Today we have social networks, church groups and even those who do not belong to a church, discuss these issues, what is right or wrong in the dress of a Christian, and I have realized that there are two extremes which they are intensely superficial and that in one way or another they are doing tremendous damage in the congregations. So, in this article we intend to build on this issue that often escapes our hands.Let’s start this with a question that the Bible answers in a direct way and so we can answer the issue of clothing:
What does the Bible mean by the word “world” or “worldliness”?
It is good to answer this question, because much of what is believed today about worldliness is taken from verses taken out of context many times and that is why we must have a good interpretation of what the Bible says so that we do not fall in certain theological errors.
The Bible clearly teaches us:
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
James 4:4-5
This is the most used verse to talk about the word worldliness, it is even one of the first verses that members of certain churches learn and that’s fine, but it’s fine if we learn it in context. What does the apostle mean that friendship with the world is enmity against God? In the Bible the word “world” is used in two different contexts, one is to express the creation of God, and in this context of Santiago it is to speak to us of the system of this world, what is the system of this world? Is he who wants to always go against the things of God and for that we would have several examples, or do we not see how the morals of this world deteriorates more and more by calling things that are unnatural normal?
This is what James refers to, if we are Christians we cannot belong to the worldly system that wants to govern us today, but we must know well, in depth what the Bible refers to with the worldly system, I explain myself through a simple question: Is it a sin to eat ice cream? Of course not, and it is to be known that ice cream is in the world and was possibly invented by someone who was not a Christian, so what is being mundane? I repeat, it is everything that goes against the precepts of God and the only way to distinguish these things is to have a mind centered on the Scriptures, since they will guide us to know how to live a holy life before God.
We must be very careful to go to the extreme that everything is mundane since if so we should live on another planet.
Second, we must be careful with the other extreme:
Beware of debauchery!
This other extreme also causes me a lot of fear, the end of those who want to approve everything as good and valid, simply because they are free in Christ Jesus, and hide many times behind it and forget about passages from the Scriptures that warn us about that.
The apostle Paul wrote:
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Galatians 5:13
Let us not use the grace granted to us by our God as a shield, since many times we enter the system of this world when we want to use a certain freedom
Those at this end call those who are at the other end mentioned above because they say that everything is wrong, however, this end also becomes irritating when they use debauchery as an option for sin. .
In conclusion:
Worldly clothes?
Perhaps it is a misused term, but it can be used in the context of the evil system of this world. Is that clothing that shows no modesty and modesty a clothing attached to the system of this world? Of course! Or will we use our freedom in Christ a pretext to bring the world to the church? I’m not talking about a jeans or a polo, nor a cap or a watch, I’m talking about clothes that someone who professes God is not supposed to wear.
Someone said, “What is my clothes mundane? Of course! Well, there are no stores on Mars yet!”
You may know who said this, but you may not know that his words do not show the compassionate love of God in front of his brothers in the faith.
It is true that all our clothes are made in the world and that there are no stores on other planets, but, although there are also stores in other places in the galaxy, if your clothes are unseemly, it is indecent wherever! and that does not please God.
We must be very careful brothers in Christ, remember that everything we need is found in the Scriptures, so that, I invite you to study the Scriptures, because through them we can know God and thus not fall into these two extremes that they are hurting the church so much.