By: Emmanuel Zakka

The original function of clothes was to protect the body from changing climate and lustful desires. Soon, however, people made clothing and ornament the expression of pride and sex. Self-respect was turned into vanity. The desire for recognition led people to load themselves with showy apparel and costly ornaments. Thus, dress and ornaments soon became the index of spiritual decline and apostasy. To the extent that clothes, ornaments, cars, homes, professional goals, and wealth become the priorities (the idols) of our lives, to the same extent God is displaced from our lives and consciousness.

When the clothes you wear to church matter more to you than the time you get to Church, there is something basically wrong with you. It so much the practice that some persons don't go to church because they have not added some new clothes to the wardrobe. This is a fundamental reason why outward ornaments are a stumbling block to thespiritual life. Whatever fosters pride and self-glorificat ­ion rather than the worship of God is sinful.
Once upon a time, it was impossible to wear clothes that exposed one’s ‘privacy’ to the public and not be alone in the crowd.

Those good old days are gone! Now it is common sight to see women and men dressed in attires that do not inspire confidence whatsoever and those who wear them seem to have no qualm of conscience. At times it is difficult to distinguish between sane and mad people since both of them wear rags. In our day and age when sex sells above all else (a kind of an age of Sexual Revolution), the gospel of modesty is becoming increasingly a sensitive one. Since there is hardly any pew in our churches on which a nauseatingly- adorned lady or gentleman is not seated at every convocation of the saints, and since most men and women of God are more careful not to ‘offend’ their congregations for fear of losing them to less rigid church owners (and they are eagerly waiting) than they show real passion for the salvation of the souls of these congregations (no matter how they pretend otherwise), they hardly say anything against these people and so this practice, hitherto alien to the church, is being granted accommodation among believers.

That is why it is good to speak and lend my voice to the debate because so many people are wrong not because they want to be wrong but because they are sincerely wrong, asno one has ever told them in the light of the gospel, that dressing has a point where it begins to work against the believer instead of for the believer.

Check this quote against the backdrop of what is happening in our world today to see if it is not inch perfect. According to Bacchiochi, “Fashion began as our guilty parents were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Innocence was gone, the robe of light had faded, and Adam and Eve, shivering and cringing in the unclothedness of sin, sewed together fig leaves to cover themselves. Their temporary covering was soon replaced by skin garments provided by God Himself (Gen. 3:20). As people became increasingly corrupt, they tried to replace the beautiful simplicity of their innocence with inventions of fabrics, fashions, and ornaments of gold, jewels, and pearls. The more depraved people became, the more extravagant became their clothes and ornaments.”

When you hear such arguments as "Everyone iswearing it or doing it", "it is what is in vogue","you are not civilized", "this is the way to belong on Campus", "there is nothing wrong with what I am putting on since everyone seems to like it", etc., I say to myself: Morality is not made by numbers. It is not determined bydemocratic votes where the majority carries the vote. With morality, as with a lot of other issues concerning the behaviour of the Christian, the majority can be as wrong as the minority. When it comes to the verdict of what is right or wrong morally, the poor can be as influential as the rich, the stark illiterate as invaluable as the learned, the strongest as important as the weakest, the market woman as forceful as the theologian, the lay person as indispensable as the priest/pastor/ ­bishop. It justdoesn’t count what our strata are.

We can be ‘adults’ in the eyes of the world and yet be toddlers in matters of morality. The world doesn’t decide and should not be made to decide what is morally right or wrong because the world lacks the qualification to do so; the church – and the church impeccable because of Christ – remains, in my opinion, the most competent and sole legitimate authority to decide for the world what is morally right or wrong.
Just excerpts, don't forget!

Don't forget

Some xtians believe what u put on doesn't matter. God sees the heart. That's why some of them dress as if they are going to club on sundays. The bible says Love not the world. neither the things that are in the world.... I wonder where they got their doctrines from

SEE THEM....SEE dem

www.nairaland.com/1269423/nairaland-post-best-pic-day

.

In church today, you'll find the consciousness of tithing more than the consciousness of dressing.
What the pastor emphasizes in church is very important.
Dressing of harlot was mentioned in d old testament, and so was tithing. But today, tithing is upheld while the other old testament laws are considered outdated and old fashioned.
You cant go wrong with decent dressing(covering your body properly) at least on rapture day u can be sure that God wont reject u based on dressing. . Sadly we tend to cover ourselves better when going to work these days than when going to church. Lets not overstretch the grace of God
It's well with Christianity. I pray none of us miss heaven

Can smbody surmarise this to me ?

Christians are require to observe and keep three levels of norms:

1. Commandment
Thou shall make thy dressing to cover thy nake'dness

2. Landmark (Ancient or Contemporary)
Among your countrymen, tribesmen and family, how / what is acceptable and pleasing to their eyes.

3. Standard
What did the Govt. legislate on dress code, if any?.

Is there any dress code approved for by Establishments, Schools, Religious bodies, Communities that are moderate and safe?

Think on these things before putting on your clothing to a public arena

However, you are entitled to be naked' like Adam and Eve in your privacy.

...its quite an epistle.

