The Attire Of The Christian
(Kent E. Heaton Sr.)

There is a lot of interest in schools to impose a certain dress code and in many cases have a uniform dress code for all students. Educators understand the importance of what young people wear and what many times they fail to wear as having an impact upon the environment of the schools. As from time beginning, the attire worn by an individual says a lot about who they are.

The attire of the Christian is a very important part of their character. Having obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have given our lives in service to Jesus Christ. This means that we should no longer seek to dress as the world dresses but rather to glorify God with our bodies. This point is made clear in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - "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.”

The Lord wants His disciples to know that their body's are members of Christ and what we do with our body's matters to Him. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit whom we received from God when we were baptized into Christ. (Acts 2:38,39; 5:32) We are to glorify God with our bodies and we "are not our own.”

Disciples of Christ made a covenant with God to put Him first in their lives in everything. That covenant is to regard our lives as complete before Him and in accordance with His will. The argument people use about having the right to dress as they desire is not acceptable to God. God said, "You are not your own.” Why? Because Jesus Christ died to redeem us and we were "bought at a price." The price of the life of God's Son is why we have no right to dictate to God what we shall wear or what we shall put on. He - and He alone - has that right. Paul then states - "Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.”

Does it matter what I wear? What does my attire say about me? Consider what the Bible says about what statement is made in what I wear. Proverbs 7:10 describes the harlot in this fashion: "And there a woman met him, with the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.” The attire of a harlot is the statement made by a harlot by the way she dresses. Judah thought Tamar was a harlot by the manner of her apparel. (Genesis 38:13-15)

Isaiah described the children of God in their wantonness and wickedness: "Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, making a jingling with their feet.” (3:16) The truth is very clear - even to the minds of people today - we show our lives by the way we dress.

The attire of the Christian is not based upon the world's fashions. The attire of the Christian is found in the love of God and obedience to Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 2:9-10 says, "In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.” The attire that many Christians wear is not modest, it has no propriety, without moderation, gaudy and lacking godliness. To see women who profess to be children of the Most High God exposing themselves with the lack of clothing is a shame and disgrace to the blood of Jesus Christ. Women who wear clothes so tight they had to be poured into them is unbecoming godliness. The dresses are worn so short that sitting down becomes an Olympic event by itself. Christian women parade around town in shorts so tight and so short that the last thing anyone would think of those women is godliness.

Godly women need to be found in the church who are willing to dress like godly women - and the men also . . . They are not exempt in this. Godly apparel is glorifying God - what many wear today does not glorify God - and bring shame to the body of Jesus Christ.

"You are bought at a price!” Post that on the mirrors when you get dressed. Fathers need to dress their daughters and wives in godly apparel. "You are not your own” says that I must dress as God would desire me to be. Let's stop kidding ourselves and find solace in the fashion of the day. Women - if you are not dressed in godly apparel - go home and get dressed. Men - do not bring shame upon Christ by the way you dress. Christians - dress godly!

Summer Dress

Brethren: 
It is not uncommon to see some in attendance at services in various places that tend to "dress down" to the extent of an extreme. The reason for this could be because of ignorance, apathy, or rebellion. Below is a note I recently received from Ed Sanderson and Paul Davidson, Elders of the congregation in Vacaville, CA regarding the matter of the clothing for worship and Bible study. Much food for thought.   

Sincerely, Glendol McClure

 “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus…” Colossians 3:17

Brothers and Sisters,

It is that time of year when our California weather invites many in our culture to dress “down.” As we all know, this often is an occasion for unnecessary tensions among Christians at our assemblies, so please consider one another when you pick out your clothes for assemblies with fellow Christians.

We all know that Scripture teaches Christians to show holiness and cooperation (I Tim. 2:8-15), especially in our assemblies. As in the first century, this is shown today by wearing clothes which are fitting for the activity and which do not show off an individual’s sexuality. Please take care to dress in ways that express your personal chastity and reverence for God and His people.

It is also important that Christians dress for the assembly in ways that express dignity, sobriety/sensibility and gravity required of all Christians as “fitting for sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1-8). This dignity is especially important for those who would be leaders among God’s people (Titus 1:8, I Tim. 3:3, 8, 11) as well as for young people who want to be seen as Christian (Titus 2:6-8, I Tim. 4:12).

Our local customs here try to reflect this by avoiding “play clothes” in our assemblies and choosing clothes that reflect that we are involved in serious worship and study at our assemblies rather than frivolous or casual activity, even if it is informal at times.

Please avoid choosing clothes that would distract others from worship and reverence. Short pants, tank tops, halter tops, T-shirts and other play clothes very rarely express the dignity and reverence that avoids distraction, so please be considerate and avoid these whenever possible.

Those invited to lead worship and Bible study should also remember our local custom of wearing a “dress shirt” and tie when possible to express the dignity of the work we are enjoying.

Thanks for all your cooperation in these matters. Self-control in areas of liberty is one of the great tests of Christian love. 

In Christian love, Paul Davidson &Ed Sanderson, Sr.

