I was met by a man in the lobby of the hotel as I was heading out the door to church today. I stopped to talk to him for a few minutes. What he said shocked me! He said, “Oh girl you are lucky you are not going to my church this morning because pastor would not like you wearing pants to church.” I was stunned by this comment and my response wasn’t too eloquent. I said, “How sad to go to a church where the pastor hasn’t read the Bible.” I felt like Joyce Meyer when she shares about some of her not so eloquent responses to people's comments, so I guess I am in good company. The man laughed and said, “He has read the whole Bible girl but women are not to be wearing men’s clothes to church.” At that moment I knew anymore conversation on the topic would be futile because I did not have the time to address his response. But as I left the lobby and throughout the day his comment really bothered me as I thought more about it.
As an itinerant ministers wife who gets called to speak in different churches each week the topic of clothing comes up a lot because for each church and each denomination there is a different expectation as to what clothing is and isn’t acceptable attire for church. I also get asked the question about clothing from many people I minister to because each person has been told something different and they want to know the truth. I know this is a sensitive topic but one that needs to be addressed because so many people are confused by the different rules and regulations about clothing in church. So I am willing to address it so that we all can grow in wisdom and understanding together as the Holy Spirit teaches us truth.
To begin this study let’s look at what Jesus would have worn to church if he was on the earth today. His attire would be made up of a tunic which is a loose-fitting garment, sleeved or sleeveless, extending to the knees and worn by men and women especially in ancient Greece and Rome. He would have worn a cloak over His tunic and a sash around His waist that was used to tuck the garment in if He ran. On His feet He would have worn a pair of plain leather sandals kind of like a modified thong that went between the toes like the ones we wear to the beach today. But His sandals would have had straps that crisscrossed over the top of His foot and they would have had a strap for tightening. Similar sandals have been found by archaeologists. So if Jesus showed up today in church He would be considered a disrespectful cross dresser who had no respect for God and He would not have been allowed to sit in the front of the church and definitely not allowed to speak from the pulpit. Sound harsh? But that is exactly what kind of response He would get from most churches especially in America.
Now let’s discuss the topic of women’s attire in church and where the idea that it is wrong for a woman to wear pants to church came into existence. It began with people quoting Deuteronomy 22:5 which says, “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the LORD your God.” Number one this was a law for the people under the Old Covenant and it does NOT pertain to us today because we are under the New Covenant but for discussion sake we will look at this Scripture because it is the one that brings the confusion in churches today. First of all men did NOT wear pants in Bible times so it cannot be referring to pants. In fact there are several Scriptures that I have found that pertain to men’s clothing and not one of them refers to pants. I have listed a few for you to look up for yourself. They are 1 Samuel 24:4-5 & 11, 1 Samuel 15:27, Haggai 2:12, Zechariah 8:23.
For thousands of years men wore what we would consider skirts or dresses today. Pants didn’t even come into existence until a few hundred years ago. With this understanding it is absurd to think that Deuteronomy 22:5 was referring to pants. If that was true then women couldn’t wear underwear, socks, t-shirts, shoes, or anything else a man wears. Can you see the absurdity here? So if this is the case, what is the acceptable attire for men and women in church and does God even care what you wear to church or is He concerned with something more important? Jesus gave us the answer, though He was addressing the Pharisees who were appalled that He didn’t wash His hands before dinner.
Luke 11:37-43 says, “And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.”
In other words Jesus was saying, “Quit majoring on the minors because when you do you miss what is most important! Nothing you can do on the outside can do one thing to make you acceptable to God! Clean up all you want and look good but that doesn’t change the condition of your heart!” God doesn’t care what anyone wears to church on the outside! He cares about the condition of the man or woman’s heart who attends church! He wants the people to be naked and unashamed in their hearts before Him and ready to receive from Him! Whether they are in pants, shorts, sandals, torn clothes, dresses, or anything else does not matter to Him. Now tomorrow we will address what other New Testament writers meant when they spoke of dress but today I want us to understand that God is not looking at the outward appearance of any man, woman, or child when He sees them enter into worship! He is ONLY looking at the heart!
To be continued……
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