Have you ever wondered why you wear clothes? Is it to keep warm? Is it to make a fashion statement or express your personality? Probably. But the real reason you wear clothes is because the Heavenly Father made clothes for His children to wear. Why would He do that?
Look closely at a picture of Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden. Many artists show both man and woman wearing leaves. Others show them wearing pieces of furry skin. The Bible actually says, The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them (Genesis 3:21). Hmm. So that’s where clothes came from. But why?
If we go back a few verses in God’s Story, we learn that, after their creation, Adam and Eve walked around the Garden without clothes. We are told in Genesis 2:25: The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. So what happened? If Adam and Eve could walk around in front of God and all the world without clothes, what suddenly changed? At the very moment man and woman sinned the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked (Genesis 3:7a). What did this sudden knowledge cause them to do? … [T]hey sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves (Genesis 3:7b).
Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve believed Satan’s lie that they could be like God. Sin changed everything! Even though Adam and Eve were husband and wife, they suddenly knew shame in their nakedness. The first thing that Adam and Eve did after realizing their nakedness was to hide! The Bible says, Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (Genesis. 3:8-11)
Even the fig leaves that Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with weren’t enough!
Because God loved Adam and Eve, He promised them a Savior who would pay the price for their sin. That Savior is Jesus Christ who has wiped away all of our sins and freely forgives those who trust in Him and are truly sorry for their sin. Jesus clothes us with garments of salvation and a robe of righteousness! (Isaiah 61:10) In Jesus Christ we see that the new emotions of shame and embarrassment become our protection. Modesty—or a natural shyness and proper decorum or behavior—is God’s protection for men and women.
“Fig leaves” (clothing) help us keep our thoughts pure.
But someone is trying to remove our fig leaves! Hollywood, publishers of teen magazines, and MTV think that modesty is “victorian” and “prudish”; in other words, they think it’s old-fashioned and too restrictive. Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest provider of teenage abortions and a public advocate of homosexuality, says, “Obstacles that make young people uncomfortable about themselves should be removed.” (CITIZEN, July 1, 2001; p 17) These groups believe that feelings of shame or embarrassment are God’s way of spoiling our fun. That’s because they don’t know Him.
People who don’t appear to know God have a powerful influence on the rest of us. Take Abercrombie and Fitch for example. This clothing company influences potential customers not to wear clothes! How does showing young models without clothes sell jeans, shirts, or any kind of clothing at all? Why would a list for college students include activities “where skin is in and the only thing to bare is yourself”? What’s the point? You figure it out.
God loves you! As your Creator, He knows you intimately. He knows your needs and He provides—even if it means helping you select your clothes! He knows what is best for you. He has a future of hope planned for you! To help you toward that future and away from danger, God has given you the gift of modesty to help you protect your heart, mind, and body. Everything that comes from God is good and will serve you well.
The world doesn’t love you. It doesn’t even know you! But people in the world want your money. Companies and corporations try to get it by selling you “sexy” clothes (to “attract the opposite sex”), contraceptives (so you don’t have to “worry about getting pregnant”), an abortion (when contraception fails), and expensive pharmaceutical products to treat the sexually-transmitted disease they don’t tell you about but which you might pick up. What they can’t sell you is a product that will repair your broken heart; a pill that will cure your disease; the ability to restore your baby to life; or a therapy session that will provide forgiveness, hope, and change the way God can.
Modesty is God’s way of helping us to protect our virtue and purity. When modesty is removed men, women, and children are at risk. People who ignore the correlation between immodest dress and sexual promiscuity deceive themselves and others. Adam and Eve were given clothes after they sinned for a reason. In His love, God covered our nakedness with clothing and our sinfulness with the saving grace of His Son, Jesus Christ. His Word is true and can be trusted so don’t let anyone remove your “fig leaves”!
Isn’t it o.k. to show off what God has made? God wants us to regard our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). “Showing off” may tempt others to think impure thoughts.
Why do men get so “turned on” by a woman’s body? Sin changed a man’s appropriate appreciation into what is often inappropriate. A man may be tempted to lust after a woman. Lust is not the same as love. Lust demands its own way and seeks to please itself. God wants men and women to respect one another by trying not to tease.
But don’t we have the right to wear whatever we want? We talk a lot about “rights,” but what about responsibilities? How does our behavior affect other people?
Can a woman help a man control his thoughts? Yes! In trying to decide between a “sexy” dress and a modest one, the woman can ask: Which would God have me wear? A woman who respects herself and others will try to help a man control his thoughts by covering herself and behaving in a modest way. Of course the man is ultimately responsible for keeping his desires under control. He does not have to put any impure thoughts into action.
Is embarrassment normal? Yes! It’s natural to be embarrassed when your swimming suit doesn’t cover enough skin or when a boy puts his hand where it shouldn’t be or when watching people have sex on the screen.
How far is “too far”? Remember the reason for clothes. Any touching under clothing or any activity you don’t want God to see is “too far.” When your conscience makes you feel uncomfortable, listen to it! When it warns you, stop what you’re doing! Then thank God for the protective gift of modesty!