Inward & Outward Modesty – 1 Timothy 2:9-10

9th Lesson in a verse by verse series through 1 Timothy. Sermon examines the 5 qualities of a Christian woman’s attire: 1. Modesty 2. Dignity 3. Sobriety 4. Priority and 5. Consistency

This Section: Chapter 2 covers the role of men and women in the public life of the church and chapter 3 covers the qualifications of Bishops and Deacons.

Vs. 9-15: The role of women in the church. Two main areas are addressed. 1. The Woman’s Adornment (9-10) & 2. The Woman’s Involvement (11-15)

Some Introductory thoughts on modesty

1. Clothing is God’s Design: Gen 3:21 “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”
2. The emphasis on female modesty in Scripture
3. The importance of modesty. It is not a peripheral issue or an IFB hobby horse! The most extensive teaching on female dress is found at the heart of the N.T. doctrinal Epistles (1 Timothy 2:9-10 & 1 Peter 3:3-4)
4. The danger of the cultural infiltration of the church. Our lives are to be brought in line with God’s mind as revealed in Scripture rather than submitting to the dictates of a sensual, sin-ridden culture.
5. What Modesty is not: Modesty does not mean ugly! True beauty goes hand in hand with modesty.
6. The Responsibility of the older women (Titus 2)

A woman’s dress should reflect the following 5 qualities:

Modesty (Vs. 9)

1. ‘adorn’ = comes from the word ‘kosmos’. Means ordered, properly arranged. Verb used of garnishing sepulchres (Matt 23:29); furnishing of a house (Matt 12:44); trimming of oil lamps (Matt 25:7); embellishment of the temple (Lk 21:5) & the beautification of the holy city (Rev 21:19)
2. ‘modest’
   1. Same root word as ‘adorn’. Dress that is appropriate and reflects order and beauty.
   2. Greek word ‘kosmos’ from which our English word ‘cosmetics’ is derived. Speaks of the importance of being covered. E.g. God covered Adam and Eve – “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” (Gen 3:21)
   3. Reflects good taste

Dignity (Vs. 9)

1. Defined: ‘shamefacedness’
   1. Means downcast eyes; bashfulness
   2. Translated in Heb 12:28 as ‘reverence’
   3. Refers to respect & dignity in the presence of others
   4. “that self-respect that shrinks from all that is immodest and unseemly” (Hiebert)
   5. “the quality that shrinks from overpassing the limits of womanly reserve.
2. Applied
   1. Opposite to the brazen, “in your face” mentality of the world.
   2. In keeping with a woman’s natural, God-given reserve.

Sobriety (Vs. 9)

1. Means self-controlled (a fruit of the Spirit)
2. Means sound minded. To be sound minded is to exercise wisdom in decision making.
3. Translated in Acts 26:25 as ‘soberness’
4. Refers to inner self-government. Refers to one who has command of her passions and desires.
5. Application: A Spirit-filled woman will make wise choices with her clothing. She will not have a careless, flippant attitude to her dress.
6. Application: A Christian women will be aware of the evil intentions of many of the fashion designers. For example,
   1. The fashion design industry is riddled with Sodomites. “Speaking at a panel discussion of Generation X Fashion in New York City in 2005, Tara Subkoff stated that fashion is “a gay man’s profession.” Melanie McDonagh fashion reporter said: “I asked a couple of fashionista friends of mine to name a single major heterosexual male designer, and they were stumped.” Cloud Pg. 18
   2. Calvin Klein: His fashion house has brazenly promoted sex in clothing and helped popularize sexy styles down to the level of “tweens.” It has promoted highly indecent public advertisements for sexy underwear, both for men and women, and encourage women to wear very tight jeans. A biography of Klein on AskMen.com observes: “Klein has become notorious for the nudity, blatant sexuality, and use of underage, prepubescent models in his ads.” Cloud Pg. 19

Priority (Vs. 9 & 10)

1. Priority rather than prohibition. Word ‘but’ at the end of Vs. 10 shows this.
   1. ‘broided hair’ = hair braided with gold & pearls
   2. ‘costly array’ = expensive clothing. The expensive dresses worn by wealthy women could cost up to 7,000 denarii (1 denarii was a day’s wage for the average worker. Refer Matt 20:2)
2. 1 Peter 3:1-5
3. Albert Barnes: “It is not to be supposed that all the use of gold pearls, as articles of dress, is here forbidden; but the idea is, that the Christian female is not to seek these as the adorning which she desires, or is to imitate the world in these personal decorations. It may be a difficult question to settle how much ornament is allowable, and when the true line is passed. But though this cannot be settled by any exact rules, since much must depend on age, and on the relative rank in life, and the means which one may possess, yet there is one general rule which is applicable to all, and which might regulate all. It is, that the true line is passed when more is thought of this external adorning, than of the ornament of the heart. Any external decoration which occupies the mind more than the virtues of the heart, and which engrosses the time and attention more, we may be certain is wrong.”
4. The contrast: A Christian woman should be known for her service to Christ, her godly character, rather than for what she wears. Women like Dorcas, Phoebe, Anna and the women who ministered to Christ during His early ministry exemplify this beauty.

Consistency (Vs. 10)

1. ‘professing’ = to make a claim
2. Application: A woman’s dress should reflect her position in Christ. If a woman professes to know Christ as Saviour, but dresses in an ungodly, sensuous way, she communicates a contradictory message.
3. Examples of clothing that is not fitting a godly woman
   1. Sensuous clothing (Prov 7:10)
   2. Masculine clothing (Deut 22:5)
      1. Femininity in men is condemned in Scripture (1 Cor 6:9)
      2. Masculinity in women is also prohibited.
      3. Distinction is a part of God’s created order. “…male and female created he them.” (Gen 1:27)
      4. “The real pants revolution came in the 1960’s with unisex fashions, though even at this time women wearing pants were often refused entry to restaurants and the whole subject was one of heated debate. By the 1970s rules and social attitudes had relaxed and pants of many lengths and styles had become an acceptable part of female dress for both casual and formal attire.” Illustrated Encyclopedia of Costume and Fashion
      5. An article entitled “Pants for Women” on a secular web site BookRags.com observes that “pants for women emerged” from “the feminist movement.”

Conclusion

Does your clothing reflect your Christian standing in Christ?

Is your dress distinct from the world?

What is your focus? Godly character and a life of service or popularity with the culture?

Sermon 9 of 27 in 1 Timothy Series

Sermon Audio Id: 5816553591