothes, when she determines what to wear, and when she looks in the mirror to consider her attire. “Is this item of dress suitable before God to me as a woman of God? Is it godly? Does it reflect holiness? Is it decent? Is it a good testimony for a godly woman? Is it a good example to other women? Does it suit my lifestyle as a pilgrim in this wicked world?”
This way of choosing one’s dress is exactly the opposite of the way of the world, which is to dress to please oneself, to dress to please the opposite sex, to dress to fit in with my friends, to dress to conform to society, to dress to suit a worldly crowd, or to dress merely for comfort. The woman of the world cares nothing for the glory of God and for the issues that the woman of God cares for.
These principles apply to every time and place.
We will see that the Christian woman’s attire is to reflect her character. The Christian woman’s modesty must come from the inside out. It comes from a sober and shamefaced spirit. The heart condition, the spiritual character is the fundamental thing. The dress issue begins, therefore, with salvation, because without salvation it is impossible to be shamefaced, sober, godly. Without salvation there can be no good works that please God. The dress issue, secondly, requires surrender in seeking God’s perfect will, which requires non-conformity to the world and transformation by the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:1-2). Without salvation and surrender and the pursuit of holiness, the dress issue is only a matter of externals, which is true Phariseeism. The churches must focus on the heart.
This teaches us that it is not enough to set forth dress standards. Every effort must be made to educate the women, beginning with the children in the homes, so that they understand the biblical principles of modesty and know the reason for the church’s standards. Every effort must be made to reach their hearts, to make sure that they are born again, to challenge them to surrender themselves wholly to Christ and to live for His glory. This is where the battle has been lost in so many churches. They have focused only on external rules. They haven’t been careful about salvation, accepting flimsy professions of faith instead of looking for life-changing regeneration. They haven’t sought to maintain a regenerate church membership. They haven’t seriously educated and discipled the people. They haven’t produced mature saints who are skilled in the Word of God and who walk in a testing mindset to discern good from evil according to Hebrews 5:12-14. They have taught the children only how to play games and sing silly songs and be entertained with shallow Bible stories taught, all too frequently, by unqualified teachers. The youth have been pampered and entertained more than discipled. No wonder so many of the churches are one-generation churches that become the habitats of old people in the second generation, and the power of God, if there ever was any power of God, is a distant memory.
1. Modest dress is dress that is fitting for a woman displaying “shamefacedness” (1 Ti. 2:9).
“Shamefacedness” is from the Greek aidos, which means godly humility. It “has the idea of downcast eyes” and means “bashfulness, i.e. (towards men), modesty or (towards God) awe” (Strong). It implies “a shrinking from trespassing the boundaries of propriety” (William Hendrickson, New Testament Commentary). Shamefacedness is shyness in the sense of humility, submission to God, submission to God’s will, submission to God’s order of creation. Shamefacedness is that “meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (1 Pe. 3:3-4).
The shamefaced woman loves God and is committed to obeying His Word, and this is reflected on her face and in every aspect of her life, including her clothing.
It is a renunciation of “the pride of life” which is a major characteristic of this fallen world (1 Jo. 2:16).
A shamefaced Christian woman will not have the attitude that says, “I will dress as I please!” She will not be stubborn and sassy. She will not say, “I don’t care what some old-fashioned men say about how I dress; that is their problem; I’m not going to be a weirdo!” That is exactly the spirit of this lost world, and the fact that so many women in “Bible-believing” churches reflect that spirit is clear evidence of apostasy. Paul described apostasy as a Christianity that lives according to its own lusts (2 Ti. 4:3-4).
Shamefacedness is exactly the opposite of the cheeky, saucy, proud, impertinent, brash, flippant, sensual, show yourself off, insubordinate attitude that the world seeks to develop in women today and that is modeled by Hollywood starlets and rock & roll divas.
2. Modest dress is dress that is fitting for a woman displaying “sobriety” (1 Ti. 2:9).
“Sobriety” is from the Greek sophrosune, which is translated “soberness” in Acts 26:25. It means “soundness of mind, self-control” (Strong), “habitual inner self-government” (Trench), “the well-balanced state of mind arising from habitual self-restraint” (Ellicott), “moderation of the desires and passions, opposed to all that is frivolous and to all undue excitement of the passions” (Barnes). A sober mind is a mind controlled by God’s Spirit and God’s Word.
Sobriety means not to be drunk, neither with alcoholic beverages, or drugs, or any other thing. Many professing Christian teenage girls and young women are drunk with the fashions and fads and ways of the world. They are drunk with television, and Hollywood movies and sensual magazines and pop music and YouTube and social media. The Bible and the things of Christ do not excite them, but they are giddy over what some worldly movie star or pop singer is wearing and doing, and over the latest vain fashion or hair style or cosmetic, and over what their friends are doing and saying.
