Just As I Am
A generation ago it was common that Sunday was the day that you put on your “Sunday Best.” Your common clothes would not do, and you had to be just so.
Today, “just as I am” is more than a song of invitation, it’s extent of the thought that some put into what they’ll wear. Even those that preach the Word are finding how much they can get away with not dressing in a shirt and tie.
Sometime in the past generation, the emphasis was placed on the love of God and, I believe, in attempt to appeal to more people the church decided it had to make church appeal to the masses.
Now, it’s gotten to the point that some believe that those that would dress up—wear a skirt or a tie—are legalistic.
Just like some can view those that choose to be modest as legalistic (and some are, don’t get me wrong), most of the time it comes from a heart that desires to please God rather than a desire to submit to a series of rules.
Why I Dress Up
You see, if I were just going to a social club I’d have no problem going casual. When I go to work, I am asked to dress business casual. If I were to go visit the President of the United States, I’d wear a suit. So, why is it ok for me to go to a house of worship to worship the King of Kings dressed in the same clothes I would wear to do housework?
If the whole point of going to church is to worship God, how we dress should reflect it. In times past people had to bring their best sacrifice to the temple. They had to bring their best clothing to the temple. They feared God.
I understand that God loves us as we are. I understand that I can pray and worship God wherever I am and whatever I’m dressed in. However, this hasn’t changed from the Old Testament. God has always been there, and yet when people are joining together for the express purpose of worship, why should they decide to dress down for it?
I dress up because I always have—it’s a way I show respect for the Lord—and because it helps to keep my mind focus on things above. How about you?
How do You Dress For Church?
- Business Casual (button down shirt, slacks, dress/skirts) (56%, 43 Votes)
- Formal (shirt, tie, coat, suit, dress) (31%, 24 Votes)
- Casual (jeans, t-shirts, shorts, etc.) (12%, 9 Votes)
- I do not attend church. (1%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 77
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I wish I could vote twice because sometimes I dress business casual and other times, I’ll wear jeans with a nice blouse.
I will admit I tend to think those people who insist that we “dress up” for church are being a tad legalistic. I do not see any biblical commands for dressing differently on Sunday morning than any other day of the week. I think God’s word is as clearly communicated in a Hawaiian print shirt and khakis as it is in a suit and a tie.
However, I would never tell someone what they could or couldn’t wear (apart from immodest or distracting clothing) because I wouldn’t want to cause them to stumble. Dress codes for me would be beyond a tertiary issue and a matter for personal preference.
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Ok, well, I voted but it recorded it wrong, lol. I voted “Casual”.
I think it all goes back to the heart. My reason for dressing casual isn’t because I’m lazy or rebellious to think “I’ll dress how I want”. Rather, I find it very difficult to be comfortable in a skirt or dress. When I go to church, I want to focus on worshipping, not fixing my nylons because they are uncomfortable, or because my feet hurt from wearing uncomfortable shoes. I take very care to be sure my clothes are modest and not revealing when I bend over or kneel. This is one very reason I do not wear dresses or skirts anymore. I could not kneel down or bow down without revealing something and I felt more restricted during worship.
We came out of a church that was bound by legalism. My husband wore a suit to church one Sunday and was told “he actually looked like a youth pastor”. (He was the youth pastor). He never wore a suit again.
There is definately a line to dressing up for God or dressing up simply because you have to. I do not believe in my heart of hearts, God is bothered because I (personally) wear jeans to church. If He spoke to me about it, however, I would certainly change my apparel and wear what He asked of me.
And believe me, there have been times I’ve wondered. But God is not worried, at this point, about what I’m wearing (as long as it’s modest), but what I’m bringing to Him.
Sunday morning worship is not my main point of worship. It is more of an enhancement to my daily worship. It is refreshing to have collective, live worship. But I do not change who I am when I walk through church doors and when I walk out. I am the same at church, at home, and out and about. My heart for God is the same whether I wear jeans or dress pants with really uncomfortable shoes. It may be harder to concentrate in uncomfortable shoes, but my love for Jesus is still the same. :)
Your points are excellent ones and this topic is a tough one to get across. To compromise dress simply to make others feel less intimidated is not a good reason throw away “dressing up”.
But, it is a very fine line to walk between legalism and heart on this issue. Everyone knows their own heart (if we’re honest with ourselves) and why we choose to dress how we do.
Now that I’ve written a book of my own…LOL :)
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I try to look nice when I go anywhere, but that includes class and hanging out with friends as well as church–and my idea of looking nice is still in the realm of jeans and T-shirts.
The parallel to work or to visiting the president doesn’t work very well because that level of formality does not enter my life. Getting a special set of clothes for church, in an atmosphere where no one else gets “dressed up” would be weird.
Personally, I believe that God cares much more about our hearts than how we are dressed. If a girl goes to church wearing a revealing shirt for the sole purpose of attracting some of the guys her age, then God would frown on that. But if you wear jeans to church, and your heart is for God, then who cares? Do we dress formal more because it is “tradition” and acceptable to the older members of our congregations. Is it more because of man’s approval that God’s? I listened once to a speaker who said “I worship God when I crap on the can. I am definitely ‘unpresentable’ then, but God doesn’t care – he cares that I love him. If he doesn’t care then, why would he care that I where jeans to church?”
