Biblically, should women wear dresses in our country?

Question

The Bible says that women are not to wear that which "pertaineth to a man", or looks like men's clothing.The accepted dress on bathroom doors even for women is a dress. How far should this scripture be taken?

I know Roamns wore togas, and all the Jewish people wore robes--I am saying, does it mean the accepted dress of the day for women in the country you are in?

Answer 1

A woman should dress modestly according to scripture.

Which should be worn Dresses or Slacks/pants?

Scriptural reasons in favor of dressing in dresses come in the following categories:
1) Submission, 2) Gender correctness, 3) Modesty, 4) Authority, 5) Stance

I. Submission:

Jesus submitted to authority:

Mat. 26:39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

Heb 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

If you are married and your husband asked you to wear a dress for modesty sake, then you have the following to consider.

Eph. 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

As a man, I wear an undershirt underneath my other shirts. Why? For modesty's sake.

Eph. 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Eph. 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

II. Gender correctness

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

God made a difference in how he approached a woman and a man. The man was made the head of a family, but even in ceremonial law, there was a difference.

Lev. 12:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean.
3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
4 And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.
5 But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.
6 And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:

There was to be a difference in hair (covering/length):
I Cor. 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
8 For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man.
9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

There was to be a difference in dress

Deut 22:5 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.

As you may know, abomination is something that God hates.

III. Modesty

Webster defines modest as:
“1. Properly, restrained by a sense of propriety; hence, not forward or bold; not presumptuous or arrogant; not boastful; as a modest youth; a modest man.
2. Not bold or forward; as a modest maid. The word may be thus used without reference to chastity.
3. Not loose; not lewd.
4. Moderate; not excessive or extreme; not extravagant; as a modest request; modest joy; a modest computation.”

I Tim 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

Which meaning of modest applies in the above scripture? It seems pretty obvious that the third meaning “Not loose, not lewd” is the meaning of the term as used. Lewd is a seldom used word anymore, but it means wicked or lustful. (Acts 17:5 refers to lewd or wicked men brought in to raise uproar against Paul). Lustful means, “2. Provoking to sensuality; inciting to lust or carnal desire.”

Therefore to be modest, a garment should not emphasize or draw attention to a woman’s form.

What garment is more modest? A dress or slacks? In my opinion, there can be no question that a conservative skirt or dress is and always will be more modest than a conservative set of pants or slacks. Non-conservative garments of either type are not worth consideration for modesty purposes.

IV. Authority

We are all under authority (whether we recognize it or not). I have several points (or areas) that I am under authority. 1) In my job – I must obey the requirements of my boss or I won’t retain my job for long. He has authority over me to dispense pay increases, reprimands, and job duties. 2) My church – I am under the authority of a pastor, the church itself, and God. I follow my pastor as he follows God (I Cor. 16:15-16). The church has the authority to place discipline on me (for the purpose of bringing me into the place of fellowship with God and the church). They also have authority to recognize that God has granted gifts to me (or others) and that those gifts should be used for God’s glory. 3) In my home – I’m under the authority of God and am to follow his direction in leading our home. Most failures in our home are directly related to my many shortcomings in this area.

In your case, you are similarly under authority. In a school/home/work situation – You are under some authority, officially, but it is really God’s authority that leads here.
Some related scriptures are:
Heb. 13:17, I Peter 5:5, Mat. 8:9, I Cor. 11:1, Phil 3:17

V. Stance

We, as Christians, have been changed. We aren’t the same as we were.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

I Cor. 6:19 What? 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?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Men have an issue with eyes. Jesus warned men of this saying,
Mat. 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

We should be careful not to encourage this problem in others or cause a brother to stumble because of the choices we make. Paul said,
Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

In wearing clothing that is not correct, we can influence others in a manner that might be a stumbling-block for them. Our children, those that we see every day, all have that potential.

Answer 2

Well, thats in the Old Testament Deuteronomy 22:5. If you follow this you'd also have to still sacrifice animals to God to commune with him. Most Christians should be more concerned with the rules and guidelines set down in the new Testament and with the ministry of Jesus Christ.

In the New Living Translation (actual modern english) "A woman must not wear men's clothing, and a man must not wear women's clothing. The LORD your God detests people who do this. If the clothing is made for women, women should wear it, if its made for men, men should wear it...I know there are other clothes than dresses made for women. Dresses on women are only a cultural clothing thing, not set forth by God.

In my opinion, this is probably a way to say cross-dressers are sickos and it shouldn't be allowed according to the laws of God.

