Well, it’s time to conclude our two-week discussion on “Fashion and Following the Savior.” Your enthusiastic response to this generally unpopular topic is reflective of your love for Christ. So far, we’ve talked about the attitude of the modest woman and the appearance of the modest woman. Today we come to our final point: the allegiance of the modest woman.
This final point gets to the question of why do we make such a big deal about modesty? Is it because we’re conservative or moral people? Is it because we have personal preferences about how women should dress?
No. The reason is the gospel. Modesty is important because of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That is why Paul is concerned about modesty and that is why we should be concerned about modesty as well. For when we take a broader look at 1 Timothy 2, we discover that these instructions about women’s dress are set in the context of the gospel.
1 Timothy 2:3-6 says,
“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”
The gospel message is our motivation for modest dress. As my dad explains: “The woman who loves the Savior avoids immodesty because she doesn’t want to distract from or reflect poorly upon the gospel.” John Stott puts it like this: “Paul’s over-riding concern was that the way Christians deported themselves would not detract from but enhance their gospel mission.”
We have a gospel mission: not only to preach Christ, but to live in a way consistent with our profession of faith. For how can we preach the good news of the transforming work of our Savior if our dress does not reflect His power at work in us?
May there be no contradiction between our gospel message and the clothes we wear. And may our modest dress be a witness to the One who gave Himself as a ransom for all.
That is the big deal about modesty.
