I don't think that is at all what he was saying.
What Does The Bible Say About How We Should Dress?
- Thread starter Glenn
- Start date
Waaaallll, you're very kind. I read the Scripture, considered the context, and wrote what I believed he was saying.
I'm just saying that I don't think that is what Barnabas was saying nor even coming close to implying.
Well, yeah. Is there something in the Bible that would suggest that the church is the "place you gather for worship?"
1 Cor 3:16
1 Cor 6:18-20
Read these scriptures for yourself. Where has the Lord made His house... in a building built by men? Of course not. That veil was torn long ago. The scriptures teach that the Spirit has seen fit to make our bodies His temple, and we honor Him with our bodies by what we do with them. It it what a person wears that makes them respectful and reverent before God? The scriptures say it's what they do in obedience.
Consider also what Jesus teaches in Luke 11:39-41.
I'd hope you'd be willing to, for the sake of the gospel, if it would help win some for Christ. Even as we discuss this matter, there are people being saved through the service of our brothers and sisters dressed in the very manner you are condemning. If such clothing seems good enough for the Spirit to use for the benefit of the Kingdom, why should it not be good enough for any of us?
I'm fine with the church being "the members" and the building. But, the real reason some newer churches resist calling themselves churches is because they want to use any Christian language. So, they shuttle off the word "church" to where they won't have to see or hear it anymore. Getting away from Christian language and symbols, including the cross, is the step that comes after ceasing to dress for church.
For some churches, that may be true, and that would be tragic. In my experience, though, when a group of believers is able to shift their thinking away from what it means to attend church once a week, to what it means to be the church 24/7, good things are about to happen for the Kingdom not of this world.
The only steps we really need to be concerned with are the ones that lead a person closer to a life characterised by obedience to God. I hope we are all increasingly able to "not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." The things you've addressed here are the outward appearance of a person, but if we are able to see past appearance, can we see the Spirit at work in their life? After all, "By their fruit you will recognize them," not by the cross or the tie around their neck.
Appearances can sometimes disguise fruit, and sometimes they can disguise a lack of fruit. So, should we not strive to look past mere appearances, such as the manner in which a person is clothed, and "judge with righteous judgement:" is there fruit? Surely it would be poor judgement to condemn what the Spirit has seen fit to accept. I hope you agree.
Aside from the point that how people dress reflects the reverence and respect, or lack thereof, of what's on the inside, I believe it's no coincidence that casual attitudes toward church have accompanied the decline of western Christianity. For the average modern Christian, Christianity is about what God can do for them, not about what they can do for God. They don't want to be a living sacrifice. They don't dress for God because that would be doing something for God. They want God to do something for them; make them rich, make them healthy, make them entertained. They want their own will be done. I don't see the Spirit at work in people who think Christianity is about getting God to do things for them.
I think that's exactly what I'm trying to say. Such people can be among any congregation. Sometimes traditional congregations can be filled with such people, all dressed nicely in suits and ties, can they not? So we judge past appearances to see the work of the Spirit. Obedience, selfless service, sacrifice... this is the fruit of the Spirit in a person's life, is it not? When I think of "dressing for God," these are the things I think of in which we should clothe ourselves. If we see these in a believer, surely that should be enough for us.
Who is the church: a man who sits in a pew on Sunday in a suit and tie, but turns another man away because his appearance, or his smell, or his speech is "offensive?" Or, is it the believer in rags, who sacrifices his meal to feed a hungry stranger? Which man is serving "the least of these?" One of these men is serious about attending church, and one is serious about being the church by doing the work of the church. So we see that if we can look past mere appearance, it is what a person does and not what he wears that reflects "the reverence and respect, or lack thereof, of what's on the inside."