One day last week, while listening to the car radio, I caught a snippet of this program on Revive Our Hearts, with Nancy Leigh DeMoss. It’s been stuck in my head ever since. (Aaaah! Get it out! Get it out!)
I’ll tell you why it’s been stuck in my head. 1 Timothy 2:9-10, a well-known Bible verse relating to women’s apparel, reads:
9Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,
10but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.
That, I knew. I have studied, to some degree, every verse in the Bible relating to women’s apparel. But I have not gone as deep as I could. For instance, I did not know that:
… the word that is translated adorn. Women should “adorn themselves.” That is the word kosmeo. Now, there is a similar word, and that’s the word respectable. Women should adorn themselves in “respectable apparel.” The word respectable is translated from the Greek word kosmios. Kosmeo, which means “adorn,” and kosmios, which means “respectable.”
Now, when I say those Greek words kosmeo and kosmios, what English word does that make you think of? Cosmetics. The word, cosmetics: makeup, putting on our face. That comes from these two Greek words: kosmeo, “to adorn” and kosmios, respectable.”
Let’s look at those words. The word adorn, kosmeo, is a word that means “to put in proper order.” It’s used of decorating a house, of arranging furniture, of trimming oil lamps in the New Testament culture: “to put in proper order, to arrange, to decorate.” It means “to make ready.”
We are to be in respectable apparel, to adorn ourselves in respectable apparel. That’s the word kosmios. It’s a word that means “orderly” or “decent.” John MacArthur says that word is the opposite of chaos. Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Tell me, what could possibly be more orderly than a wardrobe based on one’s own personal coloring, natural silhouette, and God-given personality? As I have mentioned before, God does not equate modesty with unattractiveness. That would be a human mistake. And there’s more good news: Revive Our Hearts, with Nancy Leigh DeMoss allows comments. Let’s all say, “YAY!”
That is cool. Well, it’s like I told a fashion conscious friend one time when I was talking to her of the gospel.. She was worried that if she became a Christian she’d have to quit worrying about her appearance. I said, “Hey – Nowhere in the Bible does it say ‘Come unto Christ and get UGLY’ ” Looking nice and “respectable” is a testimony to our Lord who, after all, created beauty in the first place!
And if I just laugh at what you said, you know I mean it as a great compliment!
Once again, I have reason to blog!
Thanks for the lesson Rebecca! It was excellent! I got a good snort from “blestwithsons” comments too — as a compliment as well.
~Jody
Thank you for this Rebecca, I do think that the Lord want us to take care (and make pretty) this temple He has created in us. I love fashion and have since I was a little girl. I would dream about it. I know the Lord gets my need to be fashionable but modest at the same time !!! Because He knows me so well and still loves me. Clarice
Thank you for what you are doing Rebecca ( said with much felt gratitude). I think this is a very important topic. When I first heard Nancy talking about modesty, I pictured a frumpy woman. I went to her website and saw this well put together classy woman, and let out a sigh of relief. God is a God of order…we see that many places. This is a good reminder for me of the importance (and not frivolous energy spent) of keeping myself and my family in order.
Stacy