Before you read what follows, please let me tell you my testimony in regards to this issue. I have said before that after getting saved, I began to search the scriptures, and read everything I could get my hands on to learn God's will for my life. i.e.: mother, wife, child of God. Well it wasn't long before God blessed me with some very dear Christian friends to replace the ungodly ones I had walked away from. I remember one day while with a wonderful lady, I asked her..."Candy, dont you ever wear pants? " she (with a funny smile on her face said) "Chris--are you sure you really want to know that?" I look back at that day now and just have to laugh. I wanted so to serve God...to be the PECULIAR people He talks of in His Word. So she proceeded to show me in the Word why I never saw her in pants...because God said it is wrong...well being a young Christian and wanting to "do right in all things" I went home packed away the daisy duke shorts...halters...short skirts...(remember this was the 80's folks! ) Well once I did that there was nothing to wear. So I called this dear friend and said I dont know what to do.......she promptly went to the thrift shop and bless her heart, brought over the most ugliest dress I had ever seen! (well im sure she thought it was perfect for me) Your probably asking yourself right about now why didn't she go out and buy new clothes...well if you have read my testimony.....there was no money! Anyway, I wore that dress and a skirt I got from my mom for nearly 2 weeks....inside I wanted to do it for the right reason, but I came to the place that I missed my "old" clothes...I talked to my husband about it and he said (with great wisdom) "Chris, I think you made the right decision, but dont do it for me or because of Candy, it's up to you." Well I kept wearing dresses and skirts for a week or 2 more, mostly because I was afraid Candy or her husband would think bad of me if I didn't.
 But then one morning I looked in the mirror and then in my drawers...and yep I closed the door and promptly jumped into my shorts,and tee....well I had no problem doing that HOWEVER....when I looked into the mirror...I was ashamed! God had done a work in my heart...I knew then and there I would not be able to leave that room in those clothes...Praise the Lord....For the rest of my days I would do it for Him! I have 5 girls, they have never for one day in their lives worn pants or shorts...(with the exception of my oldest--she was on a mission trip in Venezuela and it was necessary in the jungle for protection from gnats) And even then she called on a ham radio, and said "Mom, I dont know what to do"...I knew that day that it was a conviction for her...she wasn't afraid of disobeying me, she didn't want to do anything to disgrace her Lord.
 
Want to hear the best part? The very day I surrendered that area of my life to God...He showered me with a blessing I never would have dreamed of....This same lady (candy)(who had no idea of what I was going through..but God knew amen!) brought over 2 huge bags of clothes...there were jean skirts galore, nice too, and jumpers, oh what a blessing that was! I about had a shoutin fit! I truly believe that the more we separate ourselves from the ways of the world--the more sanctification we find..the more sanctified we become--the more peculiar we appear. That is the will of God. Not a requirement for our salvation, but if we truly want to be in His will, if we truly want to fellowship with Him...if we want to draw nigh..then sanctification is where it is at...so with this being said...and if you still do not believe, I have found a great writing on this very subject.....please take the time to read it. Pray and ask God to show you what His will is...surrender to Him in all things..be the Proverbs 31 Woman. What blessings it brings!!!
For Your Information
 I have received not one, not two, but several letters asking me about 'under clothing' do I wear it? What about it? Let me say this once and for all. YES, come on now...are these letters really serious? Are those garments 'crotched'? Yes of course they are. BUT they are under/hidden. They are not seen, they are worn for protection, modesty, and hygene purposes.
 One other thing, I take the Word of God LITERALLY, and never in my studies do I need to refer to the Greek or Hebrew, but... in light of the letters I receive from time to time I decided to include a small fraction of that here. I truly believe that w/o it, the message is clear in the Bible, w/o needing it at all. (I never needed it to 'understand what God means, nor should you) God Bless you as you read the following;
For I have not shunned
to declare unto you ALL the counsel of God.
-Acts 20:27-
And in that day seven
women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own
bread, AND WEAR OUR OWN APPAREL: -Isaiah
4:1a-
What does the Bible say about a saved
woman wearing pants? Is it even an issue with God? Or is it
merely a matter of preference or opinion to be left up to
individuals to do what is right in their own eyes? Since we
believe the Bible, more specifically, the King James Bible, to be
the FINAL AUTHORITY (not tradition, opinions, or how one
"feels" led), lets start there.
