A Dress Code?

# 65 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 1Ti 2:9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, (1 Tim 2:9) The Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul continues his instructions to Timothy (and us) as to “how to do church.” In this section he begins to differentiate the roles of men and women in the worship setting. He starts out with the phrase, “in like manner.” What can he mean by that? Simply stated, he has first given instructions to the men in the worship service, now “in like manner,” he gives instructions to women. The mere fact that women are given “in like manner” instructions speaks of their invitation to participate in the supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks for all men (v1) This invitation for women to participate in worship was for the most part quite foreign to the cultures of the day. (Jew or Gentile!) But it underscores the truth of Ga 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Nonetheless, for the sake of order, and I think a desire to limit distraction, Paul sets down some guidelines for this new found freedom for the fairer sex, and he starts with a dress code. What? Why is the manner of dress important? Well, something to consider is this letter is addressed to Timothy as he was overseeing church plants in geographical areas that were greatly influenced by religious practices that involved temple prostitution. The manner of dress described here is that of a harlot in biblical times as described in Re 17:4 The woman (who was called the mother of harlots) was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls,” Now PLEASE! I am not calling fancy dressers harlots! But what's going on here? Well this manner of dress in this culture was much too close to a worship practice of the heathen that these early Christians were trying to distance themselves from and would be a sensual distraction. And I think that's what the Holy Spirit is seeking to warn us about when it comes to attire in the worship service for men and women. Seek, (with the best of your ability) to avoid dressing in a manner that would be distracting, especially in a sensual manner. There is no prohibition against adorning oneself in this passage, only a caution to do so in modesty, and modesty by its very definition is not distractive. If we consider this, I think we will do well.