Feminine Modesty

As we are right in the middle of summer, you most likely have considered again the subject of feminine modesty, whether in your own households or online.

In 1 Timothy 2, the Apostle Paul exhorts women to adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, rather than with elaborate hairstyles, jewelry, or expensive clothing – all of which communicated both inappropriate extravagance and sensuality.

And so this morning I will offer three three brief points regarding feminine modesty, to serve as a backdrop and encouragement to you all as you seek to apply Scripture’s teaching in your own lives and families. 

First, modesty begins in the heart. Before we even speak of clothing, modesty is an inward posture of the heart. It is from there that it then flows outward and is displayed in a woman’s conduct – whether it be in demeanor, speech, or clothing. 

Absent this inward modesty, outward rule-keeping can only go so far. A woman can be covered head to toe in clothing and still be lacking modesty. But if you get your heart right before the Lord, outward modesty comes very naturally as the Spirit leads and guides.

Second, style and clothing communicate. They are not meaningless or neutral. And we do not get to choose what they communicate to the world, we do not have control over the interpretation. This means that whether or not you fully realize or intend the message your clothing is sending, it is still being sent.

As a positive example of this, I’ve had the experience many times when downtown or at a park of seeing another family and intuitively knowing they were fellow Christians – even though I didn’t recognize them at all. How is this possible? It’s because of their conduct. It’s revealed in their joy, how they speak to their children, and yes – how they are dressed when compared to the rest of the world.

Lastly, a call to modesty is a call to glory. This is a call to all women and young ladies to true beauty. The Apostle Peter says that this beauty is the incorruptible kind which is precious in the sight of God. 

In a sin-soaked culture that is saturated and darkened by immodesty, true modest beauty shines all the brighter, and points people away from self and to the God from whom all glory and beauty is derived.