Does God care what we wear at church?

I don't see any dress codes in the New Testament except the one about head coverings for women (veils) in 1 Corinthians 11, which we don't enforce because we believe (correctly) that this was something specific for the First Century AD culture in Corinth. Other than that, I don't see any ban on women's slacks or a requirement to wear "Sunday best," etc.

Such passages as 1 Timothy 2:9, James 2:3-5 and 1 Peter 3:3-5 indicate that God does care about what we wear to church. Church services, in an ancient society full of poverty-stricken people, were not intended as a place for the rich to flaunt their finery. The recommendation for "modest" apparel for women is contrasted with expensive jewelry, fashionable clothing and hairdos, etc. and does not necessarily mean a ban on women's slacks or a regulation on the length of skirts.

Let's use common sense when going to church. "Clothes make the man. Naked people have very little influence in society." - Mark Twain
 
If God did not care what people wore to church, he would not have had his apostles give instructions on it.

Women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. (1 Tim. 2:9-10)​

Apparel should be "respectable." a word meaning decent or well-ordered. We can infer from this, not that we ought to dress semi-formally and not casually, but that what we do wear should be neat, clean, and suitable for the occasion. God doesn't demand a suit and tie. But we shouldn't come to his worship looking like we slept in our clothes, either. Take some effort.

Apparel should be modest, which here means "less extravagant," as modest apparel is contrasted with apparel adorned with gold and jewelry. We don't need to show off our status by our accessories or expensive hairstyles. Good works fit for a Christian are decoration enough (v. 10).

Paul addresses women, probably because they tend to be more inclined to showy outfits. But clothing is a status symbol for both men and women. Men don't tend to buy expensive outfits that they only wear a few times, but we don't need to come to church in tailored suits or shirts with designer logos on them, either.

In summary, God doesn't care if you dress casually for church. He does care that you come dressed neatly and respectfully and not to draw attention to yourself.
 
Wasn't it Jack Hyles who said "Men have evil thoughts when they see women in shorts"? I'll have to check the YouTube machine and try and find that Hyles sermon. He sure loved promoting his man made legalistic ideas.
 
Our friend Alistair Begg has this saying which covers the subject IMNSHO....

"The main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things."

Put differently, don't major on the minors. If someone is dressed modestly then that should suffice. We are coming to worship, not audition.
 
Throughout history people wore their best clothes to church on Sunday. They did the same when they had to go to court for any reason.
In rural communities they may have worn their newest overalls and their newest shirt. In urban communities they may own a suit or other dress clothes so they would wear that.

I think we should always look neat and clean and we should not wear to church anything you would not wear to an interview or a funeral or wedding. We should show the same level of respect for church (at least on Sunday) as we do for other important venues. If you are comfortable wearing shorts and a tank top to a wedding or funeral then I guess that works. I think each church will have their own style and norms in this regard much like style of music. I have my own opinions in this regard, but I respect and support others right to choose for themselves. As was stated before if there was a strict requirement regarding dress it would likely have been called out in the bible.
That being said, a visitor should never feel uncomfortable with what they chose to wear as long as it is not indecent. Members should always make them feel at home and feel comfortable.
 
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sword said:
Throughout history people wore their best clothes to church on Sunday.
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As long as they had "best clothes." It was the Industrial Revolution that made mass-produced clothing affordable, and a closet full of outfits feasible. For the majority of history, people had one or two sets of clothing, and the idea of "Sunday best" was nonexistent.
 
Ransom said:
As long as they had "best clothes." It was the Industrial Revolution that made mass-produced clothing affordable, and a closet full of outfits feasible. For the majority of history, people had one or two sets of clothing, and the idea of "Sunday best" was nonexistent.
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In my home, after leaving the trappings of the IFB movement, "Sunday Best" has become nonexistent! ;) Thank the good Lord for that! Most dress clothing has polyester in it, and I'm allergic to it.
 
Rod Parsley used to dress in nice suits and now he's in skinny jeans/skinny dress pants/leather jacket and sneakers. He's trying to be hip while preaching that prosperity gospel.
 
Ransom said:
As long as they had "best clothes." It was the Industrial Revolution that made mass-produced clothing affordable, and a closet full of outfits feasible. For the majority of history, people had one or two sets of clothing, and the idea of "Sunday best" was nonexistent.
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True enough

In bible times everybody wore robes. Not sure if they were choir robes but they were robes.
 
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Well Schaap can join one of those hipster churches and see ladies in "britches" and say "Hey I used to preach against gals wearing britches".
 
this argument has come up many times here... and i know i have said this before.... . but when you live in the tropics and your church has no air conditioning... . you tend to not care about what kind or how much clothing another church goer wears... and you become more concerned with whether they remembered that right guard goes under the left arm too..... people have always been free to dress however they wanted at every church i have been a member of since moving here... and nobody i know has ever given it a second thought...... it;s what;s in the heart... not what;s on the body ..that matters to God.....

but that being said i tend to dress very formally and very well when i attend church.... ..i don;t do it for any reasons other than my own... . i find the old adage that "appropriate manners come with an appropriate set of clothes" to be true... at least for myself.... ..i would not try to surf or go bowhunting in the same clothes i wear to church.... . so why show up for church dressed like i am headed to the beach or to hunt in the rainforest?....... ....

others can do what they like.... if ragamuffin grunge wear...shorts.. blue jeans... t-shirts... tennis shoes and a backwards hat ... is how they feel appropriately dressed for church that;s fine with me.. .. who am i to judge them?...... i dress that way too when it suits me - depending on what i;m doing..... if what they wear are clean and don;t smell like a locker room then i am happy.. . ... .but if they expect me to dress the same way they do when i attend church - just to make them feel better about themselves... ... then i must ask.... who are they to judge me?...

nobody..... that;s who...... and that;s basically what we all are... . even on our best days.... ....... sorry... end of long winded rant... please do carry on...:cool: .
 
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