Deuteronomy 22:5 - The woman shall
not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man
put on a womans garment: for all that do so are abomination
unto the Lord thy God.
After reading this verse, what things
pop into your mind? Earrings and necklaces on men, long hair on
men, short hair on women, dresses on men, and of course, pants on
women. Notice the word "abomination" is used to
describe how God feels about cross-dressing. I looked it up in
Websters Dictionary.
abom.i.na.tion
-ba:m-*-na--sh*nn 1: something abominable 2: extreme
disgust and hatred : LOATHING
Thats pretty strong language,
wouldnt you say? While most church members react in disgust
to Sodomites who parade down the street in dresses, they readily
accept and even defend women wearing pants. According to
Gods Word, it is no more of an abomination for a man to
wear a dress than it is for a woman to wear a pair of pants.
"Yeah, but
thats in the Old Testament, so it doesnt apply to
Christians today."
Ah yes, the battle cry of the liberal
and the carnal church member. Lets deal with this objection
by considering some other abominations found in the Old
Testament.
Leviticus 18:22 - Thou shalt not lie
with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
Leviticus 20:13 - If a man also lie
with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have
committed an abomination: they shall surely
be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
Would anyone care to argue that sodomy
is no longer an abomination unto God? This principle is repeated
in the New Testament (Romans 1:23-32 and I Corinthians 6:9.)
Proverbs 6:16-19 - These six things
doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination
unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed
innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet
that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that
speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Do we now have liberty to sow discord
among the brethren? To be prideful? To lie? To kill innocent
people? Of course not! It would be absurd to think so. These
principles are also repeated in the New Testament (Matthew 5:22,
15:19, Mark 7:21-22, Luke 1:51, Acts 5:3, Romans 1:25, 1:30,
12:10, I Corinthians 8:12-13, Galatians 5:21, Ephesians 4:25,
Colossians 3:9, I Timothy 1:9, 3:6, 6:3-4, II Timothy 3:2, James
4:6, I Peter 3:5, 4:15, I John 2:11, 2:16, 2:21, 3:4, 3:15).
People seem to be playing
"pick-n-choose" with Old Testament verses. They want
the twenty-third Psalm, the hundredth Psalm, and all the OT
verses that wont affect their lifestyle, but then they try
to explain away any OT verse that would have any effect on how
they live.
II Timothy 3:16 - ALL
SCRIPTURE is given by inspiration of God, and IS
PROFITABLE for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness:
Is not Deuteronomy 22:5 scripture? If
so, then it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, and for instruction in righteousness. Preachers, will
you be like so many of the liberals of today and cut these verses
out of your Bible as Jehoiakim did? Or will you stand like Paul
and be able to say,
"And how I kept back nothing
that was profitable unto you, but have
shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to
house," - Acts 20:20
"Yeah, but I
thought all guidelines for how a Christian is supposed to live
were in the New Testament"
Lets look at I Corinthians
10:1-11.
- Moreover, brethren, I would not
that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were
under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
- And were all baptized unto Moses
in the cloud and in the sea;
- And did all eat the same
spiritual meat;
- And did all drink the same
spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock
that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
- But with many of them God was
not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the
wilderness.
- Now these things were our
examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil
things, as they also lusted.
- Neither be ye idolaters, as were
some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to
eat and drink, and rose up to play.
- Neither let us commit
fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one
day three and twenty thousand.
- Neither let us tempt Christ, as
some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of
serpents.
- Neither murmur ye, as some of
them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
- Now all these things happened
unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Throughout this passage Paul continually
uses the Old Testament to prove something. Focus on verses 6 and
11. Paul tells us that those OT writings are for us today. I
suppose Paul would be called a legalist or a Pharisee by the
liberals. Just because something is in the OT does not negate it
from being applicable for us in the church age. Any
commandment or teaching in the OT that is repeated in the NT is
for us.
