Dress Code
By Grant Gaines
Starting in the mid 1800’s, many school systems across our country have been enforcing dress codes in the hopes that their student body would be presentable to the public. But dress codes themselves didn’t start in the 1800’s, they go back to seemingly the beginning of time.
Some dress codes are written out and made very clear-such as a school or work dress code. Others are unwritten-such as society’s popular dress code that ebbs and flows with each new fashion trend.
With dress codes we are able to take even the smallest glance at someone and get a fairly accurate read on what type of person they are. For example, if you were to see someone wearing a yamaka, you could assume that person is Jewish. If you were to see a person wearing a turban, you could assume that person is a Muslim. If you see someone wearing a wedding ring, you could assume that that person is married. If you see someone wearing a college shirt, you could assume that that person has some affiliation with that institution.
The list could go on and on, but I think you get the point: what we wear says a lot about us.
With that in mind, it’s no wonder why Jews wear yamakas and Muslims wear turbans because that clothing associates them with their religion. But what about Christians, what are we supposed to wear? What is our distinguishing item that will help all other people know who we are and more importantly Who we represent?
Are we to wear clothes made out of camel fur and a belt of leather like John the Baptist (Matthew 3:4)? Are we to wear golden crosses around our neck? Or how about walking around in sandals every day like Jesus…is that what we should be wearing?
And come to think of it, does God even care what we wear? I’ve heard it said for the longest time that it doesn’t matter what you wear on the outside as long as the heart is right, God is good with it. Is that true?
The answer to both of those questions is “yes.” God does care more about your heart than your external appearance, but He does surprisingly also have quite a bit to say about how you clothe yourself. In fact, four times throughout the New Testament we are given a detailed account as to what our God-given dress code should be as Christians. Do you know what it is? Are your properly attired? If you don’t know God’s dress code off the top of your head, take a look at the list in Colossians 3 to jog your memory.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself…” (Colossians 3:12-14, NIV). Before we get to the rest of what the verse says I want to interject for a moment to point out that this dress code is for all of God’s people-whether you have been a Christian for a long time or just recently came to faith, whether you are young or old, black or white, a guy or a girl, the dress code for every Christian is the same.
And as the verse continues it reveals that the dress code we are to clothe ourselves with every day is: “…clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you have against each other. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all of these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
There it is. That’s the uniform you are to wear on a daily basis for the rest of your life-compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love.
Easier said than done, wouldn’t you agree?
So what does this practically look like? Well before we can fully answer that question we must first look at what the purpose of clothing actually is. At it’s basic, most fundamental root, clothing is not about fashion but rather protection. Ever since God clothed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, societies have been fashioning climate-appropriate clothing to protect their bodies from the harsh elements.
With that mind, the purpose of our “Christian clothing” is to protect us from our Enemy. So in a practical sense, the way this looks is mentally preparing yourself, or “clothing yourself,” with this outfit before you begin your day. And when we do clothe ourselves with these elements our natural response to an unfavorable situation is not anger but compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love.
Before a cold wind can reach my body, it first has to cut through my clothing. The more clothing I am wearing, the less likely the bitter cold will affect me. It doesn’t mean that the cold wind won’t be there but rather that I won’t be adversely affected by it. That’s the heartbeat behind the dress code in Colossians 3-the more compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love I clothe myself with, the less likely the bitterness of the world will affect me.
Do people recognize you more by your physical clothing or your spiritual clothing?
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
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©Grant Gaines 2013
