PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

Character Training-Our Clothing (1)

One of the essential elements in the stewardship that the Lord has committed to us as parents is the training of our children in terms of their character. When they are very young, as those who are not yet regenerated, they must be trained to prepare them to become proper containers of the Lord Jesus as the wonderful treasure within them (2 Corinthians 4:7). Even after they are regenerated, they need to be trained in order that they may mature into responsible sons of God. We should be preparing them to be vessels unto honor (2 Timothy 2:21). Although the vessel is not as important as its contents, it is necessary that it is not cracked or marred by major character defects.

Under God's ordination it is the responsibility of the Christian parent to mold his or her children's character. Failure to carry out this responsibility may result in years of the loss of peace and harmony in the family and-dare we say it-may even contribute to the loss of a soul for eternity. God appointed parental rule in the family as a representation of His own authority (Romans 13:1-2), and if we fail to properly execute the leading of our children we (and they) dishonor God Himself. The failure of the priest, Eli, stands in stark infamy to testify against all who pay heed to the desires of their children above the commands of God: "Why then do you...honor your sons more than Me..." (1 Sam. 2:29)? "For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever because of the iniquity which he knew; for his sons brought the curse upon themselves, and he did not restrain them" (1 Sam. 3:13).

In this issue of Parenthood we begin a series of articles dedicated to the training of the character of our children-in this issue the matter of clothing. Because of the culture in our generation, the dress of people often degenerates into the display of the bare flesh either to purposefully draw improper attention to oneself or as the result of ignorance concerning God's view of such a display. As believers we must not take the matter of our clothing lightly. Bro. Watchman Nee points out that a believer must present every article of his clothing to the scrutiny and judgment of our great high Priest, Jesus. May we be faithful not only to personally submit ourselves to this discipline but to also train our children to do the same.

We will now talk about clothing and food as they pertain to Christians. First, we will speak about clothing for Christians.

I. CLOTHING

A. The Significance of Clothing

First, let us consider the meaning of clothing. In order to understand the need for clothing, we must go back to the very beginning.

1. Clothing Not Needed Before the Fall

Before man fell into sin, his clothing, perhaps, was a mere form of light around him. He was innocent, and he had no feeling of shame before the fall. Although he did not wear anything, he was not ashamed.

2. Clothing Needed to Cover Man's Shame after the Fall

When sin came in, the first effect on man was the realization of his own nakedness; he felt ashamed immediately. Adam and Eve made aprons of fig leaves and put them on. This shows us the basic significance of clothing; it is for covering. Clothing is necessary because we need to cover ourselves. It is a pity that the aprons of fig leaves did not last. The leaves soon dried up, broke into pieces, and disintegrated. God then clothed man with animal skins. He prepared something solid and lasting for man. The purpose of this clothing was to cover the body.

Hence, clothes are for covering the body; they are not for exhibition. Any clothes which do not serve the simple purpose of covering the body are wrong. Clothing is for covering the body.

3. The Blood Being Needed for Exposed Areas

The Israelites wore sandals in the land of Judea. They did not have socks, and their feet were exposed to the earth. The rest of their body was covered with clothing. Other than their hands, feet, and head, their whole body was covered. When the priests went before God with the blood, the blood was applied to the thumb of the hand, the toe of the foot, and the ear. This shows us that the exposed areas had to be covered by the blood. The blood was not applied to the other parts of the body. The hands, feet, and head were the only areas which needed the blood. The other areas were covered by clothing. This shows us that the purpose of clothing is for covering. We must realize before God that it is proper for man to be covered.

(continued on page 2)