Sobriety is the opposite of foolish, silly, flippant, careless, intoxicated, shallow, worldly, and vain. It is the opposite of the spirit of the modern pop culture.
We will apply the first two standards (shamefaced, and sober) to specific types of dress.
A modest, shamefaced, sober woman will not dress indecently. She will not dress in a sensual way to attract men’s lust. Jesus warned, “whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Mt. 5:26). That warning is addressed to men, but the modest woman will not want to dress in such a way that men are enticed.
A modest, shamefaced, sober woman will not wear clothing that exposes those parts of the body that have particular sex appeal. God replaced Adam and Eve’s aprons with “coats” (Ge. 3:21). This Hebrew word (kethôneth) is translated “robe” in Isaiah 22:21. In 2 Samuel 13:18 it describes Tamar’s robe of many colors. Because man’s heart was now fallen and corrupt and because the man, in particular, is enticed sexually by the eye (Pr. 6:25; Mt. 5:28), proper clothing consisted of covering. Since men find women’s breasts very desirable (Pr. 5:19), the woman needs to take special care to cover that part of herself properly. And the robes God made for Eve doubtless also covered her legs and thighs. In Isaiah 47:2-3 we find that uncovering the leg and thigh is nakedness by God’s standard. Types of clothing that improperly expose the body include short skirts and short dresses, shorts, slit skirts (this is a teasing fashion), low blouses, short blouses that bare the midriff, deep V-necked dresses, backless dresses, halter tops, sleeveless blouses, and any modern swimsuit.
A modest, shamefaced, sober woman will avoid clothing whereby her figure is sensually accentuated. Tight, clinging attire is as immodest as skimpy attire because the woman’s figure is emphasized and accented, and man’s attention is directed to that which is forbidden outside of marriage. The immodest clothing industry understands these things and strives to dress women seductively rather than modestly.
In a survey of Christian men on the issue of women’s dress (for the book Dressing for the Lord), most of the men indicated that tight skirts and tight blouses and form-fitting jeans hold a “VERY great potential” for lust. Consider the following examples of the feedback we received:
“You don’t even need to see skin; they provide all the curves.”
“I would say the Number One problem is any garment that is form fitting, be it jeans, pants, skirt, dress, shirt, whatever. Anything that is tight, no matter how long it is, leaves nothing to the imagination, and that defeats the whole purpose of covering the skin in the first place!”
“One thing I see in my church is tight clothing. Oh, it may very well be covering but it is revealing the shape in a woman. This can be even more tantalizing to a man.”
“The point is that it is not merely the type of clothing that can trip a man up; rather it is the amount and the level of cling to the body.”
Tight pants or skinny jeans were designed by Calvin Klein, a bisexual fashion designer. When his super tight pants appeared in 1974, they sold 200,000 pairs the first week (“Calvin Klein: A Stylish Obsession,” Entrepreneur, Oct. 10, 2008).
Tights worn as pants were designed by Gianni Versace, a homosexual fashion designer who was murdered by a homosexual in 1997.
Godly women who understand what a temptation tight clothing is for men will be careful to avoid this type of attire.
3. Modest dress is dress that is not ostentatious or extravagant (“not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array,” 1 Ti. 2:9).
“Broided hair” refers to braiding the hair. This does not mean that the Christian woman should not take care of her hair or style her hair. It is a warning against extravagance. It is a warning against trying to draw undue attention to herself. It is a warning against spending a great deal of time adorning herself in the manner of the world, of making this the focus of her life. We agree with the Barnes commentary, which says: “It cannot be supposed that the mere braiding of the hair is forbidden, but only that careful attention to the manner of doing it, and to the ornaments usually worn in it, which characterized worldly females.”
Examples of the extravagant types of braided hair in Paul’s day can be seen in museums.
This also does not mean the Christian woman is forbidden to wear any type of jewelry. Again, it is a matter of modesty and propriety. It is a matter of not drawing undue attention to oneself. “It is not to be supposed that all use of gold or pearls, as articles of dress, is here forbidden; but the idea is that the Christian female is not to seek these as the adorning which she desires, or is not to imitate the world in these personal decorations. It may be a difficult question to settle how much ornament is allowable, and when the true line is passed. ... It is, that the true line is passed when more is thought of this external adorning, than of the ornament of the heart. Any external decoration which occupies the mind more than the virtues of the heart, and which engrosses the time and attention more, we may be certain is wrong” (Barnes).
The meaning of 1 Timothy 2:9 (“not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array”) is further explained in 1 Peter 3:2-5, “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it 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.”
