What does the Bible say about modesty? Modesty is a controversial topic, especially when you throw God into the mix. Does God really care about what we wear?
Modesty is notoriously challenging to define, as is pornography. See What the Bible Says About Pornography (Without Using That Word). But as Christian morality compels us to leave porn behind, it also compels us to embrace a lifestyle of sexual purity that encompasses the way we dress and conduct ourselves.
First and foremost, a biblical definition of modesty must focus on the heart. Biblical modesty is primarily about our motivations. In addition, modest dress is also about discernment and having an awareness of others and our environment.
Related: 5 Big Questions About Christians and Porn
Why is modesty controversial for Christians?
In a recent conversation, a woman I spoke with seemed deeply offended when I suggested a woman’s manner of dress could tempt a man to lust. She wasn’t denying the claim that men lust after women, but she was emphatic that women are not to blame for a man’s lustful thoughts and actions.
She’s right, of course. A woman is never guilty of another person’s sin. That applies to both men and women who dress immodestly.
Modesty and the Problem of Rape Myths
This woman’s protest is, in part, motivated by a desire to fight various rape myths in our culture. When a girl dresses scantily, goes to a college party, gets drunk, makes out with a dozen guys, and then is raped, for some there is a tendency to say, “Well, she was just asking for it.” This kind of victim-blaming, sadly, leads some to temper any compassion for such women when they are abused.
Let’s be clear: Victims of rape are not guilty of their rape. The girl who walks across campus at 2 a.m. and gets assaulted is not to blame for the crime committed against her.
Modesty and the Problem of Lust
Similarly, victims of another’s lust aren’t guilty of lust. No one gives an account for another person’s sin. If a woman dresses immodestly and a man lusts after her, it is still that man’s fault.
But does this mean modesty itself is a non-issue? It does not follow that one individual’s sin of lust nullifies another individual’s sin of immodesty. Each person is responsible for their own sin.
Modesty and Double-standards for Men
Many have noted that modesty conversations tend to focus exclusively on controlling the way women dress. These discussions usually skim over the question of whether a man should dress modestly. This is wrong. We will see that the Bible teaches that both men and women should behave modestly, in the way they dress and how they conduct themselves.
Amidst these controversies, modesty remains an important issue for Christians in a world driven by lust. Indeed, it is all the more important to accurately define it on God’s terms. So how then do we understand biblical modesty?
What is biblical modesty?
“I desire…that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.”
1 Timothy 2:8-10
Christian women should concern themselves with modesty because the Bible does. Paul writes here about women, but we should recognize that men are equally obligated to embrace modesty. For example, Hebrews 12:28 instructs men and women alike to serve God with “reverence and awe,” and some manuscripts of this text interchange the Greek word for “modesty” instead of “awe,” suggesting that it makes sense to apply this charge to both men and women. With that in mind, let’s look at six key marks of biblical modesty.
1. Modesty is not anti-fashion.
At the outset, we should take note that Paul is not anti-adornment. The force of his statement is positive: “Women should adorn themselves.” These are not the words of an anti-fashion prude. The same word “adorn” is used to speak of a bride beautifying herself for her husband (Revelation 21:2). It is a term that expresses being ornamented, well-kempt, and put in order.
The question for Paul isn’t about whether someone should ornament their body, but how.
2. Modesty is about who you worship.
In this context, Paul is talking about how women should prepare themselves for gathering at church. Women are commanded to adorn themselves in a way that is fitting for worship. If they “profess godliness”—that is, they desire to show God honor and reverence—how should they dress?
Paul puts his finger on the trigger of the problem. In Ephesus, the original destination of this letter, the cultural elite were known for their gaudy and extravagant wardrobes, their elaborate hairstyles, and their expensive clothing that communicated extraordinary wealth. James also warns against showing preference for men who dress expensively (James 2:1-4).
Here, Paul paints a picture of this for the Ephesians Christians and says, “Don’t mimic that. When you come to church, come dressed in a way that shows you desire for the attention to be on God, not yourself.” A person’s manner of dress, or even their preoccupation with clothing itself (Matthew 6:28-30), is often indicative of a heart that loves self more than God.
3. Modesty is about behavior and attitude, not just clothing.
When Paul says that women should wear “respectable apparel,” the term “apparel” is probably translated too narrowly; it is a term that encompasses not just clothing, but one’s whole demeanor, attitude, and actions.
