An Epistle Written Unto the Christians
Why is there a debate in the Church as to whether or not a woman should wear revealing clothes? Why is it a question as to who is responsible for lust forming in a man’s heart? During the ministry of Jeremiah the Prophet, many in Judah were claiming that, because of the sins of their own fathers, the Babylonians were invading. This was proven to be false, for the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah and he preached, “Every one shall die for his own iniquity” (Jeremiah 31:30). In the days of Ezekiel the prophet, which was time during the Babylonian captivity, the Jews were still saying, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Ezekiel 18:2). That is to say, that for the sins of the fathers the present are punished. Again the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel and he preached that, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). But God also said that the man that is just, walking in the way of the Lord and following his commandments, shall surely live.
So, we can see from the Holy Word of God that every man is responsible for his own sin, not someone else’s, and not because someone else. If a man has lust in his heart it is because he allows it to form.
However, it is great wickedness in the Church for the women to make themselves “free” from the bondage of “boring clothes” that do not show off their bodies. Other than how obvious it is that this is the opposite of resisting the flesh (for this is quite literally yielding to the flesh), but the Apostle Paul wrote that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, and the Apostle Peter said that the adorning of a woman should not be the outward adorning, but the inward adorning. God knows what is man’s heart, and for Christian women to oppress the Christian men with scant clothing is a great and deadly sin in the Church.
Let us see more scripture describing this oppression. In the wisdom of Solomon, it is written that a man was in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night. This man is resisting the light, so he is a child of the night. But a woman met him. This shows the lust of man and the desire of women. The man might be searching through the night, but why is the woman meeting him? She is not a harlot, but was dressed “with the attire of an harlot” (Proverbs 7:10). A harlot would be called a prostitute today. The Bible says she has an impudent face, which is a face that lacks modesty. She lines her bed with nice things like, “carved works, with fine linen of Egypt” (Proverbs 7:16). She has perfumed her bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. And so the man yields, and the Bible says her much fair speech and the flattery of her lips she forced him and caused him to yield. “Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death” (Proverbs 7:27). Do you women want to be like this adulteress?
It seems that the next argument of the women is “well the Bible also says take out your eye if it offends you”. The question is, why does the eye offend? Is there something to look at that offends? Offense is not subjective, it is the same for all men. This is why Job said, “I have made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” (Job 31:1). What Christian women may have forgotten, is that God does not desire for us to live our lives at the expense of others. Paul said not to put an occasion in a brother’s way for stumbling (Romans 14:13), and that the liberty we have in Christ should not become a stumblingblock in them that are weak (1 Corinthians 8:9).
This all is not to condone or excuse the behaviors and sins of men. Regarding this subject I have seen that many women become defensive of their actions, and compete with men to see who is doing the greater sin. Yet the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Joseph was oppressed by Potiphar’s wife day by day, and when the day came that the temptation was strongest, he ran. Women, if you want to dress in the attire of harlots to seek love, expect the good Christian men to run as Joseph did.
God asked the Jews in Jeremiah’s day about this issue, for this has been an issue with man since the fall of man. “Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number. Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? Therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways” (Jeremiah 2:32-33). Trimming ones ways means to change a way to be less conservative, literally. Trimming clothes, with this old Authorized Version definition, means to be adorned with less and tighter fitting clothing. This is a way to seek love, but in doing so the potential bride loses her holy attire, which is of the heart. This goes for men and women.
If we walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Is it not important to the Christians today to understand that the pleasing of one’s own flesh is vanity? A woman can look beautiful without trimming her clothes, but shouldn’t a Christian woman care more about growing in the grace and knowledge of their Lord, way more than they care about what a woman is allowed to wear in the standards of society? How does making a big deal about the clothes women wear bring a single soul to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? Shall not the opposite occur? As in truth the young man went to adultery with the woman who dressed as an harlot? Is there something in tight fitting, revealing clothes that tells the lost world that you are sold out for Christ?
Furthermore, I think this issue is like the flat-earth issue. It is a distraction for Christians to focus on instead of Christ. Christian men, I understand it may be difficult, but we need to keep our eyes on Christ and ignore Potipher’s wife. Jesus said if a man looks on a woman to lust after her he has committed adultery in his heart already. Women will not change their ways unless they yield to Christ, and the same goes for men. So Christian men, ignore the women dressed in harlot’s attire, and maybe when they are ignored long enough, they will make their ways less trim so as to hope more for respect and honor, rather than beauty.
Lastly, women are to submit to their husbands. If a wife has trimmed her ways, she is sinning against God, but if the husband does not exhort his wife in well-doing, then he is also sinning, for he is despising his wife, he is not dwelling with her according to knowledge, and he hates his own flesh. But we know from God’s Word that hating one’s own flesh cannot last long. We must repent of the sin in our hearts, and ask God for forgiveness, either from the lust that forms in the heart of a man, or the lust that manifests itself on the dress of women.
Christians, keep yourselves from idols.
And to the unsaved, without Christ it does not matter what you wear, or how you live your life, for without Christ life is vain. Repent and receive Christ as your Savior. Time is running low!
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His Name Is Called The Word Of God 