Synopsis on Thinking like a Christian about Modest Apparel Benjamin Sheats 5/9/11 In the following series of articles dealing

with the issue of modesty I will be relating some key things that stood out to me so that in future I can easily reference these and remember why I will hold the things that I do. Thinking like a Christian about Modest Apparel by Robert G. Spinney, made three points that I noted. After all, it was God Who noticed the first clothing ever invented, judged it inadequate, and intervened to replace it with apparel of His own making This is a very interested application to this verse. While I'm sure that we've all heard the 1st Timothy 2:9 reference, this is something I've never heard said. This would be a strong argument for the idea that God is concerned about our clothing. Surely biblical principlesnot worldly fashion designers, movie stars, and celebrities should set the standards for proper clothing. This is something that makes sense and sounds good but is much harder to apply. Especially since most of the stores will sell what sells. And of course what sells is what's popular. This can make it difficult to find good clothing. We can't say though that some sort of clothing is bad simply because it is popular. Paul Washer put it well when he said to be like the culture except when the culture strays from scripture. All in all though It seems like a Christian clothes company is something the church could benefit from greatly. It is not only your reputation that is at stake when you wear improper clothing: Gods reputation is also at stake. This is an excellent statement that should be applied to far more than just clothing. Everything we do and say is an example of how we should stand out. We are a people set apart and we need to be always making sure that we are being an example for Christ. And if we blend with the culture it should not be because we are trying to conform to it but because that part of the culture is still christian.

Synopsis on Christian Modesty Defined. Benjamin Sheats 5/9/11 The article Christian Modesty Defined. written by Jeff Pollard, gives a lot of points on how to define modesty. As he who defines the terms wins then it's important that we understand the definitions of these words. Mr Pollard quotes the Webster dictionary as having said Noah Webster defines modesty as that lowly temper which accompanies a moderate estimate of ones own worth and importance. He adds, In females, modesty has the like character as in males; but the word is used also as synonymous with chastity, or purity of manners. This brings out some interesting thoughts. In this definition then Webster is saying that modesty is much like humility. I suppose this is normal though in the sense that we might say that someone is modest in his speech. I also like the equation to chastity and purity of manners. ...modesty is not first an issue of clothing. It is primarily an issue of the heart. Again this is comparing modesty to humility. If we rule our heart modestly then that must come out and effect every area of our lives. It's a lot like our thoughts and actions. What ever is in our heart is what will come out. If we are foolish then we will say foolish things. If we are focused on God speak of Him often. As with anything else if we have modesty well ingrained in our hearts then it must come out and effect our lifes. Christian modesty is the inner self-government, rooted in a proper understanding of ones self before God, which outwardly displays itself in humility and purity from a genuine love for Jesus Christ, rather than in self-glorification or self-advertisement. This is the final definition given in the article and this one written by Mr Pollard himself. I really like the wording used here. It gives us such and rich picture of what modesty really is. The inner self-government, is such a good term. This aspect of modesty should lie at our hearts and govern everything we do. This is like the fundamental suppositions in our lives. For all of our decisions in life we have many factors that apply to all. First are we doing everything to the glory of God. Then other presuppositions come in to play. One of them should always be modesty

Synopsis on Christian Modesty Defined. Benjamin Sheats 5/10/11 So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. In the article A Crying Sin of Our Age by Arthur W. Pink, dealing with the issue of modesty, he uses Mathew 6: 28-29 as his text. He made many good points in his article and the following are a few that stood out to me. That which is here prohibited is a carnal and inordinate care for clothing that arises either from distrust and fear of [lacking what is necessary] or from pride and discontentedness with such apparel as is [suitable] and necessary. I like here that he takes both angles on this. Not only does this cover the fear of Man and distrust of God but he also covers the issue of clothing yourself simply becuase for pride or discontentedness. It seems like discontentedness is diffrent then pride in a way. Pride is motivated to look better than others and to build one's self up while discontendness is simply wanting more than you have. It's good to keep in mind that this verse applied to both. In view of the brevity of life and fleetingness of physical charm, how groundless and foolish is pride over a handsome body! That beauty upon which we need to fix our hearts and unto which we should devote our energies is the beauty of holiness (1Ch 1:29), for it is a beauty that fadeth not away, is not transient and disappointing, is not destroyed in the grave, but endureth for ever. This is an excellent point that I need to keep in mind. Although I want to become phiscally fit and I want to be prepared so that I would be well able to handle myself in a difficult situation I also need to remeber that in roughly one hundred years or so my body will be dirt. So I suppose that there simply needs to be a balence to things. Also when I'm 80 then I won't really be in the position that I will have to be ready to defend those around me becuase then it will be my sons job. How senseless it is to be conceited over fine attire and to be so solicitous about our personal appearance! For when we have done everything in our power to make ourselves [brightly colored] and attractive, yet we come far short of the flowers of the field in their glorious array. This is a very powerful note. No matter how much I work out and buff my body, no matter how much I train, no matter how expensive my clothes are or how fashionable I will still never come even close to the lilies in the field.