From the clothing she wears to the way she carries herself, a Christian woman ought to be seemly and well-ordered (as the text here says, “respectable”). Ultimately, what should adorn a person is not just clothing but “good works.” As Christians, we are being remade by God for good works (Ephesians 2:10). Christ died so that we might be zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). Christians should seek to dress their lives in works that do good to others, marked with godly love.
This means biblical modesty is not simply about what we wear, but how we act, how we communicate, and how relate to others.
4. Modesty shows sensitivity to sin.
In this text, Paul says a woman’s apparel should be worn with “modesty.” Other translations opt for the word “decency.” The King James Version translates this “shamefacedness,” which gets more to the heart of the word. It means sensitivity to the presence of sin in the world.
It also means a demeanor of reverence–showing respect to oneself and a regard for others. It even carries the connotation of “bashful.” Connected to the term “shame,” the word implies the idea of grief over sin that is in the world—that someone would be so sensitive to sin, knowing that sin is offensive to God, that they would never come close to trying to provoke it in others.
No, a woman is not guilty of a man’s lust if she dresses with the intention to allure him. A man is not guilty of a woman’s lust if he dresses for the same purpose. But they are guilty of treating sin lightly. A heart of modesty is motivated by a love for one’s fellow person.
Related: Is Watching Porn a Sin?
5. Modesty involves cultural discretion.
Paul didn’t just paint broad strokes when talking about modesty; he gave specifics. He said braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire were out of place for a truly modest woman.
Some knowledge of Roman culture is helpful for understanding what Paul is saying. In Paul’s day, Greek hairstyles for women were fairly simple; hair was parted in the middle and pinned in the back. But a culture change was sweeping the region. Women in the imperial household were wearing their hair with elaborate curls and braids, covered in expensive ornaments. The elite throughout the empire copied this style.
Modesty and Culture in Ancient Times
For Paul, the appearance of braids and ornaments was more about what the fashion communicated. They carried connotations of imperial luxury and conjured up images of notoriously immoral empresses like Valeria Messalina and Poppeaea Sabina, ancient equivalents of Cosmopolitan cover girls.
The poet Juvenal, a contemporary of Paul, gives a vivid description of this cultural trend:
“There is nothing that a woman will not permit herself to do. Nothing that she deems shameful. And when she encircles her neck with green emeralds and fastens huge pearls to her elongated ears, so important is the business of beautification. So numerous are the tiers and stories piled one another on her head that she pays no attention to her own husband.”
Similarly, the philosopher Philo gives a description of a prostitute in his writing called “The Sacrifices of Cain and Abel”:
“A prostitute is often described as having hair dressed in elaborate braids, her eyes with pencil lines, her eyebrows smothered in paint and her expensive clothes embroidered lavishly with flowers and bracelets and necklaces of gold and jewels hanging all over her.”
Paul’s description of immodest dress conjured a picture of someone preoccupied with appearance, fashion, luxury, and sexual prowess. Similarly, modern modesty standards are not about arbitrary rules of how much skin is shown or how low-cut something is, but about the messages and values our clothing communicates.
6. Modesty is about true freedom, not repression.
More often than not, modesty standards are seen as repressive, arbitrary rules that restrict a woman’s creativity and freedom. And often enough, the biblical concept has been abused for this purpose. But when modesty is motivated from the heart, the exact opposite is true.
(See Purity Culture and Its Unfortunately Intersection With Porn).
Paul says women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel with “self-control.” This might be better understood as “self-mastery”—being of sound mind or sober, being in control of one’s impulses and appetites. In extra-biblical literature, this word has sexual nuances—being able to totally control your romantic and erotic desires.
Habitual immodesty is often, though not always, the fruit of a kind of slavery. A person might be enslaved by their desire to attract the opposite sex. They might define their worth by their fashion sense, sex appeal, image, weight, particular body parts, or the brand names they wear. This kind of slavery is widespread because sin impacts us all, and in today’s sexually charged, media-saturated culture, many men and women alike fall prey to it.
But as Christians, we are free from the slavery of sin because we are united to Christ. Paul exhorts us to live out this freedom: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions” (Romans 6:12). When it comes to modest dress, we can follow Paul’s next statement quite literally: Do not present the members of your body to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present your members to God as instruments for righteousness (verse 13). Paul wants Christian women to have self-mastery in their wardrobe choices and to be totally free from worldly ways of defining worth, beauty, and sexiness.
