How Should we Dress for Church?

[john832]

Actually, we are in the presence of God at all times. . . . in our pajamas in the mornings drinking coffee . . . in our work clothes going to work . . . . in our worse jeans and t-shirts gardening or going fishing . . . He sees us as we are at all times. That is not to say that we dress sloppily going to church or any other occasion just as long as the clothes are clean, pressed (yes, I still iron) and modest . . . I'm sure God doesn't really care!

But we come before God at church in a formal setting, and yes, I think He really does care...

Mat 22:10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Mat 22:11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And yes I know this is referring to a spiritual attitude but what makes one think that the physical is false and an erroneous teaching? Christ's teachings NEVER had a shadow of falsehood in them.

 

[notuptome]

But we come before God at church in a formal setting, and yes, I think He really does care...

Mat 22:10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Mat 22:11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And yes I know this is referring to a spiritual attitude but what makes one think that the physical is false and an erroneous teaching? Christ's teachings NEVER had a shadow of falsehood in them.

I do not think that this interpretation of the passage is wholly valid. The man not having the wedding attire was clad in his own righteousness and not the righteousness of Christ.

Believers will dress for church according to the dictates of their hearts. Some of this will be cultural and some will be learned reverence for the house of God.

I admit that I would vote to ban neckties from church but I also would not support golf attire. I still wear the necktie and give God thanks that after 53 years He provided air conditioning to our church building. We attend church to grow in the Lord and fellowship with other believers. Church is not an obligatory stop on the way to our recreational activities for the day.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

 

[john832]

I do not think that this interpretation of the passage is wholly valid. The man not having the wedding attire was clad in his own righteousness and not the righteousness of Christ.

In other words, he was dressed as HE saw fit not as God expected?

Believers will dress for church according to the dictates of their hearts. Some of this will be cultural and some will be learned reverence for the house of God.

Assuming God doesn't really care.

I admit that I would vote to ban neckties from church but I also would not support golf attire. I still wear the necktie and give God thanks that after 53 years He provided air conditioning to our church building. We attend church to grow in the Lord and fellowship with other believers. Church is not an obligatory stop on the way to our recreational activities for the day.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

What happened to the priests in the Tabernacle, how were they to dress? Any ole way?

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

 

[john832]

Is our dress a reflection of our attitude?

 

[Yet]

Drett, with total due respect, the building is not 'the house of God'. We are.
Acts 7:48 Howbeit the most High dwells not in temples made with hands....

 

[ww_21]

The evening prayer meeting that I attend is very casual you could wear what ever you like. Most show up in a pair of jeans and a shirt.. I don't think God cares what we wear as long as our hearts are in the prayer and worship.

 

[my_adonai_]

Would you go to a place of gathering naked?
Then why should you go half naked?
Then why should you go exposed?

expose - make (something) visible by uncovering it.
naked - Having no covering, especially the usual one:


I say the purpose of clothing is to cover up, these days people cover up the essentials neh? Private parts.!!. You can have your cleavage exposed, Wear some tights to expose your body!. Get some jeans for the sake of being "comfortable". and say GOD looks at the heart so i can stand in his courts with a mini skirt? how would you prostrate yourself before HIM? You can enter in his courts while exposing your boxers, is that respect? Would we walk like that before our earthly father?

Having accepted Christ do we not seek to do all things as to Him? Is He not closer to us than our earthly father?

Col_3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Eph_6:7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

Nakedness should be covered, and those who do not have no shame, nor respect for their own bodies and are not doing what they are doing as to the Lord but as unto men, so People may see their bossoms and cleavages and boxers and etc etc...

As we want to be presentable before our bosses and appear as modest, God fearing christians, should not be the same in Gods house?

i say a church that has its members not respecting their bodies, it does not THE FATHER in it..!!..

 

[maxwel]

You dress to what you believe. If you believe you are going to the house of God then you will dress accordingly. If you believe you are going to hang out in a building to hear some guy talk for a while, then you will dress accordingly.

