I included a significant section on modesty in Chapter 1 of Get Married and Save the World. I also included a shorter discussion of it in the second chapter. I include it because it is indispensable in our spiritual walk, and indispensable in our home life. Modesty is holy, it is obedient to God, and it is beautiful. Modesty manages to be beautiful without appealing to outer adornment, and trying to create an artificial exterior appeal. Rather, it successes are in allowing the simple spiritual holiness, and the Spirit of God to shine though. This is especially true of the woman; she represents the Bride of Christ, being washed clean by Christ, and who also is designed by our creator to be the beautiful one. Modesty does not try and cover up the woman with shiny things. Rather it lets her be herself, simple, and plain, and with the beauty of holiness announcing her presence. If you have ever seen it, you will know what I mean. It can shine spiritual beauty a mile away, whereas makeup, jewelry, and showing off the flesh never could. They simply cover it up. Along with this discussion, I briefly go over the Christian headcovering, which while it is instructed for women during worship, has often been interwoven with a modesty tradition, and worn all the time. Headcoverings were the norm for Christian women for most of the past 2,000 years, at least when in the church service. It is interesting that when western women chose to get rid of their headcoverings, they ALSO got rid of a lot of other things, along with taking off their other clothes, disregarding good doctrine, and disrespecting what the headcovering actually represents: the very headship of their husbands. Interestingly, there are so many big things wrapped up in this little piece of cloth. Removing it has been connected to unsuspected and broad-reaching harm. There may be a variety of legitimate standards of modesty, but I think the clearest, and the one which presents a good template for me, is the Mennonite standard. I don’t follow it precisely, but it is a model for me. I have also seen other good standards of modesty either from other religions or cultures, such as within Orthodox Judaism, or in traditional Asian or Andean cultures, which at the minimum do not show off the woman’s flesh. A lack of adornment is somewhat harder to find culturally, as many cultures have loved adornment, something the Christian is not looking to rely on. Amish and Mennonites have clear standards in those areas, and don’t wear trendy clothing, makeup or jewelry. Remember, modesty is a command of God, and it is an outward revealing of great spiritual truths. It communicates the simplicity and meekness of the Christian heart. It communicates the garments of righteousness which are mean to flow from us. It shows our dependence of God, rather than our own desire for attention, and machinations to get it. It also makes the woman less of an object of lust or aggression. The headcovering is uniquely connected to man’s fall and redemption, as it is a picture of the woman’s submission, and sanctification under her husband. It pictures the right order between man and woman. It shows the woman redeemed. I know that won’t all sound appealing to people attracted to the sensual, or to the fashionable, but that’s not who we should be anyway. It’s not what the Christian should be looking for. This practice should be incredibly attractive to us, since it glorifies God, and uplifts the spirit. We should be able to see the beauty in it, the heavenly, and want it deeply. Despite much of what you see around us today, modesty is Christian. It’s the Christian thing to do. It helps us walk together in righteousness with the Lord. It is a picture of heaven.
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AuthorI am Ordinary Brother, Author of Get Married and Save the World. I hope you are enriched by this blog about my book and a little of my life. Archives
January 2020
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