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Improper clothing (whether female or male clothing), and other
improper things concerning the outward adornment and one's conduct |
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You,
brothers and sisters in the Lord, being the light of the world and the salt
of the earth, must be an example to the children of this age in clothing also.
And in order to do this, you must not conform yourselves to this present age,
that is to say, you must not follow the fashion, and you need to keep the
commandments of God. And when we speak of the fashion of this world we must
always bear in mind that it is provocative, expensive, and indecent, because
that’s the kind of fashion the children of this age like. |
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Let’s see
now, therefore, what a believing woman and a believing man must not put on
and how she/he must dress in order to be an example. First of all, I want to
say that a believer, as far as modesty and decency are concerned, must dress
always in the same way. Whether a believer goes to the place of worship or to
work, whether it is winter or summer, a believer must always dress modestly
and decently. The only difference we permit and understand is the weight of
the clothes because it is evident that during summer we cannot wear the
clothes that we wear in winter. Therefore, in this case the weight of the
clothes is different because the material of which they are made is
different. A believing man or a believing woman is the |
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Woman |
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As far as
the outward adornment of the woman is concerned, the apostle Paul says: “In
like manner also, [I will] that women adorn themselves in modest apparel,
with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls,
or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good
works” (1 Timothy 2:9-10), and Peter confirms these words by saying to women:
“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and
of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man
of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek
and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this
manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned
themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands” (1 Peter 3:3-5). |
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Let’s
start speaking of the things which a believing woman must not wear. She must
not wear tight blouses, transparent blouses, and low-necked blouses. And her
blouses must not be short-sleeved nor sleeveless, and they must not be made
of costly materials. In addition to this, she must not wear trousers (whether
they are man trousers or woman trousers), miniskirts, or skirts which reach
her knees lest when she is seated she show off her thighs, which must be kept
covered. |
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She must
not wear slit skirts, or skirts made of expensive materials. Furthermore, she
must not put on fishnet stockings nor those shoes with stiletto heels, nor
silver or golden shoes. All these things are not proper for a woman
professing godliness, because they make a woman provocative and haughty. Let
the woman wear long skirts, which reach their ankles, and let her skirts be
decent and modest; and let her blouses be decent and modest as well as her
shoes. |
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Concerning
gold or silver jewelry, she must not put any jewelry around her neck, in her
ears, around her wrists, and in her fingers. Obviously, she should not put on
the wedding ring either, also because the custom of wearing a wedding ring is
based on a superstition, which can be read in almost every dictionary of
superstitions. This superstition – as I have already said – holds that the
fourth finger of the left hand has a vena amoris, that is, a love vein
running directly to the heart, so the wedding ring, which is symbol of union
of love and of faithfulness, should be put on the left-hand annular finger.
Pearls also must not be worn by a woman. |
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As for the
make-up, a woman must hate it, therefore she must not paint her eyes nor put
rouge on his face, nor put on any lipstick. The Bible says that Jezebel,
Achab’s wife, who was a very wicked woman painted her eyes (2 Kings |
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As far as
his head is concerned, a woman should not cut her hair, because it is
shameful for a woman to have her hair cut as a man (instead, if a woman has
long hair, it is a glory to her), and she must not braid her hair nor perm
her hair and nor have her hair dyed. A woman should not wear sun glasses
because they make her appear haughty. And when she prays or prophesies she
ought to cover her head with a veil, lest she dishonor her head, that is,
man. |
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As for her
behaviour, when a woman is seated she must not cross her legs nor part them,
lest she provoke men. And she must not put a chewing-gum in her mouth, lest
she move her lips in a provocative and sensual way. |
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Man |
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Now, let
us speak of man, because many tailors have made also man provocative. |
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In the law
is written: “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither
shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto
the LORD thy God” (Deuteronomy 22:5). Now, this is the only passage in the
Scripture which refers clearly to the way a man should not dress, therefore
we will start from it. Some time ago, I happened to read some words spoken by
some famous tailors about the male fashion; the substance of what they said
was that the man of this age must look like a woman in his bearing and
therefore the male fashion must help to feminize him. Needless to say, those
who speak in this way are effeminate men or sodomites. So in this age,
through these famous tailors, who are under the power of the devil, many
clothes for men which look like female clothes (both in the cut and in the
colours) have been made. These tailors don’t pay any attention to the Word of
God, rather it must be said that they scoff at the Word of God openly. That’s
why believers, especially younger people for the fashion is addressed mainly
to them, must be careful what they put on because various male clothes are
influenced by this perverse tendency whose purpose is to make a man flabby
and frivolous. |
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Before I
start speaking of those articles of clothing that a believing man must not
wear, I want to point out that it is not only women who seek to attract men
through their clothes, for men also seek to attract women through their
clothes. Remember that many tailors have made diligent researches on women in
order to find out what male clothes attract women the most. Do not underestimate
this, brothers, do not be ignorant of Satan’s devices. |
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Let’s
start from the shirts. Men should not wear those pink or yellow shirts with
strange and attractive drawings, because their purpose is to attract women’s
attention. Shirts must not be close-fitting lest they show off the muscles of
man’s bust and arms; I know that some believers like to show off their
muscles in this way; brothers, abstain from doing such a thing, which is improper.
