Clothing for Christian Women

Does God’s Word teach women how to dress to fully honor and glorify Him? It surely does as we will see in a moment.  Before we go into the details of how God wants his ladies to dress, let us remember why we have to wear clothes in the first place.  Please click HERE to read about that, then continue on with this post. 

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;  But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
1 Timothy 2:-10  



The greek word for modest is kosmios and the definition is:

 ‘orderly, of good behavior’.

The greek word for ‘apparel’ is katastole. 

1.    a lowering, letting down, down (kata) 

2.    2. a garment let down, dress, attire (stole); “stello,” meaning “to send.”


Apparel, Apparelled katastole connected with katastello, "to send or let down, to lower" (kata, "down," stello, "to send"), was a garment let down; "dress, attire," a long loose outer garment worn by kings and persons of rank,"stole")  


When Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves, God covered them with a robe type garment. (See Genesis 3:21)

We also see how long a ladies dress should be by the following verse:

Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man. 
(Isaiah 47:1-3)
 
Nakedness and shame is shown as uncovering the leg as well as the thigh and uncovering the hair (removing a woman's veil).  Therefore ladies should wear long dresses and skirts that come down close to the feet so the leg is not bared.


Let’s take the Greek words for modest and apparel and insert them in 1 Timothy 2:9


1 Timothy 1:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in (orderly; of good behavior)  (long, loose, garments/robe), with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array 

We see that the word 'modest' in today's English is not the same as the greek word 'modest'.  


Jeans, pants, shorts, short or tight skirts, tight shirts, t-shirts, capris etc are not flowing and form covering, and therefore are unbiblical.   (Nor are they shamefaced or sober.)  This sort of clothing shows the form of a woman instead of covering/hiding it.

1 Peter 3:3 also shows us how we are to clothe ourselves:

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel


Ladies are also instructed not to use clothing as a form of adornment which means not conforming to this world (Romans 12:2) in styles, and patterns etc.  For example: flowers, lines, dots etc are unnecessary for the clothing and are nothing more than adornments.  God's Word does not outline what color we should wear so in keeping with the spirit of being meek and shamefaced a woman should pick simple colors and while doing so, keep in mind that the reason she has to wear clothing is because of sin.  Women should not use clothing as adornment per the scriptures.

A godly woman's clothing should be form covering (long and loose) and not costly, loud, flashy and stylishly worldly.  See a post HERE that goes into detail about how a godly woman is to adorn herself.    It might be good for you to go read that post and then come back here.  It can be challenging to find biblically modest clothing today but is definitely possible. (Many women complain that it is too cold in the winter to wear a dress...the simple answer is to wear thermal leggings underneath, if you cannot fit them under your skirt or dress then it is too tight.

As per 1 Peter 3 and 1 Timothy 2 a woman's adornment is NOT to come from external adornment such as jewelry, make up, flashy, fancy, adorned clothing etc.  Instead women are to adorn themselves from the inside with a godly, quiet spirit as in the days of old such as Sarah.  The bible also does not tell us to dress in a carbon copy manner of one another as some groups choose to do. Long, loose, clean, neat plain and simple should be what women strive for in their dress, keeping in mind that we represent the God of the universe and the reason we wear clothes is because of sin.  (See HERE for that post.)  

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:15-17 

Godly women are to cover their temple in the manner that glorifies God and God has told us how that is to be done, not like the world.


Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 16:19-20



A godly woman who is dressed biblically (not 'modestly' according to the world) will not be mistaken for the world and her clothing and head cover will shout to the lost as a witness without her saying a word.  This is a powerful testimony as well as conviction to those outside His order.  

1 Peter 1:15 tells us to be holy (set apart) so godly women will be set apart from the world in their dress as well.


What a blessing that women of God have in proclaiming such an awesome and beautiful order that God has created. 

This is not called legalism, this is called obedience to God’s Word.  What do we call disobedience to God’s Word?  Sin.  The sin of false teaching abounds in most religious organizations by convincing women through this lie that the (Holy Spirit) inspired teaching of 1 Timothy 2, does not pertain to today.  This is called cultural relativism and is what many women have bought into therefore deceiving them into the sin of disobedience.  

The lie (sin) of feminism has convinced women that they don’t need to follow God’s Word in this area (see HEADCOVERING for another very important area to study) and instead they have stepped into what the bible would describe as being disobedient, looking like a harlot or acting like an adulterous woman- loving the things of this world rather than the things of God.  These are not minor or insignificant issues, these are instructions for those who (Mark 12:30) love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength



Many people will contest with the fact that God looks upon the heart.  He does but He judges our deeds and what is manifest on the outside is an example of what is on the inside.


Some claim clothing is not a big issue?  Isn’t it?  Let’s see what God’s Word has to say about it.


In the Old Testament God had specific requirements on how the temple was to be adorned and He has done that as well for us today through 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Peter 3 with our body being the temple of the Holy Spirit.  He does not want the Holy Spirit to reside in a temple (body) that is clothed in a sinful worldly manner.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
(1 Corinthians 6:20)

Let us keep in mind the warnings Paul brings us to those who will not obey even in the 'so called' little sins...

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 
(2 Thessalonians 3:6)

He then goes on to say:
And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. 2 Thessalonians 3:14 

But it's just a little thing?  Paul doesn't think what we call little things are little because he referred to a lazy man. 

Why would Paul say that?  Because:
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. (Galatians 5:9)

By harboring (which is approval) a brother or sister who insists in sinning in the way of worldly dress after clearly being shown in the Word, they are a danger to the body.

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. (1 Corinthians 15:33)

Be very careful to not be listing sins as small and therefore not put them as a priority to be taken care of because we clearly have shown you that nothing is small and in fact let's ponder this verse:

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty  (1 Corinthians 1:27)

What we see are the 'so called' smallest issues turn out to be huge issues because they can cause you to be rebuked and shunned so that you may be ashamed.  By leaving these so called little leavens, there is the risk of ruining the whole batch.

Worldly dress is unbiblical and not in line with the word of God, instead it is in alignment with the world and who is the god of this world? Satan, so a worldly dressed person is in line with satan's system.

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.  
​1 John 2:15 


Will you follow our beloved Savior in spirit and TRUTH (John 4:24) or will you continue to follow man-made false religion, carnal ways and feminist lies?  

(Proverbs 14:12) 
There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.