The “New Testament Doesn’t Tell Us What Is Modest” Argument It’s true that God does not tell us in the New Testament which parts of the body must be covered in order to be modest in his eyes. He does tell us in the New Testament that we must be chaste (Titus 2:4-5) and not be a stumbling block to others (1 John 2:10). In order for our clothing to meet these New Testament requirements, it must cover our bodies from shoulders to knees. How do I know this? The same way advertisers know it. Sex sells and bare thighs, cleavage and skin tight clothing are regularly used to attract attention in advertisements. The same way prostitutes know it who advertise their sexuality with bare thighs, bare shoulders, bare backs, low cut tops, skin tight clothing and see through clothing. The same way the Director of Education, Sibusiso Mkhonda, in Swaziland, Africa knows it, who banned miniskirts in school there to minimize the fornication between students and teachers. Mkhonda states, “If you are exposing your thighs some people may get attracted to that and make advances” (BBC News, July 19, 2000). The same way Vice Chancellor Vijay Khole of Bombay University in India knows it who decided to ban women students from wearing miniskirts, shorts and tight tops in order to reduce rape. Khole made this statement to reporters, “An attire should be such that it should not be offensive or cause distraction to fellow students and lecturers” (Press Trust

The truth of the matter is that the church of Christ is the only church that has ever been able to perform miracles. We definitely do believe in God’s power to perform any feat he chooses that is so far beyond man’s abilities, that it is undeniably a miracle. Some who accuse us of not believing in miracles are still trying to speak in tongues and perform miraculous healings today. A sincere look at the miracles recorded in the Bible reveals a characteristic that is absent with these modern day “miracles.” A true miracle is undeniable. When the horrible lesions of leprosy are instantly replaced by skin as soft and fresh as a little child’s (2 Kings 5:14), no one can honestly deny that a miracle has occurred. If you know someone who from birth has been lame, lying down in public places, begging in order to survive and is suddenly able to walk and leap (Acts 3:2-8), you can not honestly deny that a miracle has occurred. But I can easily and honestly deny that anything miraculous has happened when I see modern day events that some claim to be miracles. In fact, most anyone who doesn’t want to believe in such events will have no trouble dismissing them as fake. That is not the case with the miracles we read of in God’s Word. Even the men who wanted Jesus dead, believed his miracles were genuine (John 11:47-53), not because they wanted to believe, but because his miracles

Beauty vs. Immodesty A woman who strives to be so, is more beautiful to a man than a rainbow, snow capped mountains, or the smile of a little child. An extremely attractive woman, modestly attired, is a feast for his eyes that can be enjoyed with a pure conscience. She is a wonderful creation of God, and her appearance a gift bringing great pleasure to the beholder. The woman described above can wear the same hairdo, makeup and jewelry, changing nothing but her clothing from modest to immodest, and she is immediately cheapened, no longer an exquisite display of God’s handiwork, but now a sexual object and temptation to sin. Men’s eyes are drawn to her even more than before, but instead of gazing in awe at her splendor, they now perceives her body a magnet to their eyes, which, if he is a Christian, will bother his conscience, and if he is a faithful Christian will be overcome by looking elsewhere, anywhere but at her. Is There Any Definite Standard of Modesty? If the only sermons you’ve heard on modesty had the vague message, “Be sure you dress modestly so you don’t make anyone lust,” which of course, doesn’t offend anyone or convict anyone of sin, or if you are a member of a congregation in which those wearing mini skirts and low cut tops are just as likely to be chosen to teach Bible class as the more conservative dressers, then you may be surprised to learn that

Martha was excited to finally set foot in the country where her grandparents had lived before immigrating to the U.S. She had traveled by plane, bus, and taxi and now stood in front of the house of a cousin she had never met. She recognized the house from pictures she had seen, and now with the anticipation of meeting someone for the first time, who was both a blood relative and a foreigner, she stepped onto the porch and knocked on the door. There was no answer. She knocked again, but still there was no answer. Martha knew her cousin, Matilda, was expecting her today and would surely return soon, so she sat down on the porch to wait. About half an hour later, she noticed a woman walking down the road toward her. As the woman got nearer, Martha realized that this was not her cousin. This woman was carrying only a plastic bag. Her cousin, Matilda, had given birth only seven days earlier and would be carrying a little baby girl. So, Martha was surprised when the woman stepped out of the road, walked across the small yard, and said in accented English, with a big smile, “You must be Martha.” Martha stood up, looked more closely at the woman, and realized this was the face she had seen in photographs. This was Matilda! Although the two women had never met, they hugged warmly. As happy as Martha was to finally meet Matilda face to face, she was

There was once an army dividedWho then fought side by side.The two stood shoulder to shoulderBut one another couldn’t abide.The enemy laughed,“I’ve got them now”,Division being one of his goals,“If I can keep dividing them,I’ll win a few more souls.”If reading syrupy prose like thisYour literary senses does offend,Then, two camps, get together,Or I’ll be forced to write again. Cliques We will simply always be more comfortable around some people than others. That gives us no right to elevate one faithful brother over another. It gives us no right to exclude fellow Christians because they are not a part of “our usual circle.” Such exclusions and elevations hurt others and can lead to the divisions addressed below. Divisions What more beautiful picture of forgiveness exists than the words of Jesus spoken from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). The men for whom he prayed had not repented nor asked for God’s forgiveness. And yet, in our brotherhood today there are Christians who are at odds with one another over non-doctrinal issues and neither side will forgive the other because no one has admitted fault and asked to be forgiven. The problem may have come from wrongdoing by one or both parties or from a misunderstanding of motives that were attributed to certain actions. The result was hurt feelings. Years later there is still division between the two sides even though both parties are doctrinally rock solid. I write to my faithful brethren