Shirts must not be made of very expensive materials; the pride of life is not
of the Father but is of the world. |
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As far as the
tie is concerned, it is something which is superfluous and something which
makes a man ‘higher’ and therefore don’t put it on. Put a man without a tie near
a man with a tie on and you will notice immediately the difference; there is
great demand for ties, in some places it is mandatory; what’s the use of it?
At least, the belt helps to keep the trousers adherent to the waist and keeps
them from falling down, but what’s the use of the tie? I believe that the tie
– especially the tie which is fashionable - is useful only to make man
attractive. Today, it’s not difficult to meet believers who forget to bring
their Bible to the place of worship but don’t forget to put on their flashy
and odd tie! They have all kinds of ties; always a new tie on, always an
expensive tie! |
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As for
trousers, they should not be too loose-fitting nor too tight-fitting; in the former
case because they tend to feminize the man (which is the aim of many
tailors), while in the latter case because they show off a man’s curves
making him provocative and attractive. If the woman must not wear miniskirts,
a man must not wear minitrousers (shorts and bermudas), which are so
fashionable during summer, because it is shameful for men to show off their
thighs and legs. |
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As for
shoes, they must not be luxurious shoes made of crocodile skin or made of
some other very expensive material. Let man dress with propriety and decency
in order to glorify God in his body. |
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As for
jewelry, men also must not wear any jewelry, therefore no necklaces around
the neck, no bracelets around the wrists, no earrings, no rings. |
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As for
hair, a man also should not perm his hair nor have his hair dyed. And since
if a man has long hair it is a dishonor to him, he should not have long hair
like a woman, he must not have a pigtail, and he must not have his hair
shaved on both sides of his head in order to have the hair only on the top of
his head as many young people do today. Men also should not wear sunglasses,
nor put on any perfume because it distracts the woman and attracts her. And
when a man prays or prophesies, he must not have his head covered, lest he
dishonor his head, that is, Christ. |
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As for his
behaviour, a man must not open his shirt to show off his chest, and he must
abstain from crossing his legs in the place of worship and outside it; when
it is hot he must not put himself bare-chested before other people because that
is a bad habit. |
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Replies to
the main objections |
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● ‘God looks at the heart!’ |
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That’s
true, but it is also true that God does not look only at our heart, I mean
that He looks also at the way we dress, and if we don’t honor our body and
the sound doctrine through our clothing he is not well pleased with us. If
God looked only at the heart, He would not have said through Paul how a woman
must adorn herself, nor would He have said through Moses that a woman must
not wear anything that pertains to a man. Don’t you think so? If God looked
only at the heart, we could go to the place of worship or to work completely
naked!!! But obviously we can’t do such a thing because it is an abomination
to God. Then, I put the following question to you sisters: ‘If God looks at
the heart, what do men look at?’ It does not seem to me that when men see you
walking with your miniskirts or with your low-necked dresses or with your
close-fitting dresses, they look at your heart! They look at everything
except your heart. They don’t care about your heart at all, I say it again,
‘at all’!!! Here is the point, men looks at your body. Therefore, knowing
that men feel attracted to women, and when they see you the first thing they
look at is your body, you must be careful what you put on because the less
covered you are the more exposed you will be to their insolent compliments
and to their provocative and piercing glances. |
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Therefore,
you must do every effort not to attract men’s attention through your clothing
and anything else which may help to attract their lustful attention, which
will cause them to sin and thus in this case you will cause them to stumble.
However, there are men who, because of your provocative dresses, not only
will look at you but will also try to touch you and to rape you. And in fact
there are many women who have been raped because they were dressed in a very
provocative way. There are some people who have come to the conclusion that
it is not men who rape women but women who rape men! I must confess that they
are not completely wrong in saying such a thing because there are some women
who, through their clothing and behaviour, really solicit men to sin against
them. Consider what I am saying, and you will see that it is so. Therefore,
sisters, you run several dangers by wearing provocative and indecent dresses. |
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● ‘The cowl does not make the monk!’ |
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I agree
with you, however the fact still remains that a monk must put on the cowl.
