where in the bible does it say that you have to dress your best for church or you shouldnt go at all?

Question

I went to a bible study this morning and the leader said that you should give and do your best for God ( I agree with this) but then she said You should dress your best for church not just throw something on and be like I here God, she said God would rather you not come.
So Im just looking for scripture to back this up.
10 points to the best answer!!

Answer 1

I am going to give you a few verses of Scripture, then add some comments at the end.

1 Samuel 16:6-7
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord." 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

James 2:1-7
1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?

Matthew 23:25
25 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
John 7:24
24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."

1 Timothy 2:9-10
9 I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

1 Corinthians 11:3-16
3 Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head--it is just as though her head were shaved. 6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. 7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head. 11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice--nor do the churches of God.

Colossians 3:12-14
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Colossians 3:17
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

From my understanding of Scripture, there is no where telling us exactly what clothing we are to wear for worship. For God looks at the heart. We should clothe ourselves with godliness (compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, mercy, truth, and love). There is no seperation in class of people (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11), but males should be distinguished by females (1 Corinthians 11:13-16; 1 Timothy 2:9-10). Because we are to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ, we should do what is right in the eyes of everybody, which includes our behavior and appearance, to gain their respect (1 Thessalonians 4:12). Does what you are going to wear put bad ideas into peoples heads? Does this compromise my witness for Jesus Christ. Does this go against the established order instituted by the elders of the church?

In the past, I attended a church that was lax on appearance. It was great in the sense that I was not too concerned about my outward appearance. I think that made it more comforatable for almost every type of person to attend.

Currently, I attend a church that has a silent dress code. It isn't something that I personally would have chosen for myself, but I am not God. This congregation definitely seems more serious about there impact for Jesus Christ, but I do not know others hearts. I do know that a little discipline preparing for community worship each week has helped me with some of my laziness. It has also made me think about how unbelievers perceive me. Because man looks at the outward appearance to make judgements, it is important to look decent and respectable.

In close, you should dress in a way that honors Jesus Christ. We may not always agree on the dress code imposed on us by the church leaders, but we should submit to them with reverence (Hebrews 13:17).

Answer 2

I have read a few posts about the "proper" way to dress in Church. I agree with all the people who say it shouldn't matter what you wear becuase God knows what is in your heart. I also agree with the folks that say you should ty and dress up a bit.

The way I see it:

1) As long as you are being respectful of those around you, wear what you want to. It probably isn't a great idea to go to Church dressed like Britney Spears, if only for the simple fact that it might be a little bit distracting for others and might make them feel uncomfortable.

2) It doesn't matter if you can afford the best or newest clothes, I figure that if you go to Church, God is obiviously important to you, so just try to look nice (like having a shower, clean clothes) - like you would if you were going to a special occasion.

3) Women shouldn't have to be told to wear long skirts and cover their hair, etc....... A pair of pants or a sweatshirt surely would be more approiate than a mini skirt and a boob-tube.

4) How a person dresses doesn't necessarily reflect what they are like on the inside.

5) If people at your Church dress in a way that you deem "unacceptable" , have a chat to them first, don't lecture them. There might be a reason for woman wearing dirty trackpants (one of the kids was sick in the car). Or the man wearing a tatty shirt.

But anyway, I am not having a go at anyone, just giving my views on stuff.

Answer 3

It doesn't say that. Some leaders give their own opinion and preach it as law..Here is a scripture for you that disproves that, 1 Samuel 16:7...man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart....in other words, God isn't that interested in what your wearing. He's interested in your heart..I think as long as you aren't dressing risque' then even shorts and a t-shirt would be fine.. Go to a church where you are comfortable. Let the Holy Spirit lead you.

Answer 4

Would you share this story with your leader??

I work in a restaurant on Sundays, usually I see the church crowd in their Sunday best that come in for dinner after church. Most of these people don't have a smile on their face and the other workers in the restaurant have commented to me that the church people seem like they are the most miserable people. What type of testimony do these people have, dressed in their Sunday best, but have forgotten the joy that Jesus brings to their life?

At the same time, I see people coming out of churches that are "come as you are" and those people seem pretty happy when they come into the restaurant.

Tell me, which person has the better testimony to the unchurched? Which church would an unchurched person be more likely to attend?

The Bible talks about the Pharisees dressed in their Sunday finest who pray on the street corner. They have their reward in full.

Would you share this comment to the leader. Don't judge people by what they wear, but what they demonstrate from their heart. Isn't that what Jesus said? This leader may see some people who don't care about giving their best to God, and I hope that the leader addresses those comments to those individuals. What your leader is doing is not scriptural in terms of judgment. She needs to address the people directly one on one and then bring others with them privately. If that doesn't work, then address the issue with the entire church. As a result of this comment she has made, she has created more fuel for people who judge Christians harshly and as a result, it creates a lot of resentment towards judgmental Christians. In summary, this comment has created more damage than good.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:1-6;&version=31;

Answer 5

I believe God accepts you no matter what you have on. The leader at your church is very ignorant and you need to pray for him/her. God is only concerned with your heart not your outfit. When you go to church you should come as you are. If your church is concerned more with physical appearance rather than the hearts of their member’s than maybe you are going to the wrong church. God did not judge the sinners that he saved and he was not concerned about how they were clothed he was only concerned with saving them from sin and anointing their souls. God touched beggars’, sinners, prostitutes and he did not discriminate or judge them. I don’t see anywhere in the bible where it says you have to dress a certain way to love and worship god. GOD welcomes all of those who love the Lord. Don’t concern yourself with people who judge you. God’s approval is the only one you should be concerned with and god is only concerned with your heart and soul. He will bless you because you love him and worship him without shame or doubt. I hope this helps. I am sorry to hear that happened to you.

"I was a stranger
and you welcomed me."
--Matthew 25:31-46

God bless ~

Answer 6

Outward appearance isnt the important thing. Its the inner heart of man that God sees. The bible talks about people that look how other people dress and judge them on that ..they may see a nicely dressed individual come into their church and say...aha, you come sit here in the front row, yeah, you look real good...then another person may come in dressed shabilly looking and they say ..uh, here, you sit in the back row, yeah, stay there. ....God isnt pleased with this sort of conduct...A good way to test the heart of a church body is to go dressed plain and see if they dont treat you differently than one who comes wearing their sunday go to meeting clothes.

Answer 7

What scripture says about the way you should dress is that you should not dress as if you are a harlot advertising yourself for sale. Naturally, if you are going into Gods House, you want to dress respectfully, just as you would dress respectfully if you are going to your grandmoms house.
But no, Scripture does not say God would rather you not go unless you are dressed a specific way. Some people don't have alot of money for fancy clothing, but they do have a love of God. Thats what God wants, your love.

Answer 8

What a horrible thing to say!

There is no scripture to support such a statement. In fact, Jesus himself speaks out against it - when he says the sinners and prostitutes would attain heaven before the religious leaders of his day.

God loves all his children. Even the poorly dressed ones. I agree that we should at least attempt to dress to meet the King of Kings when going to church. But I would rather sit next to a man in rags than a woman in revealing clothing.

A man in rags is there to meet God. A woman in revealing clothing is there to get attention.

Answer 9

Dress Your Best

Answer 10

It was a terrible thing to say God would rather you not come
It is true you should always give the best of yourself afterall it is God we are talking about
Modesty in dress is all that is required

Answer 11

The first thing you did wrong is go to a church with a woman pastor and in one of Paul's letters to Timothy he says that a woman should not be a teacher of man.

On the clothing issue you're absolutely right. Did Jesus ever turn anyone away because they didn't have proper attire? I don't think so.