If this were to be taken in a strict literal manner, it would mean the woman should not put on apparel, which is obviously not the meaning. The meaning is that the Christian woman is to put the emphasis on godliness and simplicity rather than on adornment. It doesn’t mean it is wrong for a woman to fix her hair or to wear any jewelry or makeup whatsoever or to dress in attractive clothes. Elsewhere in Scripture we are told that the virtuous woman “maketh herself coverings of tapestry” (Pr. 31:22). Paul in 1 Timothy 2 and Peter in 1 Peter 3 are contrasting the way of the world with the way of Christ. The worldly woman focuses on the physical and the sensual and the prideful, while the spiritual woman focuses on the things of God, the spiritual, humility. The worldly woman wants to please herself and to show herself off and to conform to society, while the spiritual woman wants to please God and have a godly influence. Her focus is on pleasing the Lord and cultivating godliness. She puts on apparel, but she does not put on immodest apparel. She takes care of her hair and might wear some item of jewelry and some modest makeup, but she does not do so ostentatiously or in a “sexy” manner, and such things do not captivate her heart or characterize her testimony. Her testimony and reputation is that of a modest woman of God. This is what she is most concerned about.
There is a danger of taking the teaching of 1 Timothy 2:9 to an extreme. I have observed this many times. In such cases, there is a strict banning of all jewelry and makeup and a tendency toward drabness and plainness of dress. And often, the standards are arbitrary. I think of a preacher who teaches that it is wrong for women to cut their hair (at all), but he allows earrings. I think of a family that left a church because a woman in the choir wore shoes with low heels, which they considered immodest. God looks on the heart (1 Sa. 16:7), so in God’s eyes, a woman with some makeup and jewelry might be more pleasing than a woman with none. It depends on her heart’s condition toward God. It is the meek and quiet spirit that is in the sight of God of great price (1 Pe. 3:4). This is not to say that it doesn’t matter how we dress. It matters very much, as we are seeing. What we are warning about here is the danger of becoming hyper-focused on the minutiae of dress and losing sight of the big picture of true spirituality. Paul’s emphasis is on modesty, sobriety, shamefacedness, godliness, all of which are heart conditions.
“This was no plea for women to make themselves unattractive; it was simply an exhortation to reject the world’s yardstick for measuring beauty and adopt heaven’s standard (1 Sa. 16:7). One should expect nothing less from women who profess to worship God” (Bible Knowledge Commentary).
4. Modest dress is dress that is fitting for “women professing godliness” (1 Ti. 2:10).
This one standard would be sufficient. Every item of the woman’s attire should be fitting for a woman professing godliness, a woman who knows Christ in salvation and who is on the path to please Him by godly living. It is the opposite of dress that is ungodly, unholy, worldly (“the lust of the flesh, and the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life,” 1 Jo. 2:16).
5. Modest dress is dress that is fitting for a woman who adorns herself “with good works” (1 Ti. 2:10).
God’s woman should be known for her obedience to God and her service to Jesus Christ, rather than for her extravagance in dress or her devotion to sensuality and pleasure. “There is great beauty in this direction. Good works, or deeds of benevolence, eminently become a Christian female. The woman’s nature seems to be adapted to the performance of all deeds demanding kindness, tenderness, and gentleness of feeling; of all that proceeds from pity, sympathy, and affection... God seems to have formed her mind for just such things, and in such things it occupies its appropriate sphere, rather than in seeking external adorning” (Barnes).
One man wrote: “When I see a woman in a store in town and she is dressed a certain conservative way, I always think, ‘I bet she is a Christian.’ It says a lot about the character of a woman when she shuns the styles of this world and walks in such a way that she wants to let people know that she is different.”
The modest woman is in direct contrast with the strange woman (Pr. 7:6-23).
- They are different in where they go. The strange woman goes out “in the black and dark night” (Pr. 7:9). Her “feet abide not in her house; now is she without, now in the streets” (Pr. 7:11-12). The modest woman, on the other hand, is cautious about where she goes and when she goes and with whom she goes. She avoids going to places where moral temptations lurk; she avoids being alone with men other than her husband and brothers; she avoids situations that could place her in the way of moral harm. The modern pop culture would applaud the strange woman as “liberated,” but the liberty to do evil is actually enslavement and the path of moral and spiritual corruption.
- They are different in their attire (Pr. 7:10). The immoral woman has “the attire of an harlot”--skimpy, tight, suggestive; clothing that draws attention to herself sexually and that lures men to her on that basis. The modest woman, on the other hand, is clothed in such a way so as NOT to draw men’s attention to her in a sexual manner. She doesn’t want to be “hot.” She wants to be modest.
- They are different in spirit (Pr. 7:10-11). The immoral woman is “subtil of heart ... loud and stubborn.” No one can tell her what to do, where to go, how to dress. In contrast, the modest woman has “a meek and quiet spirit” (1 Pe. 3:4). The modest woman is characterized by “sobriety” (1 Ti. 2:9). “Sobriety” is from the Greek sophrosune, which is translated “soberness” in Acts 26:25. It means “soundness of mind, self-control” (Strong), “habitual inner self-government” (Trench). A sober mind is a mind controlled by God’s Spirit and God’s Word.