Whether he is a true monk or a false monk, therefore, he must wear the cowl.
This applies to the nuns also, who must wear a special dress. The fact still
remains, however, that when a woman meets a monk or a man meets a nun, her or
his senses are not stimulated as when a woman meets certain brothers or a man
meets certain sisters who wear very provocative and tight-fitting clothes!
Ah, if only many sisters were dressed like nuns! For sure they would not
induce their neighbour to fall into temptation. |
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Furthermore,
it must be said that the clothes a person wear show what the person is
inwardly. That is something that have been said even by some sociologists and
psychologists. That shows the importance of clothes. Younger people who rebel
against the modern society show their rebellion through eccentric clothes.
Prostitutes wear particular dresses to attract men. Transvestites are dressed
like men or women, according to their perversion, in order to attract people
of the same sex. In other words, in our society people speak also through the
clothes they wear. And since we Christians live in the midst of the world,
and we also have to say something to this world through our clothes – what we
want to say to the children of this age is that God is holy and we are called
to honour our body because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we no
longer belong to this world, having been delivered from this present age –,
we will be able to deliver this message to the world only if we are dressed
blamelessly. That’s why a believing man or a believing woman must appear a
holy person outwardly. Be careful, I am not saying that we must pursue only
the outward holiness, but I am only saying that the outward holiness also is
important because it indicates that we want to honor God with our body, and
also because in certain cases the world will see only this of us, it will
hear only what we will say to it through our clothes. |
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Obviously,
we must have also a pure mind, a pure conscience, a pure behaviour in our
private life, otherwise we will be hypocrites, we will be like those whitewashed
tombs which appear beautiful outwardly but inside are full of dead men’s bones.
And we must beware of every form of hypocrisy since the hypocrites will be
cast into the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. Nevertheless, clothes
are very important in the life of a Christian. Some people of the world have
gone as far saying: ‘Tell me what you eat and I will say who you are!’ and,
‘Tell me what kind of people you frequent, and I will tell you who you are!’,
but also: ‘The way you dress is a reflection of what you are on the inside
and indicates what you intend to do!’ As for the last two expressions, I must
say that they are not wrong, because the people we frequent and the clothes
we wear indicate what kind of people we are. |
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● ‘Many of the things you say are not
written!’ |
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You are
right in saying that they are not written, but in the way I have spoken them,
for they are written in another way. How? Let’s take for example the
following words of Paul: “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the
Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are [were] bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1
Corinthians |
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You see,
brothers, what you need to bear in mind is that if you wear indecent clothes
or haughty dresses and you uncover your body as the children of this age do,
you will show that you don’t esteem your body, which is the temple of God; for
this reason you must understand what the will of the Lord is, so that you may
live as wise and not as fools. |
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● ‘There is no need to say these things (the
Lord Himself will reveal them to the brethren!)’ |
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That is
what many pastors say. However, answer this question of mine: ‘What would you
answer me if I told you that you don’t need to tell your child not to put his
fingers in the wall socket when you see him touching it? Or what would you
answer me if I told you that you don’t need to tell your children not to speak
bad words when you hear them using a bad language? Or what would you answer
me if I told you that you don’t need to tell them that they must not steal if
you know for sure that they have stolen something? Wouldn’t you say to me:
‘We are their parents, therefore we must instruct and admonish them! We can’t
permit them to do whatever they like! As parents we have this duty towards
our children!’? Likewise, as for the things which a believing man or woman
must not wear, those who have been appointed to shepherd the saints MUST warn
them and exhort them, so that they should not wear certain articles of
clothing because they are indecent and dishonor the doctrine of God. If a
sentry sees that the enemy is coming and does not blow up his trumpet, what
shall we say about that sentry? We shall say that sentry is a sentry in name
but not in deed, because such a sentry does not do his job. Obviously, those
who rule over the sheep of the Lord must be an example, ruling their own
houses well, because if they are not able to settle things in their own families
they will not be able to settle things in the life of other believers. But the
fact is that today most pastors are not careful what they put on (especially
outside the place of worship), and the same thing must be said about their
wives and their children. When we see them, they look like people of this
world, who have not yet turned from worldliness and the vanity of this wicked
