What Modesty Is, And Why It Matters to God

When people hear the term modesty, they often think of it merely as a list of rules for covering one’s body. However, true modesty is less about covering and more about revealing the dignity that comes from salvation in Jesus.

Modesty is about glorifying God and His Holy Spirit in us. And only one aspect of that is manifested by our attire. Choosing to wear modest clothes is a service of obedience to God. We do it for Him and unto Him.

We need to keep this question in mind when deciding what is modest: “Am I bringing more attention to myself or to my God?”

Clothing Yourself with Strength and Honor

Proverbs 31 talks about the virtuous woman, something all Christian women should strive to be. Verse 25 says, “Strength and honor are her clothing.” The Hebrew word used here for strength is “chazaq,” which means “firmness and strength.” It is often used in the Old Testament as encouragement to be steadfast, courageous, and unwavering. The Hebrew word used for honor, “kavod,” translates into English as “honor or dignity,” but it also means value, distinction, and glory that points to God’s majesty. We should endeavor to understand the depth of meaning in those two words.

What does it mean to clothe yourself with strength? The Bible makes it clear our strength comes from God.

“… God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” – Psalms 73:26

“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” – Psalm 31:24

“Have I not commanded you? be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is you with wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

“To those who wait on the Lord [He] shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like Eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord.” – Ephesians 6:10

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13

God is our ultimate source of strength. A woman of virtue is courageous and unwavering in God’s strength. In other words, she clothes herself in strength from God.

To be strengthened by God we must come into His presence daily through reading His Word and time in prayer.

Here is what the Bible says about being clothed in honor, or glorifying God and pointing to His Majesty:

“…do all to the glory of God.” – 1 Cor. 10:31

“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” – 1 Cor. 6:20

“Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty.” – Psalm 104:1

“They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west.” – Isaiah 24:14

Exhibiting modesty creates a distinction between those in Christ and those of the world. It shows that our lives most value God because they point to His Majesty.

By clothing ourselves with strength and honor, we are lifting ourselves to God, pointing others to Him rather than drawing attention to ourselves.

We Are Not Our Own

“It’s my body and I can do whatever I want with it.” This is a very common argument against modesty, but as Christians, we know this is false; we are not our own.

1 Cor. 3:16-17 says, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy and you are that temple.” And Galatians 2:20 similarly reminds us, “I have been crucified Christ. It is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me.”

This is something that would shock many unbelievers. They would hate the thought of not owning themselves!

But Christians belong to Christ, therefore, we no longer live for ourselves and our flesh, but we live for God. Our bodies are His temple, and He dwells in us, so we need to bring all that we are under submission to Him.

Even our attire.

Modesty for the Right Reasons

Modesty must be our choice not just because we know it’s “right”, but because we seek to obey and honor God. If our hearts are yearning for what is right, we will glorify God. But, if we merely dress modestly without having the heart to glorify Him, then we have lost the value of modesty.

Modesty starts in your heart. Somebody can dress modestly and not have a heart that pleases God. The heart is what God desires. God not only wants us to be modest in action, but more importantly, in heart.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” – Matthew 5:8

“Keep your heart with all diligence for it for from it flows the spring of life.” – Proverbs 4:23

“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies who seek Him with their whole heart.” – Psalm 119:2

Modesty must transform our hearts before it can transform our outward being. Our desire to glorify God and find our strength in Him is what will glorify Jesus.

We can dress modestly and not give God glory. This is something we can see in the example of the Pharisees.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” – Matthew 23:27-28

Their outward being appeared righteous, but inside they were so consumed with their own image that Jesus rebuked them.

We need to focus more on honoring God than obsessing over our own image.

Reflections on Modesty

Here are three quotes that I think sum up modesty very well. Take some time to reflect on the words below and ask God to reveal any area of immodesty in your life—whether external or internal.

“Seek goodness and purity first, then strive to keep the body in harmony with the beauty of the heart. Take time to make yourself presentable, but do not use the time before your looking glass that should be given to loving service, let your chief charm be of heart and spirit not a face and form. Seek the true beauty which lasts even into old age.”-Beautiful Girlhood by Mabel Hale.

“So try this. When you get into your closet to find something to wear, think about putting on good works. Wear something that is appropriate and moderate. Keep the volume down. And then get down to the real business of doing good works. Modesty underscores beauty. It turns out that if we dress modestly and turn our attention to good works, we will grow more beautiful. Obedience is always blessed with fruit, and fruit beautifies.”-Virtuous by Nancy Wilson.

“Let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”- 1 Peter 3:4