- They are different in countenance (Pr. 7:13). The immoral woman has “an impudent face.” The modest woman, on the other hand, is “shamefaced” (1 Ti. 2:9). This is the Greek aidos, which “has the idea of downcast eyes” and means “bashfulness, i.e. (towards men), modesty or (towards God) awe” (Strong). It implies “a shrinking from trespassing the boundaries of propriety” (William Hendrickson, New Testament Commentary).
- They are different in their religion. The strange woman makes religious offerings and attends to religious duties (Pr. 7:14), but her heart is far from God. She goes to church, but she is a hypocrite. Her true and real life is devoted to doing whatever she pleases. The modest woman, on the other hand, serves God from the heart. She is the same person on Saturday night as she is on Sunday morning.
- They are different in their definition of love. The strange woman confuses love with lust, thinking that “love” is romance and the fulfillment of sexual desire regardless of one’s marital status (Pr. 7:18). This is the definition of love promoted by Hollywood and rock & roll. “If it feels so right, it can’t be wrong.” The modest woman, on the other hand, knows that genuine love is godly commitment in marriage. True love is keeping God’s commandments (1 Jo. 5:3). True love “doth not behave itself unseemly” (1 Co. 13:5).
- They are different in the way they look at life. The strange woman lives only for the moment, only for this world. She does not look at the end of things, only at the beginning. She does not think about God’s judgment, only about the pleasure of sin (Pr. 7:22-23). The modest woman, on the other hand, knows that sin is pleasurable only for a season and she focuses her attention on the eternal rather than the temporal (Heb. 11:24-26). She sets her affection on things above, not on things on the earth (Col. 3:1-4). She lives her life as a pilgrim who is journeying in a strange land, and she lives by the precepts of her heavenly country rather than those of this fallen world (Heb. 11:13-16; 1 Pe. 2:11-12).
When Paul turns from the ministry of the men in verse 8 to the ministry of the women in verse 9, he first addresses the woman’s apparel. We see, then, that modesty in dress is not a “non-essential” and dress is not strictly a matter of personal preference, as is commonly believed in this apostate age. Further, to teach the biblical principles of modest dress is not “Phariseeism” or “legalism.”
Paul taught on apparel, and he taught it as one of the things whereby we are instructed how to behave ourselves in God’s house (1 Ti. 3:15). 1 Timothy 2:9-10 is not Paul’s teaching; it is God’s Word. Paul wrote this epistle as an apostle of Jesus Christ (1 Ti. 1:1). This is how God wants His redeemed daughters to dress.
Paul’s example of putting the apparel issue first is instructive in light of the fact that the vast majority of churches today ignore the issue almost entirely. Even so-called “fundamentalist” churches are giving up the “battle” on this issue. When I was saved in 1973 and joined an Independent Baptist church, I was attracted by the fact that the church took the Bible literally and seriously. There was a pilgrim lifestyle that set the people apart from the world. But that is quickly disappearing even among those types of churches. In 2002, the new pastor of Bethlehem Baptist church of Fairfax, Virginia, a formerly conservative church, sent a letter to his people that said, “With regard to dress and modesty issues, we enforce no rule on our folks.” Lukewarm people want to live like the world, and the compromising pastors don’t want to offend them.
Churches are simply following in lockstep with the world. There is great, worldwide rebellion against God’s created order today, as prophesied in Psalm 2:1-3. When I was a boy, American society was still very conservative in dress because of the influence of the Bible. Most women wore modest dresses and long hair. People dressed up even for sporting events, not to speak of church attendance. This was destroyed by the onslaught of the rock & roll culture that began in the 1950s and exploded in the 1960s. (There was an earlier jazz age in the “Roaring Twenties,” but it was more limited to certain segments of society, most of the nation remaining conservative and biblically influenced.) Prominent rockers and fashion designers such as Mary Quant had an agenda of overturning every biblical element of society, including sexual distinctives. God made man male and female, but the rock & roll culture says, “We don’t agree; we will be whatever we want to be.” Unisex fashion (the androgynous look) and feminism paved the way for the homosexual rights movement and transsexualism. Even something as “little” as the Beatles wearing longer hair was a significant unisex statement. Paul McCartney boasted of their role in destroying traditional convention: “There they were in America, all getting house-trained for adulthood with their indisputable principle of life: short hair equals men; long hair equals women. Well, we got rid of that small convention for them. And a few others, too” (Barbara Ehrenreich, “Beatlemania: Girls Just Wanted to Have Fun,” cited by Lisa Lewis, The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media, p. 102). Those “conventions” had come about because of the Bible’s great influence on the nation, and these were not small things at all.
