Thoughts on Discipleship by Dr. W. A. Dillard - HTML preview

CHRISTIAN DRESS CODE

James 2:1-4, “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?”

I suppose that one’s viewpoint on appropriate dress may be related to a number of factors: age, culture, customs of a given locale, but far from least should be the occasion. This writer came from another time, a time when clothing was harder to come by. In early post-depression days, animal feed sacks were chosen carefully when making a purchase because someone was going to be wearing it pretty soon. Subsequently, optional dress was virtually non-existent, but cleanliness was given a very high priority.

When Sunday came, there was no question as to where the family would be found. It was church whether it was preaching Sunday or not. In the absence of a circuit rider, dad always gave an extended devotional following Sunday School. I never heard a word about the appropriateness of attire regarding our family or anyone else in church, provided the apparel was clean. In most cases, it was not only clean, but also the best we had ( and yes, I have gone to both school and church in warmer months barefooted, and was far from alone. One pair of shoes came in late fall. If guests were coming to our house, mom and dad always did their best. If we went anywhere to visit or keep an appointment, we always looked our best. It was an unequivocal way of life.

In keeping with that training, I have never criticized one’s clothing, if clean. I have no qualms about women wearing nice slacks or pantsuits, or men forfeiting a coat and tie in church services, but I do raise an eyebrow at modern, overt attempts to look much less than one’s best. If I had an appointment with a corporate board to interview for an important job, or a banquet invitation from a high political dignitary, I would respect the event and the privilege of personal participation enough to not show up in common, everyday dress, if I had better apparel. Surely, there is no more important reason to look one’s best than to meet with the chosen people of God, even the bride of Christ, knowing that in the Holy Spirit the Savior, Foundation, and Head of the church is also there. So, I will not criticize the appearance of others so long as what they wear is clean, decent, modest, but when you see me at church I will look my best, which isn’t anything to brag about, but it is as good as it gets.

FOR THOUGHT: Do you believe that how one dresses is largely a product of culture, and generation, and that cleanliness and decency should be the overriding factor in appearance? Can you think of at least one of many Bible verses that addresses this subject?