ItsModella:
Irony at its finest. What church are we talking about here? The same church we have in this world? The same church that misinterpret the scriptures to their favor? It's one to say the Bible, it's another thing to say the church. Most churches these days lack the moral qualification to decide anything.

And what happens to those who are not Christians? I'm assuming they're still part of this "world". The church will still decide what is morally right and wrong for them? What manner of bullshit is this?

Abeg jo, drop all this epistle for Mathias...ain't nobody got time for this.

At bolded. The op is talking about Christians abeg. Every religion should have their dressing habit. For instance Muslim ladies don't expose their bweasts all over the place but you can tell that a lady is a Christian by her exposed bossoms.
Pators, una do well o

seriously I find nak£d women sexy

I think we are forgetting that the church aren't the buildings; the church is you and me. Either old or new generation church, modest dressing should be encouraged. OP, you have done a good job concerning clothing among the brethren, God bless you. And while we are at this, Salvation is what Jesus commanded us to tell people about, not prosperity. I'll summarize with this: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matt 6:33).

I was at a church one time for the first time like that . a lady that was sitting in my front was just showing her g-string pant to us at the back sit. she didn't give us a damn even when someone was telling her.
But all I was hearing from the alter that day was give, sow, donate, help the church, infact if the message was hot, that lady would not be comfortable.
THAT was the first and the last time i visited the place before they poison my mind.

Whether you are a Christian, Muslim, Traditionalist or Atheist or not indecent dressing is bad.

This generation is trying to recreate the garden of Eden in this present world. Can't believe what some ladies were putting on in church today all in the name of fashion. I just had to concentrate on the pulpit in order not to ruin my purpose of going to church.

Kamsy10:

At bolded. The op is talking about Christians abeg. Every religion should have their dressing habit. For instance Muslim ladies don't expose their bweasts all over the place but you can tell that a lady is a Christian by her exposed bossoms.
Pators, una do well o

The topic says: Clothing And The Believer In A 'Modern World

So, where in the topic did the OP mention christians?

ItsModella:
Irony at its finest. What church are we talking about here? The same church we have in this world? The same church that misinterpret the scriptures to their favor? It's one to say the Bible, it's another thing to say the church. Most churches these days lack the moral qualification to decide anything.

And what happens to those who are not Christians? I'm assuming they're still part of this "world". The church will still decide what is morally right and wrong for them? What manner of bullshit is this?

Abeg jo, drop all this epistle for Mathias...ain't nobody got time for this.

the article is aimed solely at christians. You could have just ignored it if you feel it's not applicable to you

ehm! Am guilty God forgv me.... Who can remember de 10 things whch makes man remain poor posted last week... I think numbr 4 was.. Strivin to qet wot others hav, becox manee bought bold15 u wan buy bold 19 based on u want to pass him... Jst becox i sew blazer u wan sew suit., comparison and pride ix one of de cause noni

I don't know how to describe a descent dress o,but I would like ask if JESUS comes today will you be comfortable in his presence with what u r putting
On?

I'm guilty

ladies dress well, men dress well

Asian Ideology propagandists trying too hard to keep people living like 1st Century neanderthals. It wont work!

bad meat: I don't know how to describe a descent dress o,but I would like ask if JESUS comes today will you be comfortable in his presence with what u r putting
On?

In your mind, you really think Jesus when He appears, a human flesh will be something to reckon with in His presence? Let me say this: No man or woman will go to Hell because of what He or She wears. Rather, any man who has refused to accept Jesus as His Lord and Saviour, such will be cast aside into the abyss.

Whilst modest dressing is to be encourage, lets not make religion out of it. For man looks at the outside, God sees and works with the inside. Clearly Jesus said: It is not worth enters a man that corrupts Him but what comes out of Him - Think what this really means.

ItsModella:
I'm sorry, are you being real?

Yeah he is being so real, may be your church doesn't allow it but ma we see it daily.
Its quite pathetic

never_say_never:

The topic says: Clothing And The Believer In A 'Modern World

So, where in the topic did the OP mention christians?

yea thats the topic but read the content.

i was lookin thru my balcony today spicing at some church goers a$$, d two gals about 16 to 17 where dressed like club gals, and their mom was wit dem, good for my eyez tho hahahaa

Omo_Tier1:
In your mind, you really think Jesus when He appears, a human flesh will be something to reckon with in His presence? Let me say this: No man or woman will go to Hell because of what He or She wears. Rather, any man who has refused to accept Jesus as His Lord and Saviour, such will be cast aside into the abyss.

Whilst modest dressing is to be encourage, lets not make religion out of it. For man looks at the outside, God sees and works with the inside. Clearly Jesus said: It is not worth enters a man that corrupts Him but what comes out of Him - Think what this really means.

Your reasoning is why many christians will not make heaven! Wat heart are you taking about? Wat is on the outside is a complete reflection of what is on the inside.. Pls stop twisting the scriptures to suit your lusty desires. So a lady wearing mini skirt to church reflects the charisma of Jesus? People called the disciples christians because they could see Jesus in them, hence the word ' Christ-like'..

1 Corinthians 10:12 'Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.'

God Bless you