One reason why the apostle Paul begins with the woman’s attire is the visual nature of the man’s sexuality (Pr. 6:25; Mt. 5:28) and the woman’s natural vanity and her tendency to adorn herself in such a manner as to attract attention in the wrong way. In arguing against being “limited” by modest clothing, one woman said, “I don’t believe it is wrong to use my God-given assets to attract men’s attention.” This is the voice of rebellion. A woman’s “God-given assets” are to be used in God’s will and according to God’s law, not as she pleases. There is also the “pride of life,” which is the way of the world (1 Jo. 2:15-16) and which causes women to dress in an ostentatious manner to draw undue attention to themselves.
Paul lays out fundamental principles of modest dress which should be taught in every church. This is the substance of the “testing mindset” that is to characterize God’s people in this present world. All things are to be tested by the absolute standard of God’s Word to prove whether it is right or wrong, true or false, acceptable or unacceptable to God (1 Th. 5:21). Spiritual maturity requires exercising the senses “to discern both good and evil,” and those who do not live like this are labeled “babes” in God’s Word (Heb. 5:12-14). Mature spiritual women want to test their attire by the standard of God’s Word. It is this fundamental thing (the testing mindset) that is so glaringly absent from most churches, and which is disappearing from even the most “fundamentalist” of churches in the 21st century.
Observe that these guidelines are for “women professing godliness.” No other kind of woman will care about these things. To profess godliness is a description of a true Christian. She is saved by God’s free grace by the blood of Christ, and she is saved unto godliness. The true grace of God teaches us to “live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Tit. 2:11-12). So to profess Christ and salvation in truth is to profess godliness. It is to profess that I have repented and turned from ungodliness to godliness. It is to make godliness my standard of life because I have been born from darkness to life. To profess godliness is the opposite of the apostate Christianity described in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, which aims to live according to its own lusts. Women who are moving along according to the spirit of apostasy do not profess godliness and will not submit to the rules of godliness. If a church is full of women who refuse to heed the instruction of 1 Timothy 2:9-11, women who have the attitude of “no preacher is going to tell me how to dress; I refuse to be a weirdo,” it is a church moving with the spirit of apostasy, no matter what it might call itself or boast itself to be. It might have a name that it lives, but in reality, it is dead. Proper attire is no small issue.
The woman’s dress is to be modest (“modest apparel,” 1 Ti. 2:9).
The Greek word for “modest,” kosmios, means orderly, decent. It is the opposite of disorderly. It also translated “of good behaviour” (1 Ti. 3:2). So in 1 Timothy 2:9 it refers to clothing that is not disorderly, clothing that represents good behaviour, clothing that is becoming to, suitable for, proper for a woman who is behaving right. The Christian woman should not wear anything that would be characterized as NOT of good behaviour.
This is the fundamental guideline about modesty in a nutshell.
But there are five specific biblical principles in this passage that further describe modest apparel. As we will see, all are different ways of saying the same thing, of emphasizing the same thing, which is that the apparel of the woman of God is to express her godly character.
The modest Christian woman will apply these standards to every part of her wardrobe. She will apply these standards when she purchases or makes her clothes, when she determines what to wear, and when she looks in the mirror to consider her attire. “Is this item of dress suitable before God to me as a woman of God? Is it godly? Does it reflect holiness? Is it decent? Is it a good testimony for a godly woman? Is it a good example to other women? Does it suit my lifestyle as a pilgrim in this wicked world?”
This way of choosing one’s dress is exactly the opposite of the way of the world, which is to dress to please oneself, to dress to please the opposite sex, to dress to fit in with my friends, to dress to conform to society, to dress to suit a worldly crowd, or to dress merely for comfort. The woman of the world cares nothing for the glory of God and for the issues that the woman of God cares for.
These principles apply to every time and place.
We will see that the Christian woman’s attire is to reflect her character. The Christian woman’s modesty must come from the inside out. It comes from a sober and shamefaced spirit. The heart condition, the spiritual character is the fundamental thing. The dress issue begins, therefore, with salvation, because without salvation it is impossible to be shamefaced, sober, godly. Without salvation there can be no good works that please God. The dress issue, secondly, requires surrender in seeking God’s perfect will, which requires non-conformity to the world and transformation by the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:1-2). Without salvation and surrender and the pursuit of holiness, the dress issue is only a matter of externals, which is true Phariseeism. The churches must focus on the heart.
This teaches us that it is not enough to set forth dress standards. Every effort must be made to educate the women, beginning with the children in the homes, so that they understand the biblical principles of modesty and know the reason for the church’s standards. Every effort must be made to reach their hearts, to make sure that they are born again, to challenge them to surrender themselves wholly to Christ and to live for His glory. This is where the battle has been lost in so many churches. They have focused only on external rules. They haven’t been careful about salvation, accepting flimsy professions of faith instead of looking for life-changing regeneration. They haven’t sought to maintain a regenerate church membership. They haven’t seriously educated and discipled the people. They haven’t produced mature saints who are skilled in the Word of God and who walk in a testing mindset to discern good from evil according to Hebrews 5:12-14. They have taught the children only how to play games and sing silly songs and be entertained with shallow Bible stories taught, all too frequently, by unqualified teachers. The youth have been pampered and entertained more than discipled. No wonder so many of the churches are one-generation churches that become the habitats of old people in the second generation, and the power of God, if there ever was any power of God, is a distant memory.
