Jun 04 2009
What Does A Godly Woman Look Like?
Our culture is steeped in feminism. It has permeated every nook and cranny of our lives. Church doors have not halted the flow of its pervasive influence. As a result, Christian women who are seeking to look and act like godly women often have fuzzy ideas of what this means.
And, as so often happens we swing to extremes. We can find ‘Christian’ churches where women wear head coverings, where wives walk ten paces behind their husbands, where plainness is exalted and anything which remotely resembles adornment is banned.
Far more common, however, are the ‘Christian’ churches where anything goes. A visitor to one of these assemblies might be hard pressed to distinguish it from a secular gathering. Male and female bodies riddled with piercings. Short, short skirts. Bare middles. Low tops. Gaudy makeup. Outlandish jewelry. And more.
In both of these examples I purposely placed the term ‘Christian’ in quotes. My point is not to say a person who practices either extreme is not a Christian. We are quick to judge based on outward appearance. God, alone, can see the heart. However, as godly women, one thing is certain. We should be thinking about these things. We should be seeking a balance alternative.
Godliness is a HEART attitude. Thus in both extremes we will find error. The first extreme is often based upon legalism - an attitude which stems from the misconception that we can somehow ‘earn’ our salvation or ‘merit’ God’s favor. One this side we can see the danger of thinking we can achieve holiness by our outward appearance.
The second extreme often reflects a strong influence from our modern culture. We think God accepts us no matter what we do or how we appear. We think God, like a modern day parent, is obligated to love us no matter what we do or how we act. However, this, too, is not biblical. If it were, verses like Phillipians 2:12 would be pointless (”. . .work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”) as would James focus on proving our faith by our works.
Thus it was with appreciation I read a recent commentary in the June 2009 issue of Tabletalk Magazine. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Tabletalk, it is a daily devotional publication produced by Ligonier Ministries (R.C. Sproul’s ministry). It features a daily Bible study which works through a different book or books of the Bible each year. Burk Parsons, Chris Donato, Keith A Mathison, and Robert Rothwell are the editors and thus, I believe, responsible for the what follows.
I am going to quote a fairly lengthy section because I believe it is extremely relevant to today - to the issues which Christian women everywhere face as they seek to find a biblical way to present themselves in a strongly feminist culture.
The comments which follow are based on 1 Timothy 2:9-10 where Paul says, “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”
“As always, our analysis of verses 9-10 is well served by considering the text’s cultural background.
“Scholarship has revealed the ‘new Roman woman’ of first-century Roman society whose attitudes — sexual libertinism, fueled by increasingly available contraception and abortion, and rebellion against male headship in the home — were close to modern, radical feminism. Jewish and pagan authors alike condemned such things, noting that a woman’s clothing could show her feelings on these subjects. Wives influenced by this ‘feminism’ often traded the modest, many-layered garment called the stola for the more-revealing toga associated with prostitutes. “New” women commonly wore elaborate, braided hairstlyes adorned with ribbons, tortoise-shell combs, and gold and silver pins. Unfortunately, this philosophy and dress affected many Christian women, if not toward sexual libertinism then toward the reversal of family roles. . .
“Women who dressed this way did not commend Christianity to the Jews and the pagans who frowned upon the new Roman woman, and their seductive dress would have been no help to the men in the believing community who struggled with lust. . .Knowing that godly women desire to point others to the Lord, not themselves, Paul told them not to focus on cosmetic enhancement but good works that lead people to glorify our Father (Matt 5:16).
“Given this background and the approval of jewelry elsewhere in Scripture (Song 1:10-11), it seems best not to read Paul’s words as an absolute prohibition of precious stones and metals. He simply calls women to use good judgment and modesty when they dress and to emphasize deeds of service over their outward appearance. This principle must be heard anew in our day. . .
“Our manner of dress says much about our values, and modesty is one way that we say ‘no’ to the idols of physical perfection and sex worshiped in our culture. What does your clothing say about you?”
