GARBED FOR GOD (M odesty/Im m odesty) —Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, This Tract P resented B y and clothed them.“ DDeeffeenndd -Genesis 3:21 TThhee GGoossppeell TTrraaccttss M ICHAEL PICKFORD www.defendthegospel.com 29 mandate of God, we have seen His standards for INTRODUCTION: modesty. Make sacrifices and follow them. A few more good questions to ask when clothing yourself: To be garbed is to be dressed in a distinctive Is it doubtful? way. There is a certain, distinctive way in which Could it be a stumbling block to Christians ought to dress themselves. I’m dealing others? in this tract with how we dress when we come to Will it hurt my influence upon others for worship services, although the principles will godliness? apply. But I’m addressing the subject of how we, as Would I mind if Jesus saw me wearing this children of God, should clothe ourselves day by attire? day. Just ask yourself questions before you begin. His eye is always on you (Hebrews 4:13)! Think about the clothes you wear to work, to school, to work, to the mall, or grocery shopping, CONCLUSION: when you’re casual, when doing yard work... In this tract, we have dealt with the idea of Are you dressed for deity? being Garbed for God. We have considered… Are you robed for righteousness? The Mind of God... Are you clothed for Christ? The Mandate of God... Are you garbed for God? The Manipulation of Godlessness…. The Modesty of the Godly. Does your clothing befit one who is What about you? You are supposed to be professing righteousness? Does your attire show professing godliness with your attire. too much of your body? Do you wear clothes that Be Garbed for God... are tight fitting, low-necked, or skimpy? Do you Dressed for Deity… wear short, tight shorts, or short dresses? Do you Robed for Righteousness… wear halter tops, or dresses with slits running way Clothed for Christ… up the leg exposing your thigh when you stand, or And you will be Properly Professing. walk a certain way, or sit down? Do you wear shirts or blouses that display your entire upper 28 1 womanhood when you bend a certain way? Many On and on we could go with the excuses people don’t even think about this kind of stuff. some people make to try and justify immodest But you need to know that as a child of God, you apparel. The point is we should never make must be concerned about the things you wear, the excuses. There is no excuse for violating the way you clothe yourself. principles set forth in the word of God. This is just There are different types of people in one of those sacrifices that some will have to make. different situations who will view the contents of The life of a Christian is a life of sacrifice. In the this tract in different ways. Those who know better first century, many Christians were asked to lay and dress appropriately will simply be reminded of down their very lives. And shamefully, we hesitate these principles and encouraged to keep doing right to lay aside our skimpy garments because of one of without allowing the world to influence their these excuses. I’m sure those folks could have standards. Those who have never heard this taught thought of some good excuses to deny the Lord just will be newly informed, and my prayer is that for a moment so they could spare their own lives. they’ll learn to dress in a more modest way in the “I’m talented, and think of how many souls I could future. Those who have heard these kinds of save if I live longer.” “I’m young and have a long lessons before, but stubbornly refuse to dress life of potential good service ahead of me.” “I’ve modestly, will be rebuked by this tract and got a family and they need to be provided for so hopefully submit their will to the will of God surely God wouldn’t mind if I denied Him just this through repentance. once so I can live on to supply for my family. After Having said all of this, let’s talk about being all, Peter denied the Lord and then repented. Why Garbed for God. When we speak of the kind of couldn’t I, just this once, to save my life and give garments which please God, I want to suggest to my family the support they need.” However, the you four things we need to be aware of. Lord commanded them to be faithful until death, in In the first place, we need to be aware of the face of death, at the expense of their lives! He the... didn’t accept excuses then for not being faithful, and He doesn’t accept them now. Dress I. MIND OF GOD modestly!!! In looking at the mind of God, and the 2 27 Excuse #8: If someone lusts after me, 1 Corinthians 2, among other passages, tells that’s there problem, not mine, they ought to us God’s mind has been revealed to us by the Holy learn to control their mind. Listen, if someone Spirit and recorded in His word. Therefore, I lusts after you, then they do have a problem they believe we can go to God’s word and see what’s in need to deal with. But, if you’re immodestly clad, His mind regarding the type of clothes that pleases then you also have a problem. You have become Him. What does He think is modest? What does guilty of “lasciviousness.” You are guilty of He view as decent? In the first place, we need to producing lustful thoughts in the minds of others. understand that God views nakedness as a symbol Jesus said in Matthew 18:6,7, “But whoever causes of shame. The Lord said in Revelation 3:18, to the one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it church at Laodicea, “I counsel you to buy from me would be better for him if a millstone were hung gold refined in fire, that you may be rich; and around his neck, and he were drowned in the white garments that you may be clothed, that the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of shame of your nakedness may not be revealed.” offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that Again, the Lord said in Revelation 16:15, “Behold, man by whom the offense comes” (NKJV)! I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who Excuse #9: No one would lust after me. watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk As far as I’m concerned this is pure selfishness. naked and they see his shame.” These passages How do you know no one will lust after you? Do are written in symbolic language. However, if you know what is attractive to other people? Do symbols are to have any true meaning at all, they you know what other people are thinking? 1 must be based upon the reality of true things. The Corinthians 2:11 says, “For what man knows the Lord was using nakedness as a symbol of shame. things of a man except the spirit of the man This is how He views it. which is in him?” Why put a potential stumbling We must also understand that when the Bible block in someone’s way because you don’t think speaks of nakedness, it’s not always talking about anyone will lust after your bare flesh? The truth is the same sense in which we normally understand it. different people have different tastes in different When we think of nakedness, we think of someone appearances in the opposite sex. who has on no clothes at all. They are bare. They are “in the nude.” The Bible does speak of 26 3 nakedness in this way. Genesis 2:25 says about Christians should compromise their activities for Adam and Eve, “And they were both naked, the the sake of modest apparel, not compromise their man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” Adam modesty for the sake of participating in certain and Eve had nothing on their bodies whatsoever. activities! However, sometimes the Bible calls someone naked Excuse #5: Brother or sister so and so when they do have some clothing on. Not much, wears this type of clothing. So what? What if but they do have some clothing on, and the Bible brother and sister so and so smoked marijuana? refers to them as naked. For example, in Genesis What if they committed adultery? What if they 3:7, we learn that the eyes of Adam and Eve were committed murder? Would this justify it? (Sadly, opened because of their sin of rebelliousness in brethren have done these things). eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good Excuse #6: I’m on vacation. Listen, we and evil. The text tells us they knew they were take vacations from our jobs. And we may take naked. It then tells us they sewed, or twisted, fig vacations from our home towns. But, we can never leaves together and made themselves aprons. Then, take a vacation from God and his principles. You a little later, down in verse 10, after God had come may take a vacation, or you may even go boating or down to the garden to search for Adam, when He fishing on the lake.