1. Modest dress is dress that is fitting for a woman displaying “shamefacedness” (1 Ti. 2:9).
“Shamefacedness” is from the Greek aidos, which means godly humility. It “has the idea of downcast eyes” and means “bashfulness, i.e. (towards men), modesty or (towards God) awe” (Strong). It implies “a shrinking from trespassing the boundaries of propriety” (William Hendrickson, New Testament Commentary). Shamefacedness is shyness in the sense of humility, submission to God, submission to God’s will, submission to God’s order of creation. Shamefacedness is that “meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (1 Pe. 3:3-4).
The shamefaced woman loves God and is committed to obeying His Word, and this is reflected on her face and in every aspect of her life, including her clothing.
It is a renunciation of “the pride of life” which is a major characteristic of this fallen world (1 Jo. 2:16).
A shamefaced Christian woman will not have the attitude that says, “I will dress as I please!” She will not be stubborn and sassy. She will not say, “I don’t care what some old-fashioned men say about how I dress; that is their problem; I’m not going to be a weirdo!” That is exactly the spirit of this lost world, and the fact that so many women in “Bible-believing” churches reflect that spirit is clear evidence of apostasy. Paul described apostasy as a Christianity that lives according to its own lusts (2 Ti. 4:3-4).
Shamefacedness is exactly the opposite of the cheeky, saucy, proud, impertinent, brash, flippant, sensual, show yourself off, insubordinate attitude that the world seeks to develop in women today and that is modeled by Hollywood starlets and rock & roll divas.
2. Modest dress is dress that is fitting for a woman displaying “sobriety” (1 Ti. 2:9).
“Sobriety” is from the Greek sophrosune, which is translated “soberness” in Acts 26:25. It means “soundness of mind, self-control” (Strong), “habitual inner self-government” (Trench), “the well-balanced state of mind arising from habitual self-restraint” (Ellicott), “moderation of the desires and passions, opposed to all that is frivolous and to all undue excitement of the passions” (Barnes). A sober mind is a mind controlled by God’s Spirit and God’s Word.
Sobriety means not to be drunk, neither with alcoholic beverages, or drugs, or any other thing. Many professing Christian teenage girls and young women are drunk with the fashions and fads and ways of the world. They are drunk with television, and Hollywood movies and sensual magazines and pop music and YouTube and social media. The Bible and the things of Christ do not excite them, but they are giddy over what some worldly movie star or pop singer is wearing and doing, and over the latest vain fashion or hair style or cosmetic, and over what their friends are doing and saying.
Sobriety is the opposite of foolish, silly, flippant, careless, intoxicated, shallow, worldly, and vain. It is the opposite of the spirit of the modern pop culture.
We will apply the first two standards (shamefaced, and sober) to specific types of dress.
A modest, shamefaced, sober woman will not dress indecently. She will not dress in a sensual way to attract men’s lust. Jesus warned, “whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Mt. 5:26). That warning is addressed to men, but the modest woman will not want to dress in such a way that men are enticed.
A modest, shamefaced, sober woman will not wear clothing that exposes those parts of the body that have particular sex appeal. God replaced Adam and Eve’s aprons with “coats” (Ge. 3:21). This Hebrew word (kethôneth) is translated “robe” in Isaiah 22:21. In 2 Samuel 13:18 it describes Tamar’s robe of many colors. Because man’s heart was now fallen and corrupt and because the man, in particular, is enticed sexually by the eye (Pr. 6:25; Mt. 5:28), proper clothing consisted of covering. Since men find women’s breasts very desirable (Pr. 5:19), the woman needs to take special care to cover that part of herself properly. And the robes God made for Eve doubtless also covered her legs and thighs. In Isaiah 47:2-3 we find that uncovering the leg and thigh is nakedness by God’s standard. Types of clothing that improperly expose the body include short skirts and short dresses, shorts, slit skirts (this is a teasing fashion), low blouses, short blouses that bare the midriff, deep V-necked dresses, backless dresses, halter tops, sleeveless blouses, and any modern swimsuit.
A modest, shamefaced, sober woman will avoid clothing whereby her figure is sensually accentuated. Tight, clinging attire is as immodest as skimpy attire because the woman’s figure is emphasized and accented, and man’s attention is directed to that which is forbidden outside of marriage. The immodest clothing industry understands these things and strives to dress women seductively rather than modestly.