Answer 3

Hmmm...interesting question. Let's see. I believe back in the time of the romans the higher ranked officials would wear robes or togas which closely resembled dresses. Does that mean we go by time frame? Also, I think the verse you are refering to is in the old testament? If we follow some of those rules verbatim then we should not be wearing clothing made of different types of materials either no cotton/polyester blends. I think it's okay for ladies to wear pants.

Answer 4

First things first...please include the scripture references as it saves the person answering several minutes of locating the scriptures to answer in a biblical way.

The scripture is from the King James Bible
Deuteronomy 22:5

5The 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.

A better translation is from The Message Bible which states
5 A woman must not wear a man's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing. This kind of thing is an abomination to God, your God.

But when you look at the scriptures, this verse it the only verse in the Bible that talks about it, and even the verses before and after this have no correlation to it.

You do also realize that when Christ came, according to Romans 4 through 6 we were set free from observing the law. Because through Christ we are under Grace.

Personally, as a Christian, I would caution any Christian who feels that the attire is critical for your godly walk to think about this fact. The Pharisees in the Bible were so intent on observing the rules of the law that they did not see the reasons that Christ would step outside of those rules. He did it when the circumstances warranted it. Such as healing on the Sabbath. Because he knew the heart and the reason for the necessity. That's because Jesus knew that by healing that person he reached out to them and in love won them over.

What I'm concernned about here is that so often, Christians are so concerned with what they wear or what they or others DO that they get tunnel vision on those issues instead of on how they respond to people.

As Christians we are to be set apart, but that's about our actions and our responses to others, not about the attire.

I got to a Bible believing church where our pastor wears blue jeans to preach in. And anyone can come as you are. That's because we want people to experience Christ's love and to show this in our lives not only in the church, but in the community and on a daily basis. People get saved in this church and these lives are transformed into Christ followers.

Will our outward appearance be what God will be concerned with when we come to his throne, or will he be more concerned with our hearts?

For those reasons, I believe that God set us free from clothing that sets us apart. As women, we are to dress modestly, but it's our heart that is more important than our attire.

Remember, God looks on the inward appearance and our beauty is from within.

Blessings to you!

Answer 5

Well, considering God did not design man clothes and woman clothes, how can we say that women have to wear dresses. What if, by chance, it came about that men wore dresses/skirts and women did not. Would that mean that they wore women's clothing. Of course not. In fact, by that logic it is possible to say that anyone can wear whatever they want as long as that article of clothing pertains to their gender. I mean, men wear tights, athletic tights, and women wear pants and stuff. It's not the clothes but the thought about whether the clothing is male or female. In 500 years, clothing that is male now probably won't be and vice versa. Heck, the first person to wear high heels was King Louis the 14th. In short, women do not have to wear dresses.

Answer 6

It's not necessary to jump to the conclusion that skirts and dresses are ore efminine or even better - especially since many of them are more revealing. There are plenty of blouses, pants and capris that are very feminine. Surprisingly, even some of the combat pants you see on women these days can be feminine. I have a problem with taking fashion tips from a book that is about 2000 years old.

Answer 7

I know there are women out there that wear dresses because the bible says "be modest". Whatever. I don't feel comfortable in a dress. I like to dress up, but I don't like dudes looking up my dress.

I try to dress as feminine as possible, with pinks and reds. I wear sandals instead of tennis shoes (unless I'm at the gym, and my Nike's have a pink swoosh...LOL)
You won't catch me in men's clothes, unless it's my hubby's t-shirt and he's out of town and I miss him. :)

The bible was written by men, not God. Men who could change things around to suit them. I won't wear a dress because a book tells me to.

Answer 8

I can't speak for everyone else. I do not think there should be a law requiring it. Each person must live as they are called. I wear only dresses and skirts at all times. I am a Catholic, I also cover my head full time. Makes you think you can't tell what a person is just by looking!

Peace Be With You,
Debra

Answer 9

Women wearing dresses comes from the Old Testament ways really but out of respect they should be worn in church.

God is concerned about your soul not what you wear.

Answer 10

Yes. And sacrifice oxen to the Lord. And not eat shellfish. And definitely not enter the church or touch anyone when "unclean" with menstruation. And men must take the wife of their dead brother as their own wife.

You get the point.

Answer 11

Well, I for one am not going to let a bathroom door affect my sense of style.

But seriously, where in the bible is this? Can you cite something that we can look up so we can make an informed decision?