Does God Have a Dress Code

Years ago I invited a friend of mine to church and he asked me, “Do I have to wear a suit?”  I wasn’t sure how to answer and after watching me struggle to explain what I thought proper attire was for worship service my friend let me off the hook when he told me he had been to church before and knew what to wear.

When I think about that exchange between me and my friend it makes me very aware of the fact that times are changing and attitudes about dressing up for worship are very different today compared to just a few years ago.

I remember very well a time when almost every man wore a suit or at least a sport coat and tie and nearly all the women wore their best dress or pants suit.  Today, the worship atmosphere has become more relaxed and our dress reflects this.  But still the question often comes up, “What is appropriate attire for worship?”

Even though worship is not a "dress parade,” many times we become sloppy, and revealing in the way we dress for worship.  Our clothes do contribute to the emphasis we place on worship to God.  This does not mean we have to wear fine and expensive clothes.  But the way we dress should be in keeping with the dignity of the occasion.

God tells us in 1 Timothy 2:9-10, "In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation…which is proper for women professing godliness with good works."  Modest clothing is the way women (and men) who are "professing godliness" dress.  Certainly a woman or man whose clothing is not modest is not professing godliness by the way they dress.  As Christians we should not dress like the world, with their revealing attire.

When we worship we are actually in the presence of the Lord.  He deserves only our very best.  We are told in Romans 12:1, "That you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God".  Our dress should show a moderate opinion of our own value.  Our dress should be pure, proper, chaste, and decent.  It should not call attention to us because it is showy, sloppy or lewd.  Let’s honor the Lord with the way we dress.

In love,

Thomas Sneed