Synopsis on Symtoms of Bodily Pride . Benjamin Sheats 5/10/11 In this synopsis of John Bunyan article on the Symptoms of Bodily Pride I enjoyed some different aspects of his writing as well as his points. The article is told out like a conversation between mister Wiseman and mister Attend as they discuss Mr Badman. This article specifically relates to pride. As mister Wiseman says, Pride of heart is seen by outward things, as pride of body in general is a sign of pride of heart; for all proud gestures of the body flow from pride of heart. This is well put. If you focus solely on your earthly body then you probably are having issues with pride. This is something I need to watch for in my own life and keep myself in check that I keep my goals for working out in mind. The next quote is something else that stood out. Note the first sentence is mister wiseman quoting Mr. Badman. For no sin reigneth more in the world, quoth he, than pride among professors. And who can contradict him? Let us give the devil his due: the thing is too apparent for any man to deny This is something that would also be easy to do. I can simply put off my own guilt or any thought that what I'm doing is wrong by simply pointing to those who we all agree are doing it wrong. A perfect example might be that of reformed faith. It would be easy for us to be content in our churches and remain stagnant as we point figures at those lower then us. And lastly, And I will add, it is a shame, it is a reproach, it is a stumbling block to the blind! For though men be as blind as Mr. Badman himself, yet they can see the foolish lightness that must needs be the bottom of all these apish and wanton extravagancies. This is a wonderful thought. In the area of pride and modesty even the most sinful man can see what the truth is. When someone see's a truly humble person it is plainly evident to all.

Synopsis on Accessories to Adultery. Benjamin Sheats 5/10/11 This article was written by Robert G. Spinney. Mr Spinney makes some interesting points on the specific subject of adultery and causing others to stumble. He makes a wonderful statement when he calls immodesty an accessory to adultery. Our legal system rightly recognizes that both murderers and accessories to murder are lawbreakers. Similarly, both adulterers and accessories to adultery are guilty of breaking Gods Law. This is a very interesting way to look at this. While I had never considered the possibility of being an accessory to a crime it makes good sense. Scripture says if you lust in your heart then you are already guilty of adultery. This should also make us wonder if the woman is dressed immodestly what sort of crime has she committed by causing the man to lust. If the problem is in the woman's immodesty then shouldn't the root of the problem be considered worse then the outworking of it. Notice the extreme metaphors in this passage: Amputate your hand. Cut off your foot. Gouge out your eye. Of course, Jesus is not sanctioning selfmutilation. He is using figurative language to make a point: take drastic action to avoid hurting yourself or others spiritually. Do radical things to make sure obstacles do not hinder your pursuit of the Kingdom of God Next he talks here about how absolutely important this all is. As Jesus says it's better to lose body parts then to fall into sin. This works both ways though in that we should be careful not to cause others to stumble. The last quote that I shall give is this on some immodest women, Without intending to, they wear clothing that is a stumbling block. Be mindful that Christian men are saints, not angels! Sisters, please love your brothers enough to avoid tempting them to sin. This is something important that I teach my daughters when I am a father. I need to make sure that I instruct them in the ways of modesty and tell them of the dangers of immodest dress. Not only for there own safety but for the safety of my sons and the other Godly men in the church.