Just my 2 cents anyway.
For my own wardrobe: I am semi-casual. I usually wear a polo shirt, or maybe a fleece with a collar. But if we’re going somewhere after church, I might wear jeans. Depends on the weather, etc.
It would take more space than a blog comment to address this fully, but…several have mentioned here that attending church is about worship, not about our outfits. I agree. Church is not a fashion show. But, what is going on in our hearts will eventually show up in our wardrobe. While it is about our hearts, our clothes may be giving more clues to what is in our hearts than we realize.
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Sandy, I think that you’ve come closest to hitting my point. We here at this blog talk a lot about what we should and shouldn’t wear when it comes to modesty, and I firmly believe that modesty in dress is just an outward expression of what is on the inside. So why, if that’s the case, do we all of a sudden decide that “God should accept me as I am” and that I have to be comfortable when it comes to corporate worship?
I’m not saying that you have to wear a corset and hose to come to church, but if a person spends most of their week dressed business casual, but then dresses down to come to church I think something’s wrong there.
I’m not saying you should artificially dress the outside legalistically because we feel we must do it, but just like the discussion on modesty, it should be something that comes from the heart of the person that realizes that the only activity at church is to worship the Creator of the Universe.
At my old church, I wore Jeans and t-shirts or sweaters, not because it was comfortable but because we were a church which focused a lot on outreach. We purposefully dressed down so new believers would feel more comfortable. My new church has attendees who wear everything from jogging clothes to formal suits and ties. It’s a very eclectic group of people. I’ll usually wear nice jeans or slacks and a blouse or dress sweater to my new church.
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This is a fabulous post! I do think that it is sad how so many church-goers (we see this in young people especially), dress as if it were just any other day of the week. The seventh day is special and should be set aside as such.
That said, when I get dressed up, I like to go all out. I have to continually remind myself that I don’t go to church to get stared at (even if that’s not my intention, it can still happen). We’re there to focus on God (NOT ourselves) and if we’re continually distracting or being distracted…not so good.
Modesty, being foremost an issue of the heart, is such a complicated thing. I guess we’ve just got to pray for His Grace. :)
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Min,
Your post could have been words right out of my mouth! I know (as shown here) many disagree on this one but it is something I struggle with a lot now a days. I want to dress up – not to look nice for others but because going to church is more special to me than going anywhere else!
I wrote a guest post a few months back on this subject: http://proverbswife.blogspot.com/2008/08/guest-post-are-we-cheapening-church.html
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Great post, (and comment) MInthegap! I so agree with you! While what we wear is not THE most important thing, I don’t think it’s totally unimportant as many people these days seem to think/act. To me, “dressing up” for church communicates my respect and reverence to my holy Father, God. (Not that you can’t respect God in jeans and a t-shirt.) It’s not just “tradition” it something I choose to do because I want to and because what you wear reflects your heart and attitudes.
I think we’re speaking more along the lines of a cultural and personal preference rather than a biblical mandate. To say that someone’s clothes reflects their heart is not a fair statement. Even Jesus said that man looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Someone can have a pure heart and come in wearing rags and be acceptable to God, while someone can come in the best dressed suit and his heart be away from God. It is a very fine line to walk because thoughts like this lead to judging others, even unintentionally, based upon what they wear.
Even some women who dress immodestly at church, sometimes, not always, but sometimes don’t have a clue what they’re doing. It’s something they’ve done for the whole of their life, they get saved, and no one ever tells them differently because people are afraid to step on any toes. But, there is a gentle way to guide people in areas like that. Judging them based on their clothing is definately not the way.
I’m not saying anyone here is judging…simply that we need to be very careful that we don’t allow this type of thing to take us down that road.
It is nice to dress up for God, for sure. But it’s not bad not to, either. Again, I believe it is cultural and personal. The Bible does not say to come to God in your best dressed. :)
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I usually dress up for church. And simply because I would dress up if I was going out with friends, to a party, a meeting, or an event, so why would I not dress up for church & to worship God?? Its not that I don’t think there is anything wrong with going to church dressed casually (which I have before and still sometimes do), because I don’t think God would think any less or more of someone wearing rags, or a tux to church. Obviously as in anything else, the heart is what truly matters. But for me personally, in my heart I want to respect God and church, so I try to show that by dressing up to worship him. ((And I agree with what Sandy said, Church is NOT a fashion show…!! amen!))
That said…living in Romania with a mostly Gypsy ministry, they come to church dressed in their best, but is still pretty rough because they are so poor. So I have toned down what I would normally wear to church on Sunday quite a bit because I don’t want to draw undue attention to myself or distract anyone. I still dress nicely, but not as I would in other situations. So culture does have a part in it I believe.
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Church is not for unbelievers. I think we should, of course, accept someone just as they are. But that doesn’t mean that we should encourage it and let our church-goers be running around dressed down or immodestly like the world.
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