"Yeah, but
Deuteronomy 22:5 is not repeated in the New Testament"
Wrong. In fact, the New Testament is
even more specific. I Timothy 2:9 says,
" . . . that women adorn
themselves in modest apparel . . ."
"Apparel" today is a very
general term that means "any article of clothing." But
did you know that in 1611 the word "apparel" meant
"loose, long flowing garment?" Look it up in an old
Oxford English Dictionary that has the archaic meanings of words.
Furthermore, the Greek word is katastole which is an
EXACTING WORD, and it is the ONLY place in the Bible where it is
used. There are lots of words for clothing, attire, etc., but
this word comes from a verb form which means "to
lower." It denoted a loose-fitting outer garment, which was LONG.
Paul used this word specifically to tell women that they are to
wear long DRESSES. Pants, miniskirts, tight dresses, etc.
can not fit the definition of this exacting word. Consult your
Vines Dictionary for verification of this word definition.
The fact that God wants a CLEAR
distinction between the appearance of a man and a woman is also
repeated in I Corinthians 11 when Paul deals with the issue of
hair length. God is very concerned with the outward appearance of
a saved person. To believe otherwise is to profess
ignorance of the Word of God.
"Yeah, but what
makes you think that pants are a mans garment?"
Good question. I have a four part answer
to this which demonstrates that pants always pertain to men, even
today.
- "Breeches" were an
article of clothing designed by God for the priests who
were all men. The word does not occur very often in
scripture, but in every case its mens apparel
(Exodus 28:42, Leviticus 6:10, 16:4). According to my
Hebrew lexicon, "breeches" means "trousers
that extend to the knee, below the knee, or to the
ankles." This would include pants, shorts, or
culottes that really can not be considered cullottes but simply
baggy shorts.
- Until the advent of Hollywood and
the movie screen, everyone (including lost people) knew
that pants were mens apparel and dresses were
womens apparel, and they dressed accordingly. Our
cultures (and sadly most churches) acceptance
of cross-dressing has resulted largely from the influence
of television, the placement of women in the workforce,
and the pressures of twentieth century feminism.
- The universal symbol for
designating a mens bathroom is a stick figure
wearing a pair of pants. The universal symbol for
designating a womans bathroom is a stick figure
wearing a dress. Coincidence? Hardly. Even our sinful
society recognizes that there is a difference in a
mans and womans clothing.
Pants are a symbol of authority, as
evidenced by the saying " Im the one who wears
the pants in the family." Sadly, most women might as
well wear the pants, since they rule their homes anyway!
"Yeah, but pants
are not really that immodest"
The following is from What in the World
Should I Wear? by Mrs. Cathy Corle:
"A friend of mine told me that her
decision to restrict her wardrobe to dresses and skirts came as a
result of a ladies class. All the arguments and reasons
that could be given were unheeded until the lady who was speaking
said, Let me just demonstrate something to you. She
asked the ladies in the audience to close their eyes momentarily.
She held up a large picture of a woman in an attractive, modest
feminine skirt and blouse. She asked the ladies to open their
eyes. Then she inquired, What is the primary focal point to
this picture? Where did your eyes first fall naturally? The
audience agreed that their eyes were first drawn to the face of
the woman in the picture.
"She once again asked the ladies to
close their eyes. When they opened their eyes they were looking
at a large poster of a woman in a sport shirt and blue jeans. She
asked, Now, be honest with yourselves, and tell me where
your eyes first fell naturally when you looked at this
picture? Many of the ladies in the crowd were surprised to
find that most peoples eyes first focused upon the hips and
crotch area that were so vividly emphasized before they ever
noticed the womans face.
"If this happened in a crowd of
ladies, how much more would it be true of men? For my friend,
Joetta, this was all the evidence that was
needed."
To this I say, "AMEN!"
Christian women should always be aware of Matthew 5:28,
"But I say unto you, That
whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart. "
"Yeah, but
wearing pants may be wrong for some saved women, but Im not
convicted about it."
So youre not "convicted"
about wearing pants? Does that give you permission to
rebel against the Word of God? You must ask yourself, "What
is the FINAL AUTHORITY on deciding what I believe and how I live?
