The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
March 16, 2008
In
This Issue:
The
Clothing of the Godly
by
Steve Klein
Let
God be True
by
Randy Cavender
The Clothing of the Godly
People are often identified by the clothes they wear. In the Bible clothing identified people as being widows, harlots, kings, rich men, men, women and wedding guests. Today, just by looking at a person's attire, we can identify doctors, nurses, policemen, firemen, soldiers, football players, ballet dancers, and homeless people. In 1 Timothy 2:9-10, the apostle Paul instructs women to dress in a way which "befits women making a claim to godliness" (NASB). Certainly it would not be fitting or proper for a soldier to dress in the attire of a bum or for a policeman to dress as a doctor. Likewise, it is improper for the godly to dress in clothing which is characteristic of the ungodly.
When Paul instructs us to wear "modest apparel" (1 Timothy 2:9), he is in effect commanding us to dress in a way which is proper for godly individuals. Webster's 7th New Collegiate Dictionary defines the word "modest" as "observing the proprieties of dress." It defines "propriety" as "the quality or state of being proper." But what is proper for those who are godly? The inspired apostle himself gives us the answer. "Modest apparel" for the person who is godly is apparel that can be worn "with shamefacedness and sobriety" (1 Timothy 2:9).
The phrase "with shamefacedness" refers to the fact that a sense of shame is to be demonstrated by our attire. A godly man or woman will dress in a way which shows an appreciation for the fact that God considers nakedness to be shameful (cf. Revelation 3:18). Realizing that God still considered Adam and Eve to be naked even after they had partially clothed themselves with aprons made of fig leaves (Genesis 3:7-10, 21), the godly are not satisfied with being partially clothed. But rather, godly men and women dress in clothes which are designed to cover, not reveal. Now ask yourself, "Are short shorts, short skirts, halter tops, sun dresses and bathing suits designed to cover or reveal?" Surely a person cannot wear such clothing in public "with shamefacedness."
What about the word "sobriety" as it occurs in 1 Timothy 2:9? Both W.E. Vine in his Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, and R.C. Trench in his book Synonyms of the New Testament, agree that "sobriety" refers to "that habitual inner self government with its constant rein on all the passions and desires which would hinder the temptation to these from arising." So, godly people dress in a way which hinders temptation. If you profess to be godly, ask yourself, "Are my clothes designed to incite lust or hinder it?" "Do they cause others to stumble, or do they prevent such stumbling?" Often people attempt to justify their clothing by making a claim like the following: "My clothes wouldn't MAKE anyone lust!" But the question is, "Do your clothes HINDER anyone from lusting?"
Those who are interested in conforming to the will of God will be concerned about whether or not they dress in a way that is proper for godly people to dress. Do your clothes identify you as being godly?
"Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:8b).
-- Steve Klein
Religiously, many will do what they think is best, regardless of what God thinks. When I discuss the Bible, some will often say, "Well, I have been taught this all my life by a preacher, and you know he cannot be wrong!" What does the Bible say concerning this attitude? Paul said, "For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: 'That You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged."' (Rom. 3:3,4). When man says that which is contrary to what God has taught, then we are liars! Kind reader, God is true regardless of what men may say or think.
God is true regardless of emotion! I cannot deny that emotion has a part in religion. But to base religious truths on those emotions is foolish. We are to walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7). This simply means that I am to walk by what God has said (Rom. 10:17). If my salvation is based only on feelings, I have no support for my salvation. Do you remember Jacob and what the Bible said when he saw Joseph's coat of colors? Jacob felt that a wild animal had killed his son (Gen. 37:33), only to find many years later his son was truly alive. Many are like Jacob: they get caught up in emotions and base everything they say or do on those feelings! Let me tell you something: God is true regardless of what you feel.
God is true regardless of doctrine. Many will follow the broad way (Matt. 7:13,14). There are many false doctrines in the world. Men are preaching things this very day that God did not intend for them to preach (Gal. 1:6-9). Some will try to defend these false teachers by saying, "Well, they teach part of the Bible!" I'll go a step further and affirm that they teach most of the Bible. The part of God's word they add or delete is the problem! Let us not get caught up trying to defend and support false teachers and their doctrines! We should realize that God's word is true regardless of what men teach.
God is true regardless of my desire! So many have failed to learn the lesson that Jesus taught, i.e., ". . . let him deny himself." (Matt 16:24). God's thoughts and ways are not our ways (Isa. 55:8,9). We must allow Christ to live in us and let His will be our will (Gal. 2:20). But if you do not, God is true regardless of what you desire!
Let each of us carefully obey the word of Life! If we do, we cannot go wrong. But if we fool ourselves into thinking that God will change His will for us, we will be found liars!
~ Randy Cavender
Via The Dyersburg Path Finder, Volume 26, Number 7