Drett,

We all truly hope you become a believer one day.
But since you are presently not a Christian... your opinions often leave me bewildered.

It's like listening to someone who can't even swim...
and there he is, trying to tell a scuba diver the best kind of wetsuit to wear in every situation.

It's just silly.
It's silly, and presumptuous.

The bible CAN be understood by an unbeliever, but only to a DEGREE.
It cannot be understood completely, or thoroughly, by an unbeliever.
That is what the scripture says of itself.

1Corinthias 2:14
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

It's great that you visit, and hang around, and discuss things.
But when you start offering opinions on biblical things,
and actually offer those opinions as if they are "statements of fact"...
it just becomes silly.

The Christians here don't want the opinions of an unconverted person regarding the holy scripture.
The Christians here want to see you come to believe in Christ, and have a conversion of your soul.

God Bless,
Max

 

[john832]

Drett,

We all truly hope you become a believer one day.
But since you are presently not a Christian... your opinions often leave me bewildered.

It's like listening to someone who can't even swim...
and there he is, trying to tell a scuba diver the best kind of wetsuit to wear in every situation.

It's just silly.
It's silly, and presumptuous.

The bible can be understood by an unbeliever, to a DEGREE.
But it cannot be understood completely, or thoroughly, by an unbeliever.
That is what the scripture says of itself.

1Corinthias 2:14
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

It's great that you visit, and hang around, and discuss things.
But when you start offering opinions on biblical things,
and actually offer those opinions as if they are "statements of fact"...
it just becomes silly.

The Christians here don't want the opinions of an unconverted person regarding the holy scripture.
The Christians here want to see you come to believe in Christ, and have a conversion of your soul.

God Bless,
Max

Sounds like he has a pretty good handle on the question at hand.

 

[maxwel]

You dress to what you believe. If you believe you are going to the house of God then you will dress accordingly. If you believe you are going to hang out in a building to hear some guy talk for a while, then you will dress accordingly.

In the New Testament, there is no "house of God".
A church building is not "holy ground".

Each believer is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
1Corinthians 6:19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

IF you are a believer, the moment you undergo your conversion, you are transformed.
God's spirit comes to dwell INSIDE of you, and your OWN BODY becomes the temple of God.

Therefore...
the church building we visit isn't some special HOLY PLACE, nor is it some special HOLY GROUND.
But rather, your OWN BODY is HOLY GROUND.
We reverence God not by how we dress at church, but how we conduct ourselves...
every minute of every day.

 

[dcontroversal]

Take a shower first?

HAHAHAHH too funny!

 

[dcontroversal]

The evening prayer meeting that I attend is very casual you could wear what ever you like. Most show up in a pair of jeans and a shirt.. I don't think God cares what we wear as long as our hearts are in the prayer and worship.

I agree...most churches would ask John the Baptist or Jesus to leave if they didn't know who they were just by their dress. I have friends who have been in churches where (MOST HOLY) SISTER BERTHA BETTER THAN THOUS AND DEACONS, have asked poor, husbandless mothers and children to not come back until they have a clean dress/clothes on. I don't normally cuss as I like to use mature language, but this almost makes me want to cuss when I hear stuff like this. I UNDERSTAND AND AGREE WITH modest dress as men, women and teenagers should be there to worship God in spirit and in truth, but to deny somebody the truth and or Jesus because they are poor and have clothes that don't meet our standards of what is/is not acceptable is a crying shame!

 

[john832]

In the New Testament, there is no "house of God".
A church building is not "holy ground".

Each believer is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
1Corinthians 6:19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

IF you are a believer, the moment you undergo your conversion, you are transformed.
God's spirit comes to dwell INSIDE of you, and your OWN BODY becomes the temple of God.