Synopsis on Avoiding immodest Fashions. Benjamin Sheats 5/10/11 In Avoiding Immodest Fashions then Vincent had some excellent thoughts on the original fall of man. He also discusses ornaments and how they fit in our lives. The first thing I noted though was his thought's on the fall. But once they had violated the covenant and broken the law of their Creator, shamethe fruit and daughter of sinseized their souls, and that in respect of God and of each other. The best expedient that their confused and distracted thoughts could pitch upon was to stitch together a few fig leaves to make themselves aprons until God, commiserating their wretched plight, provided better covering, more adequate to the necessity of nature, more comporting with decency, that is, coats of skin (Gen 3:7, 21). This seems to capture somewhat of the panic Adam and Eve must of felt. Unable to think they simply sewed some fig leaves together. Yet we see that the attempts made by man are wholly inadequate. Fortunately though God is a loving God filled with grace and mercy. The next thing that stood out was his first conclusion on ornaments. Conclusion 1: Whatever pretends to ornament, which is inconsistent with modesty, gravity, and sobriety and with whatever is according to godliness, is not ornament, but a defilement. What strong words to call it an immodest ornament a defilement. I do love the words he uses to describe what an ornament should look like. Gravity, Modesty, Sobriety and whatever is according to godliness is a pretty well put category. Conclusion 2: Nothing can justly pretend to be a lawful ornament that takes away the distinction that God has put between the two sexes. Perhaps this Is something that we have see more of in our day than he did in his. When God has made Man and woman so unique it's a terrible thing meet someone whom you cannot tell their gender. What an abominable thing before God to make yourself indistinguishable to others. I should hope that we shall always remain proud of our heritage and want to stand strong in the way that God has made us.

Synopsis on Your Clothing Reveals Your Heart. Benjamin Sheats 5/10/11

Your Clothing Reveals Your Heart by Richard Baxter is an article on how clothing is an outward example of our heart and mind condition. I've always thought there was a strong connection from one's heart to the way we cloth ourselves but I had never really thought about the mind much. This vanity of apparel is the certain effect of the vanity of your mind. You openly proclaim yourselves to be persons of a foolish, childish tempe and poor understanding: among the most ungodly people, they that have but common wisdom do look upon this vanity of inordinate apparel as quite below them. Vain apparel is just like a vain mind. And the latter probably means that the former is true. I also love how he mentions that the common wisdom do look upon this vanity... as quite below them This simple fact alone should make us cloth ourselves with wisdom. If it is what the wise men our doing then it's probably what we want to imitate. Note in this next paragraph that when he says bravery he is talking about outlandish dress. Honor must be forced by deserve and worth, not by begging; for that is no honor that is given to the undeservingYour bravery doth so openly show your desire of esteem and honor that it plainly tells all wise men that you are the less worthy of it. For the more a man desireth esteem, the less he deserves it. This is an interesting thought. I know that there are some things in life that we must work in strange ways to obtain. Humility for instance is not something you can merely go out and buy or read how to get in some book. Nor is it something that once you obtain you can boast about. So here we see that to gain esteem from others then we must not be often seeking it. Away with deceitful [and showy] ornaments, and look after the inward real worth! Grace is not set out and honored by fine clothes, but clouded, wronged, and dishonored by excess. The inward glory is the real glory! The image of God must needs be the chiefest beauty of man: let that shine forth in the holiness of your lives, and you will be honorable indeed. This is another good thought. Not only are outlandish and wild clothes showing the vanity of our hearts and showing us not worthy of esteem we see here that it is probably also a attempt to cover something else us. If the inside of the body is nothing but rot than what can we do but adorn our exterior. I need to take from this that though it is good to be well dressed that I can never make up with my clothing something I lack in my soul.

