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Wearing Revealing
Outfits Tastefully?
Dear Mr. Rushmore, I read your article “Modesty:
Biblical Investigation, Contemporary Application” . . . It was a very interesting
article, but I became a little concerned about some of the things that
were written. I know a very beautiful woman who likes to wear revealing
outfits and she does it very tastefully. She also loves and worships the
Lord and her character is very holy and very admirable, in my opinion.
When I see her, I recognize that her outer beauty was a true blessing from
above, but I never lose sight of her inner beauty. But is she still committing
a sin just because there may be other men out there that might have different
(perhaps lustful) thoughts when they see her in these revealing clothes?
Shouldn’t it be the men that see these kinds of women and lust after them
that are the sinners rather than the women themselves? What about men like
myself that see these women, recognize their beauty (both inner and outer),
yet they don’t lust after them? ~ Sincerely, Concerned Male, Syracuse,
NY
Adam and Eve, the first man and the first woman, were
created by God and placed into the Garden of Eden. They were naked - with God’s implicit approval (Genesis 2:25; cf. 3:11). It well may have
been the case that had sin never entered the world (i.e., neither through
Adam and Eve nor through any of their descendants), we might all be running
around naked in paradise - with at least God’s implicit approval.
However, the introduction of sin into the world through
the disobedience of Adam and Eve forever altered man’s habitation. Several
consequences ensued that changed both the habitat in which mankind lives
as well as the circumstances attending his domicile on earth. These
changes from the mankind’s former blissful existence in paradise include:
(1) Adam and Eve (representative of their subsequent posterity, too) became
aware of their nakedness and were ashamed (Genesis 3:7). (2) Adam and Eve
became afraid of God (Genesis 3:8-9). (3) Eve (and subsequently all
women) was assigned labor pains in childbirth and consigned to the rule
of her husband (Genesis 3:16). (4) Adam was charged to laboriously
farm unwilling fields infested with weeds and thorns (Genesis 3:17-19).
(5) Adam and Eve lost their access to the tree of life (and the Eden paradise
itself) and were advised that they would experience death (Genesis 3:19,
22-24). (6) God explicitly withdrew his approval of mankind’s nakedness
by clothing Adam and Eve (at that time still the only two human beings
on the planet) (Genesis 3:21).
Adam and Eve derived their first clothing from “fig leaves”
and made “aprons” (Genesis 3:7). These “aprons” were essentially loin-cloths,”
which is what the original Hebrew word translated “aprons” means. God apparently
disapproved of their “aprons” and instead clothed Adam and Eve with “coats”
made from animal skins (Genesis 3:21). The “coats” with which God
clothed Adam and Eve were long shirt-like garments. The original
Hebrew word that is translated “coat” also appears as “garment” and “robe.”
Despite Adam and Eve’s meager efforts to clothe themselves, God obviously
considered them yet unclothed and needing yet to be clothed.
Following Adam and Eve’s sin in Eden, a sense of modesty awakened
in them, which though they attempted to address, they did not address it
to God’s satisfaction. Therefore, God essentially defined modesty
for them (and us) by substituting garments of his choosing for the first
couple’s fig leaves.
Throughout the religious historical periods of Patriarchy
and Judaism (in the Old Testament) and Christianity (in the New Testament),
God continued to enjoin his definition of modesty upon humanity.
For instance, one opting for provocative attire in Old Testament times
was acknowledged as a sinner. “And, behold, there met him a woman with
the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart” (Proverbs 7:10). Likewise,
persons in the New Testament are also commanded to practice modesty (1
Timothy 2:9-10).
Finally, notice the text of 1 Timothy 2:9-10.
“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves
in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair,
or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing
godliness) with good works.”
Modesty is coupled with godliness and contrasted with
immodesty in this citation. From the time Adam and Eve sinned in the
Garden of Eden, immodesty or degrees of undress and godliness have been
and continue to be biblically incompatible. Therefore, anyone who dresses
immodestly in public sins and further contributes to the sins others may
embrace, such as lust, because of that immodesty. Friends
don’t let friends dress immodestly (Ephesians 5:11)!
Degrees of
Punishment and Reward?
Does the Bible teach that there will be degrees
of punishment and rewards? ~ Don Puryear
There are a few topics of which the Bible speaks, but about
which the pages of inspiration say very little. Yes, the Bible does teach
that there will be degrees of punishment and reward, though not much is
said regarding either. We must content ourselves with the Bible’s affirmation,
howbeit perhaps in passing, regarding punishments and rewards. Likewise,
we must not concern ourselves overly with the details that may not be attainable
in this life. “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those
things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever,
that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
One passage that seems to suggest degrees of punishment
is 2 Peter 2:20-22. It reads:
“For if after they have escaped the pollutions
of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse
with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have
known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn
from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto
them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit
again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”
Those who ‘escape the pollutions of the world (i.e., the
state of being lost in sin) through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ (i.e., John 8:32)’ are Christians. To be ‘again entangled
therein, and overcome’ equates to apostatizing. Contrary to popular Calvinistic
dogma, a child of God can sin so as to be lost (eternally lost if he remains
in that condition). The phrase that says ‘the latter end is worse with
them than the beginning’ teaches that somehow it is worse for a Christian
who apostatizes than being in the condition in which he was before he became
a Christian (i.e., lost). This expression is reinforced with the statement
that reads “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of
righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment
delivered unto them.”
In what sense is that so? One might argue that the awareness
alone (as one experiences eternity away from God in hell) that once he
was saved and enjoyed the prospect of spending eternity in heaven with
God sufficiently explains the reference under review in this passage. Yet,
it may well be that what we have here is a passing reference to degrees
of punishment in hell. It is difficult to imagine from this side of eternity
how differing degrees of punishment matter. Certainly, suffering some lesser
degree of punishment in hell than what others may experience will be no
consolation at all.
Elsewhere, the Bible seems to suggest degrees of reward.
It seems reasonable to suppose that if there are degrees of punishment
that there also would be degrees of reward (and vice versa). Notice the
following passage.
“For other foundation can no man lay than that
is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation
gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall
be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed
by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If
any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a
reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he
himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).
The apostle Paul wrote about his labors or the labors of
others in the Gospel, namely evangelism. Paul illustrated the fruits of
his work for the Lord, converts, with the series ‘gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay and stubble.’ According to the illustration, each convert
is assayed with fire to determine purity, much like metals are purified
by fire to extract the impurities. It is clear that one’s converts are
discussed here rather than the salvation of the evangelist or personal
worker. “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon,
he shall receive a reward.”
The summary of the passage is that the evangelist whose
labors result in the salvation of several souls (who continue to be obedient)
will receive a greater eternal reward than the evangelist some whose converts
do not remain faithful. Both personal workers in the above scenario receive
the eternal reward of heaven, though the one in some way receives an added
reward. Again, one might argue that one’s awareness (while enjoying the
bliss of heaven) that other souls in heaven are there due one’s efforts
is sufficient to explain the passage. However, the passage may well be
a reference, though without the extent of detail we might prefer, to degrees
of reward in heaven.
Both the 2 Peter 2:20-22 and 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 passages
contain biblical principles that are valuable to Christian living and service
irrespective of whether we concur or disagree regarding degrees of punishment
and reward. I tend to favor interpretations that embrace degrees of punishment
and reward. However, the subject of degrees of punishments and rewards
is not something over which the children of God need to be dogmatic. It
is not something critical to our redemption, worship, Christian living
or Christian service which without agreeing upon will rob us of our eternal
heritage. There are several other biblical topics which deserve greater
attention, especially due to their gravity and their frequent abuse today.
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