Bright Wings

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with Ah! Bright Wings.

August 04, 2009

More on Modesty as Warfare

I said in a recent sermon and posted here at Bright Wings that immodesty is part of a Satanic attack on the image of God. I’ve gotten quite a few comments and questions, so I thought I’d put up some more pastoral thoughts on this for you to chew on.

A couple of you thought that perhaps I should have directed some words to the male of the species - broadening my question to include speedos along with bikinis in Satan’s attack. My main point was that we were to take the fight to the front. And, as I peruse the coffee shop I’m in right now, all the young men are fully clothed and the young women are, well, not. Oh my, there is one of God’s children wearing a dish towel!

I sincerely hope that you hear me on this not as a prude, legalist, or even mere moralist. I speak to all of this with a broken heart. First, I speak as one broken hearted over my own sin and my own struggles with temptation and lust. I implore our sisters to consider these things out of love for their brothers in arms. I speak as one broken hearted over the oppression of women as objects of lust, objects of entertainment and titillation in a sex saturated culture. I speak as a father to three girls who will grow up to be young ladies and older women - and I pray that God might grant them godliness and modesty as they do. I speak as a pastor whose heart yearns for the purity and holiness of my people knowing full well that this is warfare and I see our churches full of casualties of the enemy’s attack.

Here’s the deal- we are created in God’s image, for His glory. Our bodies are to be treated with modesty, with special care, as we would with any gift of such worth. It is the work of the world, the flesh, and the devil to crassly objectify these bodies intended for good and glory, turning them into pieces of flesh for our own selfish desires, lustful designs, or perverse drive for adulation and attention. You are bought at a price, so glorify God with your body. You were bought at a price, do not become the slaves of men. (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23) The apostle also says, “The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.” This means that the gift of sexual intimacy and the marital enjoyment of each other’s body is threatened and weakened by “the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:16).

Sisters in Christ, when you parade your bodies for the sake of your own pride or the cravings of sinful men, you dishonor God who made you for Himself, not the vanity of the mirror, or the lustful gaze of men. You also cheapen the precious gift of your body to your husband alone for sexual joy in marriage.

Brothers, you bear a great burden in the destructive immodesty of the age with your lust for pornography and crass public objectification of women. So many of us are living without restraint and accountability in our relationships, and are badgering and objectifying our sisters in these relationships with unrealistic expectations of beauty and ‘sexual’ allure.

So, men turn your eyes away from that which is not yours. Turn your eyes toward your God, and his gift of marriage for the satisfaction of your sexual needs.

Women, adorn yourselves with “proper clothing, modestly and discreetly. . . by means of good works, as befits women making a claim to godliness.”

For a great article written by a woman to women on this issue check out this piece written by Pam Hardy.

C.J. Mahaney has a wonderful eight part series on modesty over at Sovereign Grace Ministries. Just click the link I provide here and scroll through their resources on this topic.

Also, I know it will smack of legalism to many of you, but I commend our Christian sisters to Carolyn Mahaney’s Modesty Checklist. I implore you to read through C.J.‘s series and Mrs. Hardy’s article linked above before you get to the business of going through a ‘checklist’ (Carolyn Mahaney’s checklist is added at the end of Hardy’s article as well).  Without the biblical foundation and the right heart orientation in these matters it is easy to lapse into externals and legalism. But, without some attention to the daily realities of this battle in the basic questions of attire- then perhaps you are not bringing forth fruits in keeping with repentance.

God’s grace to you in the battle!

Tags: Church Life

posted by Erik Braun