1. “Women adorn themselves in proper clothing with modesty and sobriety, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly clothing”; “Let your adorning not be the outward plaiting of hair and putting on of gold or clothing with garments, but the hidden man of the heart in the incorruptible adornment of a meek and quiet spirit” (1 Tim. 2:9; 1 Pet. 3:3-5; see also Gen. 35:4; Exo. 33:5-6; Isa. 3:16-25).
The verses from 1 Timothy and 1 Peter clearly show that in the dispensation of grace, God wants us to pay attention to inward spiritual virtues rather than outward beauty and costly ornamentation. These verses are specifically directed toward the sisters because they pay more attention to matters of adornment.
While God does not give specific instructions on how to dress, two principles are presented: our clothing must be proper, and our clothing must not be extravagant. I dare not say that there is a specific standard for what is proper, but I believe that we each have a sense of whether or not our clothing is proper. This is marvelous! Regardless of where we are or what we are doing, we have an inward sense of whether or not our clothing is proper. With regard to the matter of extravagance, God is a little more specific. He counts gold, jewelry, and costly items as extravagant and does not allow us to wear them. While it may be more difficult in determining whether or not a particular garment is extravagant, we each have an inward sense of what is extravagant and what is not. Under the new covenant God does not give us dead ordinance after dead ordinance concerning every matter. Instead, He imparts His living law of life inside of us so that we know what to do with respect to every matter (Heb. 8:10). May we be willing to follow His inward leading in the matter of clothing and adornment.
The clothing that we wear is very much related to our coming before God. When Jacob and his family were going to Bethel to worship God, they took off their earrings and put away their idols. This shows that jewelry, like idols, can hinder us from approaching God. Adornment truly is an idol worn on our body. If we want to approach God, we must take off the idol of adornment—jewelry—just as we remove other idols.
The golden calf that the children of Israel worshipped in the wilderness was made from their jewelry. Therefore, God told them to take their ornaments off so that He would know what to do to the children of Israel. The ornaments we wear often become the idols we worship. This makes it difficult for God to know how to deal with us. If we want the Lord’s leading, we must take all the ornaments off of our body just as the children of Israel did.
Isaiah 3 says that the city of Zion was punished because the daughters of Zion were haughty in their adornment. This shows that haughty, elegant adornment causes God to punish us. This should be a warning to those who are haughty in their elegant adornment.
2. “When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face” (Matt. 6:17; see also Eccl. 9:8).
Although we should not be extravagant in our adornment, we should be clean and neat in our clothing. Even when we fast, the Lord wants us to brush our hair and wash our face. Even Ecclesiastes, which mainly speaks of vanity, says that our clothes must be clean and our hair combed. Rumpled clothes and messy hair are not spiritual. We should not dress in rumpled clothing or neglect to brush our hair in order to obtain spiritual praise by appearing to be fasting. This is false spirituality. This should be condemned. If we are truly spiritual, we will be very normal in our adornment. We will be neat and clean, not extravagant or messy.
3. “Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered disgraces his head. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head” (1 Cor. 11:4-5).
According to the Lord’s word through the apostle, a brother should not cover his head when he prays or speaks; that is, he should not wear a hat. However, if a sister prays or speaks a word, she should cover her head. This matter is covered in chapter 19, “Head Covering.”
4. “If a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her, because her long hair has been given to her for a covering”; “It is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved” (1 Cor. 11:15, 6).
According to God’s ordination sisters should have long hair. Long hair is the sisters’ glory. Therefore, the sisters should not cut or shave off their hair. On the contrary, they should be ashamed of cutting or shaving off their hair. Today’s fashion, however, surprisingly considers short hair beautiful. This is the opposite of what the Bible says. Sisters should not follow today’s fashion. Of course, the styling and perming of hair definitely should not be done. A sister who fears and loves the Lord is not without a sense that these things offend the Lord. No sister who pursues the Lord with a pure heart can style and perm her hair with a peaceful heart. These things are not pleasing to the Lord and are not a sign of fearing the Lord. May the Lord save the sisters from fashions that are contrary to His will, and may their hair grow according to His will.
5. “If a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him” (1 Cor. 11:14).
It is a glory for sisters to have long hair, but it is a shame for brothers to have long hair. Sisters have long hair because their head should be covered. Brothers should not have long hair because they are the head. This is God’s ordination, and the sense from our human nature also confirms this. When we see a man with long hair, we feel uncomfortable, and when we see a woman with very short hair, we feel equally uncomfortable. These feelings are spontaneous reactions, and we should give heed to them.