Ironically, it is not just those who are scantily dressed that are enslaved, but even those who pride themselves on their modesty. “Modest is hottest,” they say, unaware that in their own hearts, they are still enslaved to a preoccupation with their physical image, still defining their worth by their outward adornment.
Defining Biblical Modesty
Taken together, these aspects of biblical modesty help to give us a working definition.
Modesty is a respectable manner of adorning one’s body and carrying oneself, born out of a freedom from a worldly definition of beauty and worth, and motivated by a hatred of sin and a desire to draw attention to God.
When it comes to the subject of modest clothing, the first question we should ask ourselves is: What am I trying to accomplish by what I wear?
What about modesty in front of a small child such as if a child is brought into the opposite changing room or restroom by a parent(who’s in the correct room)? I’ve seen this situation many times.
There is a big difference between mixed sex nudity among adults and mixed sex nudity among adults and very young children. Most people can see a distinction when dealing with sexually non-developed children.
Children aren’t expected to have any sexual thoughts based on seeing either naked children or adults of the opposite sex and adults aren’t expected to have any sexual thoughts based on seeing naked children of the opposite. So a large difference exists between the two situations.
We as women are told to stay modest, not to incite lust, and to control our husband’s passions. Yes, we are to be “adorned,” but it seems that people have taken that to mean “ultra-revealing.” The wearing of lingerie and/or skimpy clothing is sinking to a level of behavior we are to avoid! Ladies, we have a job to do, and that is not to make it difficult for ANY man to function, especially our husbands!
I’ve noticed in the past few years a certain embracing of sexuality within the Christian community. Sex is part of life and marriage, but this type of encouragement and action (like dressing up in lingerie) merely incites inappropriate and unbiblical behavior. Just because you are alone with your husband does not mean anything goes. We are commanded to live our lives modestly…and lingerie obviously does not fit that bill.
I read all the comments you made and l must say that as a young believer of Christ your view points on modesty really struck a chord with me. Especially those made by Ed, Kay Bruner and Joe Oliver. Honestly this is how l ought to approach my faith in Christ and articulate it to the rest of the world.
Your submissions help to demystify and clears out many contradicting statements that I have heard, read or been told about this topic at the hand. They. also highlight that much of the world misinterpretion of the Word is to due to inaquate knowledge of thereof and/or reinforcement of personal agendas or opinions. For example the promiscuous interpretation of Eve being responsible for the fall of humankind, which to me is an unfair and unjust claim and a claim way too many still believe. Honestly what does gender have to do with it. I honestly believe that the Word should never fall victim to culture appropriation in any way because it pertuates double standards and toxic ideals. This is why l particularly found the author Luke’s article on modesty to disconcerning as he largely focused on one gender’s modesty and just “alluded to the other gender” when it’s comes to their modesty. Nonetheless, from now on wards my take on this modesty issue will be based on focus rather than prohibition, which is contrary what l grew up being told. Furthermore I will certainly be looking into some of the book and article sources you have mentioned by Ed. At least this way l will be able to have accountability of my choices as opposed to feeding into what l have been told with little to no credible knowledge to back it up.
I learned alot from this piece.
However I still have some questions…
Wearing pants as a female has caused lots of controversy..
Now I’m going to ask ‘straight to the point’-ly, is wearing of pants as a female a sin against God or an act of immodesty?
Secondly, I saw something about skin tight pants and truly, I do not subscribe to wearing pants that would reveal everything as it is. Today there are loose pants females could wear without having to show what shouldn’t be shown, will those also be considered wrong??
I hope I get an answer cause I’m really in a state of jeopardy and doubts about this issue in particular.
The biblical account of humanity begins with their nudity. “They were naked and unashamed.” Later on, they became ashamed of their nudity and God allowed them to be clothed. Nudity has never been a sin against God; therefore, any type of clothing cannot be a sin against God. The issue is the shame that human beings apply to nudity and various types of clothing. Instead of seeing one another as valuable people created in the image of God, we objectify and demean one another based on what we are or are not wearing. That is the sin, not the clothing or lack thereof.
We always have the choice to regard one another as God sees us, without objectifying or demeaning another person, regardless of what they wear.
It’s fascinating to me that this question is only applied to women “showing what shouldn’t be shown.” Why is it okay for men to “show what shouldn’t be shown” while women are measured by different standards?
Peace to you,
Kay
Hi Shalom,
As a company, we cannot take a stance on this topic, so I am sorry that I cannot answer your question. Each person has their own convictions in regards to females wearing pants. Personally, I do not believe it is a sin, but if you feel convicted by God otherwise, you should follow that conviction!