Therefore...
the church building we visit isn't some special HOLY PLACE, nor is it some special HOLY GROUND.
But rather, your OWN BODY is HOLY GROUND.
We reverence God not by how we dress at church, but how we conduct ourselves...
every minute of every day.

It is a holy convocation though. When the ekklesia gathers it is a holy convocation.

 

[Bassey]

we dont even need to consult anything before we know how to dress , just dress modestly and decently common sense will tell u that. i mean church is not a night club , u shuld knw that when u march into the church u come into gods presence.

 

[maxwel]

It is a holy convocation though. When the ekklesia gathers it is a holy convocation.

The last time we see the world "convocation" in scripture, is back in the book of Numbers.
We need to use some care in how we apply Old Testament practices to the New Testament.

In the sense that "convocation" simply means "assembly"...
then yes, the New Testament church IS supposed to assemble, and worship.

However, in the Old Testament they would assemble around the tabernacle,
where the ark of the covenant was held.
This WAS, in a LITERAL SENSE, a place of holy ground.

In the New Testament there is NO PLACE OF HOLY GROUND.
The assembly of God's people IS something special, and important.
The assembly of believers is important, but it is no more "holy"
than anything you do when you're alone... as God's spirit is WITHIN YOU.

The CHURCH BUILDING IS NOT HOLY GROUND.
The HOLY GROUND IS YOUR BODY, where God's spirit dwells,
and you take it with you everywhere you go... every day.

 

[ww_21]

I agree...most churches would ask John the Baptist or Jesus to leave if they didn't know who they were just by their dress. I have friends who have been in churches where (MOST HOLY) SISTER BERTHA BETTER THAN THOUS AND DEACONS, have asked poor, husbandless mothers and children to not come back until they have a clean dress/clothes on. I don't normally cuss as I like to use mature language, but this almost makes me want to cuss when I hear stuff like this. I UNDERSTAND AND AGREE WITH modest dress as men, women and teenagers should be there to worship God in spirit and in truth, but to deny somebody the truth and or Jesus because they are poor and have clothes that don't meet our standards of what is/is not acceptable is a crying shame!

Wow!!! You know I have never heard of that happening here. People are free to wear what ever they have or which to wear without being judged. Churches that deny the word of God to a person simply because we as humans do not approve of their attire is shameful. They should not even be called churches, they are just empty shells of something that resembles a church but isn't - a wolf in sheep's clothing. I think they need to remember that when God created us what were we wearing? NOTHING we were naked and only after we sinned did it become such a big thing. Places such as you mentioned should not exist today.

 

[Bazman]

Wow!!! You know I have never heard of that happening here. People are free to wear what ever they have or which to wear without being judged. Churches that deny the word of God to a person simply because we as humans do not approve of their attire is shameful. They should not even be called churches, they are just empty shells of something that resembles a church but isn't - a wolf in sheep's clothing. I think they need to remember that when God created us what were we wearing? NOTHING we were naked and only after we sinned did it become such a big thing. Places such as you mentioned should not exist today.

Infact Jesus goes further telling us not to worry what we wear. Love the comments Ww and Dcontroversial.

 

[Richie_2uk]

The problem with SOME churches they want you to follow a dress code, to make there church stand out, and look we have nice and clean looking people here. But at the end of the day. there is nothing is the bible about what we have to wear to church. it all depends on self respect. Jesus don't want religious people, to do this or that, or you got to do this or that. Jesus just wants you to come as you are. But in today's society. we do have to have some level of respect. So come as you are in reason of respect.

 

[posthuman]

if we wear fancy clothes, who do we think we're impressing?

filthy rags.

but there's a dress code given in the scripture:

 

[posthuman]

if we wear fancy clothes, who do we think we're impressing?

filthy rags.

that is to say;

But we are all as an unclean thing,
and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;
and we all do fade as a leaf;
and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
(Isaiah 64:6)

even our "best" is not good enough. that's why we have to wear Him like a robe:

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
(Romans 13:34)