Good job, Prax.
I would add the following:
These holy garments, as commanded by God to be made, were, along with the other tabernacle/temple items, copies of what Moses saw in a vision regarding HEAVEN and the heavenly tabernacle.
If that doesn't preach to you, what will?
Secondly, here are some more Scriptures:
1 Timothy 2:9-10,
Women ought to adorn themselves in modest clothing that isn't expensive, along with any jewelry that contains gold and/or pearls. Can a woman disobey this verse of Scripture and be okay with her Savior?
If you say yes, then a woman, and by extension, anyone, can disobey any Scripture they want without any negative effect upon their person and soul.
If you say no (as you rightly should) then if her relationship with her Savior is negatively affected through her disobedience, at what point does such a woman, for lack of a better term, on account of her disobedience, "lose" her holiness with God?
And for those who don't think a person's apparel has anything to do with his or her salvation, quit deceiving yourself.
If a woman, you just vamp it up, make sure you get a low cut shirt with a push-up bra, rock the cleavage, put on some pumps or attend a service dressed like Daisy Duke or Shakira and watch as every man looks at you walk in, and then feel the stares from behind as they can't help a second glance. Sit right in front of the pastor as he preaches so he can be nice and distracted and go up to the altar call, kneel down, so your butt is pulled tight and any passerby can see down your shirt, then ask yourself, is this the way a saved woman of God dresses?
You will be the biggest stumblingblock in the entire building, and cause many to offend, including your sisters, who resent your appearance because they caught their husbands' eyes wandering.
You can write them all off as perturbed perverts who can't control their lust, or you can rightly recognize your duty as your brother's keeper, and not shame the Lord with how you dress.
The same goes for men. You can GQ it up, wear that tight T-shirt that show off your abs, pecs, and biceps, allow a little bit of the old five o'clock shadow and some nice cologne and dazzle every woman in the audience with a brilliant smile, and I guarantee, some woman is going to swoon in her heart, especially if she's sitting next to Big Bob with his crooked tie, belly hanging over his belt, can't seem to comb his hair right husband who hasn't looked good in a suit since the day you married him.
Again, the same principle applies: stumblingblock, one that causes a dear sister in the Lord to lust and offend Christ.
But no, clothing has nothing to do with salvation. Nothing.
1 Peter 3:1-6,
Chaste conversation = sacred life style, one that demonstates inward and outward purity from the carnality of the world, from the Greek word
hagnos, which stems from
hagios, the common New Testament term for HOLY.
Adorning: to be arranged in a harmonious way
Apparel: clothing, especially the upper garments
Why not do this?
So as to win the disobedient husband to the Lord. That is, don't try to win him to the Lord by making yourself extra attractive or sexy on the outside through your clothing and jewelry, but rather win him because of what's in your heart: meekness and quietness of spirit.
If you will do this, ladies (should your husband not obey the Word), and NOT attempt the other (dressing and appearing in a "come hither" ready for the bedroom way), you will be a daughter of Sarah, and will become, as Peter here wrote, like a HOLY woman of old.
So you see, a lost husband's SALVATION can be dependent on how his wife dresses or doesn't dress versus how she acts and speaks from the heart.
Yeah, a lost husband might physically enjoy seeing his wife dress the part of the "I want you" vixen in the home, but doing that isn't going to save his soul, just turn up his sex drive.
People need to understand: modesty is not about you. It is about everyone else. You are free to be naked in private, in the shower, at home, in the bedroom and anywhere else where unwelcome eyes are *gasp* unwelcome.
But in public, you have a sacred duty to God and humanity to protect your brothers and sisters, both saved, and those yet to be saved, by not dressing in an offensive way.
If people could be honest and talk about how someone's appearance caused them to sin, we might actually start to believe and obey these otherwise seemingly un-palatable Scriptures.
I knew a guy who confessed the following to me:
There are times when I've prayed for grace. But there are other times when I've prayed for mercy.
Why? Because a newlywed pastor's wife almost always came to church dressed in such a way that for all intents and purposes, made her look smokin' hot.
Now, you can dismiss that as crude, ignorant, and sexist, or you can admit that some people have got it in the looks department and if they are not careful, accentuating their looks by dress and appearance makes it all the harder on everyone else.
This isn't about pants, beards, skirt length, eye shadow, or any of that.
It's about loving your neighbor as yourself, you know, the
second greatest commandment in the entire Bible.
And if you don't believe me, next time you're in a service, look around and people watch. See who's eyes wander and where. See who can't make eye contact with a person of the opposite sex because their eyes aren't on the face. See if there are any teenage boys with a coat or bible spread across their lap.
Then, after your informal survey, remember to tell yourself:
Standards of outward appearance do matter! They ARE tied to holiness and salvation.
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