Blessings,
Moriah
Great article, and great discussion, too! The comments have answered many questions I’ve had concerning this topic. I appreciate it very much.
God bless.
I would like to encourage everyone to watch the video, Modesty in Medical Settings From a Biblical Perspective at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O-LySg0y88&t=3366s.
It is modest apparel not the nude God made form. Lucifer fell by reason of his covering. Lucifer wanted to be like God without the Father Spirit dwelling in his mind. Lucifer’s costly array made Lucifer fall. All of nature would be immodest as the churches teach had the nude form be an immodest thing. That makes God look bad for making the nude form.
1 Timothy 2:9-15 King James Version (KJV)
9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
What an interesting article, thank to https://www.covenanteyes.com/ for sharing!
Luke, you could have just as easily addressed Noah’s sons’ consideration of his nakedness when you wrote your article (Genesis 9:19-27). An entire line of people were condemned because of Ham’s attitude. Shem and Japheth were quick to cover Noah’s nakedness without gazing upon him. When you don’t address modesty for men, which is clearly written of in the Bible, you do inadvertently communicate a double standard.
The “pants” men wore were worn under their robes and covered the whole thigh to the knee. These were underwear.
Finally, in Revelation, Jesus does not appear in a suit. He comes in an ankle-length robe. Others are also depicted in robes. Why might this be? Linen and wool, the fabrics of choice, are very healing. They actually have a measurable healing frequency that cotton, polyester, hemp, etc, does not have. Unless combined, in which their frequency (5000) drops to 0, the same as a dead body (thus the command not to combine them, in my opinion). Robes of linen or wool are also loose enough for both modesty and lymphatic health. Most clothing of our day restricts the way our body works, leading to ill health and disease. Women who don’t wear bras have a 1 in 167 chance of developing breast cancer. Those who wear them 24 hours a day have a 1 in 3 chance and it’s not much better for those who wear one half the day. They also cause weak muscles which actually CAUSE sagging from tissue breakdown. Women’s underwear is very confining, causing red elastic marks on skin even when properly fitted. They also cause cellulite. Can you imagine what else they are doing? Clothing should never leave marks on the skin and never shape the body unnaturally. Tight clothing and even leggings are bad for our systems and our clothing fabrics today deplete the body unnaturally. So, maybe the Jewish people and Jesus were dressing more for function and health than anything else. They didn’t dress like the cultures around them, and they had far better health than surrounding cultures as long as they followed God. And I can assure you, they made it work, even in the fields.
I would encourage all to read ALL of God’s word, not just look up scriptures that help you prove your point. If you can be truly honest with yourself, you will eventually change positions on some of your previous beliefs. Unfortunately, we are sometimes fighting for things that we were taught when we were younger but weren’t scriptural or were taught incorrectly. This has happened to me more than once. Please pray for discernment and pray for the discernment of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We all desperately need more knowledge and wisdom. Let us be led by the Spirit and not our personal feelings or beliefs when we give an answer to anyone. Be cautious of what you say because it could possibly do someone a lot of harm. Earlier in this thread, someone wrote that if someone was wearing certain kinds of clothes, that were dressing as a whore and that they weren’t saved. I would ask everyone to go back to the day you were saved and take a trip through your life all the way to today. Have you done or said or wrote anything that you’d be ashamed to tell anyone? Have you stopped doing things that you used to do because of your spiritual growth? I would say that the majority of us did and sometimes still do things that are not pleasing to God. Even after becoming a Christian, we sometimes mess up and do things out of ignorance. That’s not the time for a “super Christian” to jump into action and start condemning people to hell. It’s the time for us to show Christ’s love. Otherwise, we end up being just like the Pharisees, who weren’t about spiritual growth, but spiritual appearance.
I wear a tiny white bikini because that’s what pleases my husband and I wear it in public. I wear short tennis skirts because again it pleases my husband that’s what he desires me to wear all men are the HEAD of the wife. Yeshua is head of the man and Yeshua is my lord and savior, is not life more than clothes and what you eat? Everyone sins, everyone of us will always come short to the glory of God. If you remember, Adam and Eve were naked and were not aware of it until they sinned. Let God judge the earth and the people in it everything In the earth is his and remember to first remove the beam out of your own eye then pull the speck out of your brother’s eye. God does not judge the appearance of man, he judges there heart.