world. Maybe when they go to the place of worship they are dressed properly,
but outside it they are unrecognizable. That’s why these pastors don’t urge
the sheep to dress modestly and decently, for they themselves don’t dress how
they ought to, and thus they are afraid of the reprimands of the sheep, who
know their way of dressing outside the place of worship. Things being as they
are, therefore, the words ‘the Lord Himself will reveal these things to the
brethren’, are lying words, for actually they don’t want the Lord to reveal
these things to the brethren. |
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● ‘We have been saved by grace and not by
works, what you teach is a form of legalism which kills spirituality’. |
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It is true
that we have been saved by grace, but it is also true that God did not give
us permission to live like the heathen who don’t know God. At least, the
Bible that I read does not say that we have permission to live like the
heathen. My Bible does not say to me such a thing, either directly or
indirectly. The apostle Paul said that we have been set free from sin to
serve righteousness, therefore we must present our members as slaves of righteousness
and not as slaves of iniquity. Therefore, since we have been called to serve
righteousness with our body, we must no longer dress as when we belonged to
this world and we served sin. However, the fact is that today almost all
speak of the salvation we obtained, but they hardly ever speak of the fact
that when we turned to Christ we became slaves of righteousness. I mean that
we hardly ever hear that we became slaves of Christ (1 Corinthians |
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Another
thing that must be said is this: to tell the brothers and sisters that they
must not dress indecently but with decency and propriety is not a form a
legalism which kills spirituality. The commandments which quench the Spirit
and nullify the grace of God are the commandments regarding circumcision, the
Sabbath day, the Jewish feasts and the new moon, foods (the prohibition of
eating certain ‘unclean’ foods), and the commandment on tithing as well, to
mention just some of them. Yes, even the commandment on tithing kills,
because it is part of the mosaic law, thus of the Old Testament. However, it
seems that no one realizes it. The commandment of tithing kills, that’s the
legalism which kills. On the contrary, according to these pastors who love
money rather than the Lord, tithing does not kill but does good to believers,
much good to the faithful who pay tithes, but above all to them who collect
the tithes of the faithful. Hypocrites, did you forget that according to the
law tithes had to be collected by the Levites? Are you Levites? The levitical
priesthood was abolished in Christ, therefore we cannot command the people of
God to tithe any longer. I really don’t understand why according to you the
levitical priesthood and the atoning sacrifices, which had to be offered by
the priests, were abolished in Christ, while the tithes that the Levites had
to collect from the people were not abolished!! However, you command the
saints to tithe and you take advantage of the fact that the saints don’t know
the Scriptures! You don’t care about the fact that many sisters are dressed
like prostitutes, but you care about their tithes, you are very much
interested in their tithes. You greatly err, for to command the brethren to
dress properly is not legalism. The commandments which urges the saints to
keep their own body in sanctification and honour are not precepts which bring
the saints into the bondage of the law and cause them to fall from grace.
Rather, it is your indifference that kills the saints, because it encourages
them to dress indecently and to profane their body. Your jokes kill, your desire
to become powerful after the flesh kills, your impudence kills, your misdeeds
kill!! You mistake salvation for holiness. Therefore I remind you that the
end of our faith is the salvation of our soul, while the fruit of our faith
is holiness. Salvation is obtained by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus;
but sanctification (the progressive sanctification) is achieved by keeping
the commandments of the Lord and of the apostles. Therefore, if you don’t
command the saints to dress with propriety and decency it means that you
don’t want them to pursue holiness. This is serious, very serious, because it
means that the biblical passage which says that without holiness no one will
see the Lord (Hebrews |
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You even
say that these exhortations cause unbelievers to stumble. On the contrary,
your exhortations, whose purpose is to induce people to give you tithes and a
lot of money for God’s work, do not cause those unbelievers who hear you to
stumble, do they?!! No, these precepts which I teach, whose purpose is to
honour the doctrine of God, do not cause unbelievers to stumble, rather it is
your greed, your love for money, of which you are full, that causes
unbelievers to stumble. It is the passing of the offering basket - and
sometimes you even pass it out twice or three times because once is not
enough for you – before the face of both believers and unbelievers,
accompanied by all kinds of blessings for those who give a lot of money,
which causes the unbelievers who hear you to stumble. |
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I conclude
by saying: ‘Wisdom says “It is a joy for the just to do justice” (Proverbs |
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Therefore,
brothers, bear with my word of exhortation which I wrote for your own profit,
not that I may put a leash on you. I have spoken openly to you, brothers. He
who has ears to hear, let him hear. |