In a survey of Christian men on the issue of women’s dress (for the book Dressing for the Lord), most of the men indicated that tight skirts and tight blouses and form-fitting jeans hold a “VERY great potential” for lust. Consider the following examples of the feedback we received:
“You don’t even need to see skin; they provide all the curves.”
“I would say the Number One problem is any garment that is form fitting, be it jeans, pants, skirt, dress, shirt, whatever. Anything that is tight, no matter how long it is, leaves nothing to the imagination, and that defeats the whole purpose of covering the skin in the first place!”
“One thing I see in my church is tight clothing. Oh, it may very well be covering but it is revealing the shape in a woman. This can be even more tantalizing to a man.”
“The point is that it is not merely the type of clothing that can trip a man up; rather it is the amount and the level of cling to the body.”
Tight pants or skinny jeans were designed by Calvin Klein, a bisexual fashion designer. When his super tight pants appeared in 1974, they sold 200,000 pairs the first week (“Calvin Klein: A Stylish Obsession,” Entrepreneur, Oct. 10, 2008).
Tights worn as pants were designed by Gianni Versace, a homosexual fashion designer who was murdered by a homosexual in 1997.
Godly women who understand what a temptation tight clothing is for men will be careful to avoid this type of attire.
3. Modest dress is dress that is not ostentatious or extravagant (“not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array,” 1 Ti. 2:9).
“Broided hair” refers to braiding the hair. This does not mean that the Christian woman should not take care of her hair or style her hair. It is a warning against extravagance. It is a warning against trying to draw undue attention to herself. It is a warning against spending a great deal of time adorning herself in the manner of the world, of making this the focus of her life. We agree with the Barnes commentary, which says: “It cannot be supposed that the mere braiding of the hair is forbidden, but only that careful attention to the manner of doing it, and to the ornaments usually worn in it, which characterized worldly females.”
Examples of the extravagant types of braided hair in Paul’s day can be seen in museums.
This also does not mean the Christian woman is forbidden to wear any type of jewelry. Again, it is a matter of modesty and propriety. It is a matter of not drawing undue attention to oneself. “It is not to be supposed that all use of gold or pearls, as articles of dress, is here forbidden; but the idea is that the Christian female is not to seek these as the adorning which she desires, or is not to imitate the world in these personal decorations. It may be a difficult question to settle how much ornament is allowable, and when the true line is passed. ... It is, that the true line is passed when more is thought of this external adorning, than of the ornament of the heart. Any external decoration which occupies the mind more than the virtues of the heart, and which engrosses the time and attention more, we may be certain is wrong” (Barnes).
The meaning of 1 Timothy 2:9 (“not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array”) is further explained in 1 Peter 3:2-5, “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it 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.”
If this were to be taken in a strict literal manner, it would mean the woman should not put on apparel, which is obviously not the meaning. The meaning is that the Christian woman is to put the emphasis on godliness and simplicity rather than on adornment. It doesn’t mean it is wrong for a woman to fix her hair or to wear any jewelry or makeup whatsoever or to dress in attractive clothes. Elsewhere in Scripture we are told that the virtuous woman “maketh herself coverings of tapestry” (Pr. 31:22). Paul in 1 Timothy 2 and Peter in 1 Peter 3 are contrasting the way of the world with the way of Christ. The worldly woman focuses on the physical and the sensual and the prideful, while the spiritual woman focuses on the things of God, the spiritual, humility. The worldly woman wants to please herself and to show herself off and to conform to society, while the spiritual woman wants to please God and have a godly influence. Her focus is on pleasing the Lord and cultivating godliness. She puts on apparel, but she does not put on immodest apparel. She takes care of her hair and might wear some item of jewelry and some modest makeup, but she does not do so ostentatiously or in a “sexy” manner, and such things do not captivate her heart or characterize her testimony. Her testimony and reputation is that of a modest woman of God. This is what she is most concerned about.
There is a danger of taking the teaching of 1 Timothy 2:9 to an extreme. I have observed this many times. In such cases, there is a strict banning of all jewelry and makeup and a tendency toward drabness and plainness of dress. And often, the standards are arbitrary. I think of a preacher who teaches that it is wrong for women to cut their hair (at all), but he allows earrings. I think of a family that left a church because a woman in the choir wore shoes with low heels, which they considered immodest. God looks on the heart (1 Sa. 16:7), so in God’s eyes, a woman with some makeup and jewelry might be more pleasing than a woman with none. It depends on her heart’s condition toward God. It is the meek and quiet spirit that is in the sight of God of great price (1 Pe. 3:4). This is not to say that it doesn’t matter how we dress. It matters very much, as we are seeing. What we are warning about here is the danger of becoming hyper-focused on the minutiae of dress and losing sight of the big picture of true spirituality. Paul’s emphasis is on modesty, sobriety, shamefacedness, godliness, all of which are heart conditions.