Synopsis on Christian Modesty Defined. Benjamin Sheats 5/10/11 Creating a list of approved and unapproved clothing is a remedy that can be worse than the disease. I will explain. Sometimes God provides specific Bible commands and then clearly states how they are to be applied. But sometimes God gives principles and expects His people to make prayerful, Spirit-led, and Word-informed applications for themselves. With regard to clothing, God does the second. This is very well put. These words really mean a lot. Some people would say that everything would be easier with a simple set of rules. But with clothing this would be well night impossible. Consider every different type of garment and how many laws you would have to invent as to every possible nature of clothing. In stead our God is an all knowing and wise God and in the end simply tells us to dress modestly. I really like the way that he says Wordinformed. Being that word is capitalized I assume he is speaking of the scriptures. A large deal today is that we stand that there is no neutrality in anything. This includes the way we clothe ourselves. With that in mind then we can search the scriptures and apply principles and patterns we can find. Unsure if your clothing is too much, too little, or too tight? Ask a godly individual to evaluate it. You may be surprised at how others see your apparel. This is an wonderful idea and something I need to do more often. Our fellow brethren are almost always better able to determine whether our clothing is good or not, far better than ourselves. Often there is good advice to be gained if we only ask for it. Although I don't have to worry as much about being modest I do need to seek the counsel of my brethren as to whether I am portraying Christ in what I wear. The last quote is speaking about asking where exactly the line is between right and wrong in clothing. Thinking like this is logically flawed. It is simply not true that we must know exactly where a line is in order to know if something is clearly over the line. I do not know exactly where the U.S.-Canada border exists, but I know that I am clearly located on the U.S. side. I do not know exactly where the line exists between good singing and bad singing, but I know that my daughter is clearly on the good side of the line and I am clearly on the other side of it. This is a well put statement to defend the christian view on clothing. I know that in some areas we don't know the exact line but I've never V thought of it quite like this before. It makes good sense though that we don't need to know exactly where the line is to keep from crossing it.

Synopsis on Our Royal Apparel. Benjamin Sheats 5/10/11 This article written by Charles C Spurgeon and titled Our Royal Apparel doesn't seem to have all too much to do with the issue of modesty specificity but the article is still excellent. Oh, sinner! However black thy sins may have been, thou mayest yet be justified. Though thy sins be as scarlet, they may yet be as wool. Though thou be red like crimson, thou mayest be white as snow (Isa 1:18). It is written, [He] justifieth the ungodly (Rom 4:5). Yes, the ungodly, such as thou hast been. Christ as a physician came not into the world for those who are whole, but for those who are sick. What a wonderful picture he paints here. As if the wise woman from proverbs is calling out from Calvary to all saying these words spoken above. Christ came into this world to justify the ungodly. This is a very interesting way to phrase this because it makes so clear the idea that we are completely unworthy. It almost seems to be unjust for God to justify us. But then I must remember that our sin is against him alone and so in turn he alone can justify us. This was said about the royal apparel which we are given when Christ redeems us. What am I to do with that if not to wear it? Am I to lay it by in a wardrobe and not put it on? Well, sirs, let others wear what they will: my soul rejoices in the royal apparel. Here we see something that can be clearly applied to modesty. We will put on the royal apparel and all can see our faith. So in this same way we must adorn our bodies so that anyone looking at us can see we adhere to authority of scripture. We, having nothing, being nothing, boasting of nothing, but being utterly emptied, do look to Him Whose wounds stream with the life-giving blood. What a wonderful way to put our place in life. Using nothing three times in a row to make sure that any reader can understand that he is nothing but for the blood of Jesus Christ.

Synopsis on Return to Modest Apparel . Benjamin Sheats 5/10/11 To summarize the journey through the many different things concerning modesty Jeff Pollard writes Return to Modest Apparel to sum up. The cry of the Satanist is Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. The cry of the 60s was Do your own thing! The cry of the Feminists is Its my body, and Ill do what I want. The cry of the modern Evangelical is Its my liberty, and Ill do what I want. The relationship between the modern Evangelical church and the 60s is something I hadn't really considered. After giving it a little thought then it does seem to make a lot of sense. The same media driven life is there and a lot of the same fruits are coming from it. That specifically being that so many children are falling away from the faith. The other thought here is the relativism that has grown throughout the church. So that one can say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and people will agree. Your whole beingbody and soulis the purchased property of Jesus Christ; and the price paid for your body was the breaking of His: This is my body, which is broken for you (1Co 11:24; Mat 26:26). Your body belongs to Him! He redeemed it with His precious blood on the cross of Calvary. We must consider how we adorn His blood-bought property. Finally a very powerful conclusion to the issue of modesty. Christ bought us with a price. Our life is not our own and we must give all that we can to Christ. Everything we do must be striving to be in accordance to scripture. Not only that but as I discussed this with the other interns then Nic put it very well. He said that Christ covered us with his blood so as to cover our greatest shame which is sin, and so as a picture of this we must cover our bodies from the shame of nakedness. The way that we respectfully dress ourselves is a witness to Christs blood. I have given you the Scriptures, andI trust that these [articles] have provoked you to thought, as well as to love and good works. These have definitely given me a lot to think about and I hope to in the future re-read these and study them deeper. For the time though I will be rethinking some of my previous conclusions about modesty.