ABSENCE OF HOLINESS (Part IV)

I finished Part III with these two questions: 1.) What or who is our focus? 2.) What are our motives?

In order to answer the first question I feel compelled to consider first what the Old Testament says about God's servants, which we are and whom we serve. The Old Testament has much to say about how the Israelite's were to approach God. Not only did the Law have much to say about how the priests and Levites were to worship and serve God but it also spelled out the requirements and restrictions placed upon the congregation of Israel as a whole.

You may be inclined to say, "That's the Old Testament and that had to do with the Law. We are no longer under the Law, but under grace." That's true, but if we ignore the OT, as some do to their great detriment, the New Testament makes no sense. There are 283 direct quotations from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in the New Testament.

In the NT the types, precepts, and truths of the OT are explained and applied to those of us who are living in the dispensation of grace, under the New Covenant. Peter, in 1 Peter 1:16 quotes Leviticus 11:44, "...for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” God's expectations of his people living holy lives has not changed now that we are born again believers.

The difference now is explained by the apostle Paul in Titus and Ephesians: "He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Which He poured out [so] richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. [And He did it in order] that we might be justified by His grace (by His favor, wholly undeserved), [that we might be acknowledged and counted as conformed to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action], and that we might become heirs of eternal life according to [our] hope" (Titus 3:5-7, AMPC). "For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.] (Ephesians 2:8-9, AMPC) That's an OT precept (truth) applied under the New Covenant.

The precept in the OT is still the same, just accomplished in a new way, through the grace, mercy, and power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ within us.

What I am trying to do is raise the question of whether it's of any significance how we dress when we attend church? Could our dress be an indicator of a greater problem, which is how we view God?

I read two interesting articles recently on the same subject, the importantance of how we dress. The first is by Scott Raines (deseret.com - dated April 30, 2023), titled Perspective: The dressing down of America. (Our clothes are a measure of our cultural health. In our society of sweats, the prognosis is not good.) In it he tells the story of U.S. Senator John Fetterman returning to the Senate after being released from treatment for clinical depression.

"Fetterman stepped out of his car and greeted onlookers in workout shorts, gray sneakers and a baggy Carhartt sweatshirt. His look, or lack thereof, caused an uproar on social media. And rightfully so." Mr. Raines went on to quote Saagar Enjeti, a co-host of the podcast “Breaking Points”. "People who buck proper dress code at the highest levels of public service are narcissists who think their personal comfort/'brand' supersedes decorum. They're not trying to relate, they think they're above everyone else."

Mr. Raines goes on to say, "We act as if dress isn’t important. But what we wear isn’t simply a matter of decorum; rather, it reflects one’s heart and metaphysical well-being. How one dresses the body mirrors the soundness of the soul and the mind, and signals respect for both the beauty of the world and those who live in it."

My final quote from the article raises, I believe, a serious question for the church world. "I see the cultural inversion in my university students who come to class looking like models in a Hanes underwear commercial. Rarely do I see a student well dressed and put together, having made the morning sacrifice to dress as if he or she had some sense of personal self-worth. Most students are content to show up and feel “comfy” — the anthem of contemporary fashion."

The second was an Opinion piece written by Peggy Noonan on September 21, 2023 in the Wall Street Journal entitled "The Senator's Shorts and America's Decline." The line that stuck out to me was this: "We want to be respected, but no longer think we need to be respectable." She goes on to say: "We are in a crisis of political comportment. We are witnessing the rise of the classless. Our politicians are becoming degererate. This has been happening for a while, but gets worse as the country coarsens. We are defining deviancy ever downward." She wrote the article in response to what Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did, apparently in response to the above mentioned Senator John Fetterman's choice of attire. In her words, "He quitely swept away a centuries - old tradition that senators dress as adults on the floor of the senate. Business attire is no longer formally required."

She then gives a list of reasons, which I will try to shorten to one line per reason, of why John Fetterman, as well as all the senators, should adhere to certain standards.

1. It shows respect for colleagues.

2. It shows respect for the institution.

3. You are a public servant; servants by definition make sacrifices.

4. It reflects an inner discipline. The effort means you bothered, took the time, went to the trouble.

5. It reflects an inner modesty.

6. It bows to the ideas of standards itself...

7. It shows that you understand that America now has a problem with showing respect.

8. It shows that you admit to yourself...part of your job is to model for the young how to behave.

9. It shows you don't think you're better than others. News reporters, citizens who testify before congress, Senate staffers, must still abide by the old dress code.

10. It shows...that as a high elected official of the United States you owe the country, and the world, the outward signs of maturity, judgment, and earnestness. That isn't asking too much. It is a baseline minimum.

She finishes her article with this statement: "How people bear themselves has implications greater that we know. It's not about 'sartorial choice.' It's about who we need you to be - and who you asked to be when you first ran.

For those my age, or closer to it, it is obvious that church culture has changed dramatically over the years. The serious question I raise is this: "Is it for the better, or is there something more insidious going on? Have we lost a reverence for the house of God? Is it indicative that we don't fear (reverence) God or the things of God like our parents and grandparents did, who "mistakenly" put too much emphasis on the outward appearance?" Could our casual dress result in transmorgrifying into a casual relationship with the God of all creation? Coffee and sometimes food in hand, we enter the auditorium, settle comfortably into our seats with our phones in hand in case someone calls or texts, ready to be entertained. This is all too often fostered by leaders in the churches, especially mega-churches, whose focus is inspired by the secular entertainment industry whose motto is only the best in graphics, music, lights, and the best speakers. Don't get me wrong here. Just as it's not about clothes, my focus is not on graphics, music, lights, and the best speakers. My wife and I attended a mega-church before we moved to our present home, which employed all of these means as tools to accomplish their main goal - reaching the lost. Our pastor's main emphasis was, and still is, the Word of God.

Many reading this may say I'm overreacting, going to the extreme with what I’m saying, and with what I'm about to say next. I mentioned above that there may be something more insidious at play here. Could it be that over the years the enemy of our souls, Satan, has led the church down the slippery slope towards the blurring of the lines of all that is true and holy? One of the tools in his toolbox which he uses very effectively is incrementalism. "A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—" (Proverbs 24:33 A, NLT). He gets us to let down our guard. "It's not that important! That's just a little thing. It's so insignificant!" Satan is a long-range planner. He's had centuries to implement his schemes.

The Bible says that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Many, if not most Bible scholars, believe it was Jesus Christ that gave the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. In Exodus 28:2 God instructs Moses to make Aaron, the high priest, some beautiful clothes. Beginning with verse 4 and going all the way through verse 39 (36 verses), God gave Moses very specific instructions on how Aaron was to be dressed. Beginning with verse 40-43 God then instructs Moses on how Aaron's sons were to be dressed, even down to their shorts (underwear). I wanted to make it plain what kind of shorts so the reader would not mistake them for what’s worn in churches today. These (shorts) were so important that if they didn't wear them they would be guilty and die. These same rules applied to their descendants as well.

If God would dedicate an entire chapter in His Word to clothes, couldn’t that be an indicator of the importance of how we clothe ourselves outwardly? 2 Corinthians 5:20 declares that “…we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” If US ambassadors to foreign countries are expected to dress in a dignified way while in office, shouldn’t we, who are ambassadors of the King of Kings, we who “are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land…” (1 Chronicles 29:15), dress in a manner that reflects well upon the One we serve? In creation God made all things beautiful. Sin corrupted that beauty. Shouldn’t we, as His representatives, play our small part in restoring beauty to His creation? Dressing nice when we go to church isn’t a matter of holiness, but an expression of our love for, and our honor for, the Lord as His representatives.