Bible Thoughts

Otober 7, 2001

There is a standard for proper conduct to be manifest in the Christian, whether man or woman. In this scripture, Paul is expressing that the devotion of righteous men should be of such nature that anger and "disputing" would be controlled in those who lift up "holy hands." A praying man will have his thoughts on the service of God and dedicate himself to following the principles of truth that God has delivered. This will result in a conduct that will influence others, both saints and non-believers. Paul expected a certain behavior to characterize those who were Christians. A proper attitude and conduct still identifies those men who are saints and who desire to follow the path of godliness.

"Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather as is proper for women making a claim to godliness"(I Timothy 2:9-10, NASV).

As there is a behavior that is proper for men who are Christians, Paul addresses that which is to characterize female disciples. There is a standard of conduct for those who belong to the Lord. The attraction of a righteous woman is not the outward adornment, but the inward godliness. When one is practicing godliness, one's outward behavior will manifest that inward quality. The word modest is defined as "orderly, well-arranged, decent"(Vine, volume 3, page 79). Additionally, he comments, "The well-ordering is not of dress and demeanor only, but of the inner life, uttering indeed and expressing itself in the outward conversation."

Modesty, then, is a characteristic of both men and women. It includes behavior and dress since both are a reflection of the thinking of the individual. Christians must take care that their behavior and dress are regulated, not by the current society, but by the standards set forth in the word of God. Is that saying that one cannot be fashionable? Not at all, but if that fashion violates the principles of modesty, the Christian will be careful not to be overcome by the world's standards.

"No! God does not have a dress-code for worship and work! Of course He does not. He assumes the humble, worshipping heart will dictate proper attire and behavior. A true spirit of awe, reverence, and worship dictates dignity and propriety in dress and demeanor. God does not command us to kneel or stand or bow our heads when we pray, but doing so manifests a humility of heart that honors and respects the sovereign God, whom we praise and petition. So does proper dress."(Mack Lyon)

This passage should be very familiar to anyone who professes to be a Christian. Even so, there is a constant struggle to understand what worshipping “in spirit” really means. Many claim to understand, at least in a generalsense, what worshipping in spirit is. A simple explanation would be “seeking to follow the intent of the commandment and not just the letter.” That’s a fine definition but it’s not always adequate, here is an illustration:

In 1 Corinthians 7:32-33, Paul says, “But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.” We also know that John said in 1 John 2:15, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." There are those who will say that though Paul is allowing marriage, if you are seeking to worship God in the spirit you will not marry because marrying deliberately ties you to the world from which you are seeking to be free. People who promote this idea will say that marriage is “wrong” if you are seeking to obey the spirit of the law, they may not go as far as saying that it is “sinful” because that would be “legalistic."

There is an error in this kind of thinking. Something cannot be wrong without being sinful. Sin is the transgression of God’s law, of his will. Christ said in Matthew 12:30, “He that is not with me is against me.” When it comes to following Christ there are no gray areas, we are either pleasing him or we are not. There are no loopholes in his law that we can slip through to get our own way while leaving him cursing at our cleverness. We either are faithfully obeying his will or we are not.

Regarding marriage, a particular person may decide that they need to abstain from marriage so that they may more fully put behind the things of the world. Does that mean that this person is worshipping more satisfactorily than the person who decides to marry? Does it mean they are more pleasing in God’s sight? No, how can it? We are known by our fruits and spiritual fruits are a result of a right heart responding to the commandments of God. Now then, if there is no commandment regarding a thing then how can someone bear better fruits by following a commandment that does not exist? How can an action be more “right” or more spiritual if it does not bear fruits according to God’s word?

In 1 Timothy 4:1-3, Paul calls the “forbidding to marry“ is the “doctrine of devils”. That is the end result of saying abstinence from marriage is more righteous or more spiritual. Worshipping in “spirit and in truth” does not mean trying to bind things that God did not bind but rather it means to serve God in loving obedience, humbly accepting his word as the law of our life, neither going beyond nor tolerating less. A person may ask, “Why discuss marriage? No one disagrees that it is good.” Marriage was used as an example because it’s legitimacy is obvious. There are other cases where the same principles apply, be watchful for them.-Scott Huston