CHURCH HISTORY: A BIBLICAL VIEW
Part V - No. 29 Compiled and written by Gary Eubanks

Huldreich Zwingli, the foremost leader of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland, was born January 1, 1484, seven weeks after the birth of Martin Luther. He received education in Bern, Basel, Vienna, and Basel again. It was while he was a student at the University of Basel (1502-06) that an instructor impressed him with the sole authority of the Scriptures, the death of Christ as the only price for the forgiveness of sins, and the worthlessness of indulgences. After completing his education, he secured an appointment as parish priest in Glarus. In 1516 he transferred to Einsiedeln and in 1519 to Zurich, which was to be his home until his death. During his early ministry he became convinced of the wrongfulness of using Swiss soldiers as mercenaries, which was the practice of the French and the popes, even though he accompanied the Swiss soldiers on their campaigns as a chaplain. Moreover, during this period he was evidently guilty, as were other priests, of fornication, a sin often attributed to compulsory, clerical celibacy (I Cor. 7:1-5). His position at Zurich was a high and influential one, and he soon gained a reputation as a preacher and an opponent to foreign military service. Zwingli held such sway over the government in Zurich that it was willing to introduce many of the changes which Zwingli favored. Though he had been moving in the direction of the Reformation for several years, it was in 1522 when he came out in opposition to ecclesiastically imposed fasts that he threw himself vigorously into the reformatory movement.

Zwingli's interpretive approach to the Scriptures was more stringent than Luther's approach. Zwingli believed that only that for which distinct authorization could be found in the Scriptures was allowable in religious practice. As a result, he and those of his persuasion rejected such things as the papacy, mass, saintly intercession, monasticism, purgatory, clerical celibacy, relics, images, and organs. By 1525 Roman Catholicism in German-speaking Switzerland had been completely overturned and the new order of the Reformation installed in its place. In 1524 Zwingli himself publicly married a woman whom he had been treating as a wife for the two previous years.

Luther and Zwingli were in substantial agreement on many points, but there were also some basic differences between them. Luther was of a different temperament and had undergone a different religious experience. Consequently, Luther and Zwingli had different religious emphases. To Luther the primary concern was the relationship of the soul to God and the freedom the soul could enjoy by forgiveness of sin. To Zwingli the will of God as set forth in the Bible, and conformity to it, was the central feature of religion. Thus, Luther's approach was of a more emotional nature while Zwingli's was more intellectual. However, that which proved to be the most irreconcilable difference between them was the question of the bodily presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper.

On October 1, 1529 Luther and Zwingli met in Marburg to consider their doctrinal differences and the possibility of the union of their forces. However, it soon became evident that they could not agree on the issue of Christ's bodily presence in the Lord's Supper. Luther was adamant in the contention that the words, "This is My body" (Matt. 26:26), were to be taken literally. Zwingli was just as sure that the proper understanding was, "This signifies My body," and countered with the argument that a physical body could not be in more than one place at the same time. Thus, Luther and Zwingli parted without achieving union. Luther was even unwilling to accept Zwingli as a brother in the faith.

Though Luther was content with a religious reformation, Zwingli's aims went beyond this. He also sought a revamping of the social and political order. To protect and promote the Reformation movement in Switzerland and other areas he helped form a league of Swiss Reformation cities against the league of Roman Catholic Swiss cantons. Zurich, the political center of the Reformation cause in Switzerland, provoked war with the Roman Catholic cantons by imposing an embargo on food shipments to them. In a battle that followed on October 11, 1531 the men of Zurich were defeated at Kappel. Zwingli was among the slain. Afterwards, each canton was given the right to regulate their own internal religious affairs, and the lines between the Catholic and Zwinglian cantons were permanently drawn where they were. Today, the "Reformed" churches trace their heritage, in part, to Zwingli.

As was true of Luther's followers, there were those among Zwingli's followers who felt he did not go far enough in the application of his principles. Because of the silence of the Scriptures on the administration of baptism to infants, some of Zwingli's followers began to doubt the validity of infant baptism. Efforts to suppress their views only encouraged them to act upon them. On January 21, 1525 a group of them received "baptism" during a meeting in a private home in Zurich. Initially, it seems that sprinkling was the mode used, but immersion soon began to be practiced. These views were soon spread to other places where they won converts. The groups thus formed separated themselves into their own communions and were called "Anabaptists" ("rebaptizers") due to their most distinctive practice. Anabaptists were bitterly opposed, even by Zwingli, and they were sometimes punished by drowning.

Anabaptists were severely persecuted because their views were regarded as detrimental to social order. In some parts they were treated as seditionists. This was because they believed in separation of church and state and that uniform religious faith was not essential to public peace and order. They viewed government as a necessary evil and opposed any involvement in it. They also opposed oath-taking, the bearing of arms, religious coercion, and any form of church discipline beyond excommunication. They supported believers' baptism, common observance of the Lord's Supper, and congregational independence. One group, the "Hutterite Brethren," established a lasting communistic order. Various tenets of Anabaptist beliefs survived in the Baptists, Congregationalists, and Quakers.

Like Deborah, I will serve the Lord in power and speak His word without fear.

Like Esther, I will intercede for God's people before the throne.

Like Abigail, I will humble myself to wash the feet of the servants of the Lord.

Like Sarah, I will respect my spouse and his ministry to the Lord.

Like Hannah, I will dedicate my children to the Lord.

Like Priscilla, I will explain the way of God more perfectly to those who are seeking.

Like the Shunamite widow, I will trust God in the day of adversity.

Like Lydia, I will be a worshiper of God and open my home to His ministers.

Like Tabitha (Dorcas), I will always do good and help the poor.

Like Joanna, I will use my wealth to support the ministry of Jesus.

Like Mary, the mother of Jesus, I will hear the word of God to me and answer, "Be it unto me as you have said".

Like Mary, the sister of Martha, I will know the voice of Jesus and hear his words.

Like Mary, the mother of Mark, I will make my home a haven for the followers of Jesus.

Like Mary Magdalene, I will keep at the feet of Jesus and love him unto death.

Life is not a cup to be drained, but a measure to be filled.

Prayer is an essential therapy during stressful times.

Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.

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