PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

Character Training-Our Clothing (2)

When a little girl is clothed skimpily, her parents and all who see her may consider her "cute". But clothing the girl in this fashion trains her sensibilities concerning what is good and proper clothing so that when she is older, she may find it very difficult to submit to more conservative attire even though the parents insist on it. It is incongruent for us to attempt to retrain teenagers in a modest way after guiding them in a carefree style while they are children.

The role of parents in training their children is to fashion them in a pattern of faith and diligence; from the very beginning we must teach them to live a holy manner of life in the fear of God (1 Peter 2:14-17). They need to be taught that they were made in the image of God for the purpose of expressing Him (Genesis 1:26-28). They should be helped to realize that even though they are not yet saved and do not yet contain the life of God, they are being prepared as vessels to be ready to receive Him into them as their content (2 Corinthians 4:6-7). Although God is much more significant than we, it is nevertheless crucial that the container matches its contents. Our children should appreciate the fact that they are made to contain God; therefore, they must be diligent to preserve their bodies as "temples to be" of the Holy Spirit of God (2 Corinthians 6:19-20). It is apparent that we also need to conduct ourselves as a pattern of proper Christian living and appearance before our children (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9).

This issue of Parenthood is the second part of a series concerning training in character related to establishing a pattern of proper dress that is worthy of Christ. The society in which we live is one of looseness and carelessness.Paul spoke of the believers as being lights shining in a dark place "that you may be blameless and guileless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation" (Philippians 2:15). We realize, of course, that outward conformity to some kind of dress code is not the testimony of Jesus, but by training our children to not be conformed to the standards of the world, we help to preserve them to become witnesses of the Lord to this dark world. Our burden is that through training and by pattern, our children may become vessels "unto honor, sanctified, useful to the master" (2 Timothy 2:21).

A Clear Distinction between Males and Females

The Bible forbids men to wear women's clothing and vice versa (Deuteronomy 22:5). The tendency today is to annul the distinction between men's and women's clothing. Already this distinction is becoming less and less. If the world continues this trend, there will soon be no difference between the two. All the brothers and sisters have to pay attention to this matter. Men should not wear women's clothing, and women should not wear men's clothing. You must maintain the separation established by God. Men must wear men's clothes and women must wear women's clothes. Anything which confuses the distinction in gender does not glorify God. God's people and His children must learn to have proper distinction in their clothing.

4. The Sisters' Clothing

Let us talk about the sisters' clothing first. Generally speaking, the matter of clothing is simpler with the brothers than with the sisters. The sisters' clothing poses more problems than the brothers' clothing. We will read two portions of the Word carefully.

a. Costly Apparel and Meekness

First Peter 3:3-5 says, "Let your adorning not be the outward plaiting of hair and putting on of gold or clothing with garments, but the hidden man of the heart in the incorruptible adornment of a meek and quiet spirit, which is very costly in the sight of God. For in this manner formerly the holy women also, who hoped in God, adorned themselves."

This is the only passage in the Bible that contains the phrase holy women. The phrase holy men is found in many portions of the Word. But this is the only place that speaks of "holy women." For in this manner the holy women adorned themselves, subjecting themselves to their own husbands. The holy women adorned themselves with a meek and quiet spirit.

Peter's word indicates that many sisters tended to adorn themselves with plaiting of hair, gold, and apparel. He did not feel happy about the way they dressed. The plaiting of hair and ornaments of jewelry are not suitable, nor is beautiful apparel. We are not saying that sisters should be careless in their clothing. If they are careless, it means that there is something wrong with their character. If a sister dresses herself in a careless, untidy, and unclean way, it means that she is a careless and loose person. This is not what Peter meant.

(continued on page 2)