Modesty

Matthew 5: 27-30:

7 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. (ESV)

In the summer, modesty is quite literally a hot issue. Add the recent video circulating the web from Jessica Rey about the evolution of the swimsuit, and it has begun to seem like we're at an outdoor wedding in Houston, Texas during the month of July. 

The crux of Jessica Rey's argument is that modesty is an unchanging standard to which Christian women are to be held. She believes that men view women as objects when they encounter them in such attire, and that women in bikinis have low self-esteem. I have seen many responses to this topic, but none of them from a man, so I thought I would try and speak on this from a Christian man's perspective.

The biggest argument that I have heard in favor of modesty is that it is done in order to prevent men from lusting after them. This assertion is not based on Scripture. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke about lust, and his point was quite clear: lust is something that the object of its affections cannot control. That is why Jesus didn't demand that women in the crowd who were being lusted after to put on more clothes. Lust is a heart problem, and you can't solve a deep Spiritual issue with surface-level solutions. Put a woman in a burqa, and a man that struggles with lust will find a way to lust after her.

In the early church, men and women would be baptized naked in front of the congregation. There was not anyone worrying that they might cause someone to stumble because they realized that men and women were responsible for their own hearts.

1 Timothy 2:8-10

8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. (ESV)

It can be seen in this scripture from 1 Timothy that Paul is not arguing for modesty in order to prevent his Christian brothers from lusting. He is telling the women to be modest in order that their focus would not be on material objects, but rather the Spirit of God.

It is clear from Scripture that modesty and lust were never meant to be connected, but rather, that they are two separate commands ordained for two separate purposes. The man who lusts is held responsible for his actions regardless of whether or not a woman is naked or fully clothed. The solution lies in God changing a man's heart, not a woman changing her clothes.

Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.