“This was no plea for women to make themselves unattractive; it was simply an exhortation to reject the world’s yardstick for measuring beauty and adopt heaven’s standard (1 Sa. 16:7). One should expect nothing less from women who profess to worship God” (Bible Knowledge Commentary).
4. Modest dress is dress that is fitting for “women professing godliness” (1 Ti. 2:10).
This one standard would be sufficient. Every item of the woman’s attire should be fitting for a woman professing godliness, a woman who knows Christ in salvation and who is on the path to please Him by godly living. It is the opposite of dress that is ungodly, unholy, worldly (“the lust of the flesh, and the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life,” 1 Jo. 2:16).
5. Modest dress is dress that is fitting for a woman who adorns herself “with good works” (1 Ti. 2:10).
God’s woman should be known for her obedience to God and her service to Jesus Christ, rather than for her extravagance in dress or her devotion to sensuality and pleasure. “There is great beauty in this direction. Good works, or deeds of benevolence, eminently become a Christian female. The woman’s nature seems to be adapted to the performance of all deeds demanding kindness, tenderness, and gentleness of feeling; of all that proceeds from pity, sympathy, and affection... God seems to have formed her mind for just such things, and in such things it occupies its appropriate sphere, rather than in seeking external adorning” (Barnes).
One man wrote: “When I see a woman in a store in town and she is dressed a certain conservative way, I always think, ‘I bet she is a Christian.’ It says a lot about the character of a woman when she shuns the styles of this world and walks in such a way that she wants to let people know that she is different.”
The modest woman is in direct contrast with the strange woman (Pr. 7:6-23).
- They are different in where they go. The strange woman goes out “in the black and dark night” (Pr. 7:9). Her “feet abide not in her house; now is she without, now in the streets” (Pr. 7:11-12). The modest woman, on the other hand, is cautious about where she goes and when she goes and with whom she goes. She avoids going to places where moral temptations lurk; she avoids being alone with men other than her husband and brothers; she avoids situations that could place her in the way of moral harm. The modern pop culture would applaud the strange woman as “liberated,” but the liberty to do evil is actually enslavement and the path of moral and spiritual corruption.
- They are different in their attire (Pr. 7:10). The immoral woman has “the attire of an harlot”--skimpy, tight, suggestive; clothing that draws attention to herself sexually and that lures men to her on that basis. The modest woman, on the other hand, is clothed in such a way so as NOT to draw men’s attention to her in a sexual manner. She doesn’t want to be “hot.” She wants to be modest.
- They are different in spirit (Pr. 7:10-11). The immoral woman is “subtil of heart ... loud and stubborn.” No one can tell her what to do, where to go, how to dress. In contrast, the modest woman has “a meek and quiet spirit” (1 Pe. 3:4). The modest woman is characterized by “sobriety” (1 Ti. 2:9). “Sobriety” is from the Greek sophrosune, which is translated “soberness” in Acts 26:25. It means “soundness of mind, self-control” (Strong), “habitual inner self-government” (Trench). A sober mind is a mind controlled by God’s Spirit and God’s Word.
- They are different in countenance (Pr. 7:13). The immoral woman has “an impudent face.” The modest woman, on the other hand, is “shamefaced” (1 Ti. 2:9). This is the Greek aidos, which “has the idea of downcast eyes” and means “bashfulness, i.e. (towards men), modesty or (towards God) awe” (Strong). It implies “a shrinking from trespassing the boundaries of propriety” (William Hendrickson, New Testament Commentary).
- They are different in their religion. The strange woman makes religious offerings and attends to religious duties (Pr. 7:14), but her heart is far from God. She goes to church, but she is a hypocrite. Her true and real life is devoted to doing whatever she pleases. The modest woman, on the other hand, serves God from the heart. She is the same person on Saturday night as she is on Sunday morning.
- They are different in their definition of love. The strange woman confuses love with lust, thinking that “love” is romance and the fulfillment of sexual desire regardless of one’s marital status (Pr. 7:18). This is the definition of love promoted by Hollywood and rock & roll. “If it feels so right, it can’t be wrong.” The modest woman, on the other hand, knows that genuine love is godly commitment in marriage. True love is keeping God’s commandments (1 Jo. 5:3). True love “doth not behave itself unseemly” (1 Co. 13:5).
- They are different in the way they look at life. The strange woman lives only for the moment, only for this world. She does not look at the end of things, only at the beginning. She does not think about God’s judgment, only about the pleasure of sin (Pr. 7:22-23). The modest woman, on the other hand, knows that sin is pleasurable only for a season and she focuses her attention on the eternal rather than the temporal (Heb. 11:24-26). She sets her affection on things above, not on things on the earth (Col. 3:1-4). She lives her life as a pilgrim who is journeying in a strange land, and she lives by the precepts of her heavenly country rather than those of this fallen world (Heb. 11:13-16; 1 Pe. 2:11-12).
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