The Bible? Or how I feel convicted?"
Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know
it?
Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way which
seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of
death.
Human feelings are very deceptive. We
cannot rely on them. Any "leading" you may feel to do
or not to do something that is contrary to the Word of God is not
of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit NEVER leads contrary
to the Bible, but He always leads according to the Bible.
Ephesians 6:17 - And take the helmet
of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God:
I John 5:7-8 - For there are three
that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Ghost: and these three are one. And there
are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water,
and the blood: and these three agree in one.
Many people claim not to be
"convicted" about forsaking church attendance, drinking
alcohol, smoking, gambling, cursing, fornication, adultery, and
all manner of activities clearly forbidden in the Bible, but that
does not make it all right for them to do these things. I John
4:1 warns us,
"Beloved, believe not every
spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many
false prophets are gone out into the world."
To try and say that wearing pants may be
wrong for some saved women and not for others is to engage in moral
relativism which strips all authority from Gods Word.
God does not have two sets of standards. He is no respecter of
persons.
Acts 10:34 - Then Peter opened his
mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter
of persons:
Wearing pants is either wrong for ALL
saved women, or it is wrong for none. In deciding if something is
right or wrong, our first consideration must ALWAYS be
what the Word of God says, not how we may "feel
convicted."
Ecclesiastes 12:13 -14 - Let us hear
the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his
commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Follow the Bible, and youll be
doing what is right. Follow your feelings, emotions, leadings,
etc., and who knows what youll be doing?
"Yeah, but
wearing pants is not really that big of an issue, and they are
much more comfortable and practical to wear"
Its kind of funny that for nearly
6000 years, women always wore long dresses, but only since the
last 40 years, a dress is suddenly "impractical" to
wear. You cannot change history to validate what you want to make
acceptable for today. Nowadays, women think that they cannot so
much as rake a few leaves without adorning themselves in a pair
of pants.
If you saw a man wearing a dress, what
would you call him? Uh-huh, you would have no trouble knowing
that it was wrong, and an abomination to God (even if his dress
had a fly). But we have been conditioned by the world and erring
brethren that a pair of pants is a good and acceptable thing for
a woman to wear today. Just because it is common does not make it
right. In fact, I believe that it is all part of Satans
plan to further defile mankind by mixing the genders. Have you
noticed how wimpy the boys are getting and how masculine the
girls are getting? Womens sports are becoming the rage. We
would rather have our girls learn how to "Kill em on
the court" than to learn to be chaste and skilled at
homemaking. This is how we have come to put our women in military
combat positions. We would have never even considered this 20
years ago, but now we are eliminating the difference in the sexes
that God made.
Oh there will always be a difference in
gender, because there HAS to be. But now, the emphasis is not on
the beauty of a girls femininity (which brings out the
masculinity in a man). NOW the emphasis in the difference in BODY
PARTS! There is no longer the striking difference between a
beautiful woman in feminine attire, long pretty hair, and a
masculine man that practices chivalry. (Put a real feminine woman
around a man and see how chivalrous he becomes.) Now the
difference is emphasized in her physical body difference, which
is leads to lust and a degradation of womanhood! (and manhood
too). A feminine woman is in her rightful place of an elevated
position. But as soon as she steps down off her pedestal to wear
pants and be "equal" to a man, it drags everybody down,
which is exactly what Satan wants. The devil is still whispering
in Eve's ear to destroy mankind.
If you look at it, youll find it
was usually the woman that lead in the matters of sin and error.
You can begin at the garden, through Israels idolatrous
apostasy and even into recent history, with cults, Charasmania,
and other errors. Now the boys are wearing earrings and have long
hair, while the girls are wearing pants and chopping their hair
off, even though this is forbidden in scripture (I Corinthians
11). To top it off, most preachers will not preach against short
hair and pants because this would affect a majority of the women
in his congregation including his wife and daughters!
Ladies, we are in the world...not to be of the world! AMEN
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:14
Please don't stop here...If you do not fully understand or have more arguements, you must go HERE! It is probably the best I have ever read.
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