Pentecostal Perspectives on Modesty vs. Legalism

Pentecostal Perspectives on Modesty vs. Legalism

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So apparently, its legalistic and wrong for me to wear a suit to church. Let me say this, I wear I suit because I chose to give God the best I have and I chose to represent God in the best manner I know how. I don’t condemn people who don’t wear suits or whatever, but its seems that more people are condemning those who do. I do believe that a Christian is suppose to come out from among the world and be separate. And I do believe that Christians should dress MODESTLY. But I’m not gonna condemn someone who may not know or understand this. People who complain about judging are the ones who do the judging. Thoughts on this?

John Kissinger [03/16/2016 9:13 AM]

What is a progressive #hipster pastors?

Ricky Grimsley [03/16/2016 9:20 AM]
I think if you pray, study and preach under the anointing, it doesnt matter what you wear. However, considering your congregation they maybe distracted by what you wear. I would just be myself. If your heart condemns you for not wearing a suit then you certainly should for conscious sake.

Charles Page [03/16/2016 9:32 AM]
Should women preachers were suits?

Timothy Nail [03/16/2016 9:34 AM]
Just like there is reverse racism there is reverse legalism.

John Kissinger [03/16/2016 9:35 AM]
Should preachers preach wearing scarves? Charles Page http://www.pentecostaltheology.com/holiness-modesty-and-a-christ-like-demeanour/

John Conger [03/16/2016 9:51 AM]
Sounds spot on to me Brody. Some people will always grip.

John Conger [03/16/2016 10:02 AM]
Proves my point ?

Ricky Grimsley [03/16/2016 11:08 AM]
Lol

Jimmy Humphrey [03/16/2016 11:58 AM]
How is one giving God their best by wearing a suit?

John Conger [03/16/2016 12:09 PM]
Socially it’s considered nicer aka better.

Troy Day [03/16/2016 12:34 PM]
Jimmy Humphrey can preach in his bath robe and still look nice

Michael Marquez [03/16/2016 12:45 PM]
Can’t address this adequately as I am on my lunch break right now which is almost up. But here are a some thoughts:

It is not legalistic or un-legalistic if you choose to wear a Suit, Business Casual Dress, Casual Dress or Jeans and a Shirt. As long as you are covered properly and your junk is not hanging out (men or women) it’s fine. What would make dressing legalistic is when we say one must dress a certain way to be holy or right with God. You can be legalistic by saying that you have to dress casual to go to church just as much as it is legalistic to say you have to wear a suit to go to church. Dressing your best for God is relative. I personally like business casual dress over suits though I have worn suits at times when I’ve preached. Bottom line I think it’s a heart issue. God does not look on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart and I think that’s what we always have to remember.

As far as unbelievers go, they may come into our churches dressed inappropriately. The wrong thing to do would be to tell them to leave till they change their clothes. We have to remember that we may catch the fish but God does the cleaning. In time (salvation being the starting point) their dress will change as the Holy Spirit deals with them and as they are taught the word.

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:6-7 NIV

Troy Day [03/16/2016 12:47 PM]
Anybody can preach in a suit. But just try preaching in skinny jeans

Stan Wayne [03/16/2016 1:07 PM]
Stan Wayne liked this on Facebook.

Tim Renneberg [03/16/2016 2:28 PM]
I can’t even wear skinny jeans (you’re welcome). I’m not sure how clothing that covers the necessities is still an issue. I missed the verses about the suit requirement and one about the sacrilege of relaxed fit jeans on a Sunday…

Charles Page [03/16/2016 2:36 PM]
women preachers wear real skinny jeans with high heel pumps and a mid-drift tee-shirt. -FB video of the man’s wife preaching from a stage and pulpit.

Phil Hoover [03/16/2016 3:50 PM]
And if you want to wear a suit, that’s fine brother. I rarely ever wear a suit…but I am neatly dressed for morning worship.

Linda Brown Bilbrey [03/16/2016 8:44 PM]
Man looks on the OUTWARD appearance, God looks on the heart.

Timothy Nail [03/16/2016 10:34 PM]
I’m not saying God cares if you wear a suit or if you wear jeans but I do believe that verse has been applied to how people dress when it is simply saying man looks at how strong, how talented, or how attractive one may be it God sees the inner goodness and strength of a man. This statement is used when Samuel is picking the new king and David’s brothers look more acceptable than he does. We have used this Scripture to justify certain dress. This could apply but it is out of context to use it concerning dress.

Ben Corley [03/17/2016 3:28 PM]
I think its ok to wear a suit if thats what you choose to do. But its also ok to wear dress slacks and a nice shirt if you so desire. After all, men use to dress in bib overall and flannel shirts and thats ok too. The point is, as long as we are right with the Lord on the inside, it will be right on the outside. Just saying.

Josh Willis [03/17/2016 5:10 PM]
I don’t wear a suit but I don’t condemn someone for it or think differently of them. I wear a t-shirt and blue jeans. I’ve grown up in Pentecostal churches all my life but just received my salvation 2 1/2 years ago. For the first 8 months I went to every type of church I could find of every denomination just to see what all was out there. I went from Catholic to Baptist to Lutheran to Pentecostal to Methodist to Presbyterian to non-Denominational. Other than how boring most of them were, considering I’m used to the Pentecostal way, one of the biggest things that made me uncomfortable in a lot of those churches was my dress attire. Not all of the people were judgemental but I had a lot of people who looked me up and down because they couldn’t believe I wore blue jeans to church. I got snubbed by a lot of people with disgusted looks. Luckily for me I grew up in church all my life so I knew that wasn’t right but it did discourage me from wanting to go to other churches. Not everyone has grown up in church so they may not know realize that’s not the Christian way and they may give up. For many people that one time they find themselves in a church is their only chance at salvation. I understand that means they’re not serious about Christ but how do you expect the lost to find the right way if they feel uncomfortable from the beginning when they walk in? What I’m trying to say is I try to put myself in the shoes of the unsaved who’s never heard anything about Christ and how I felt in those churches. I figure if they see the church hasn’t ran me out and I’m dressed like a bum then it must be a good group of people. I don’t see anything wrong with looking nice though as we do have people in our church who dress up but I hope I can be that one person who makes them feel comfortable and not turn back to the world.

1 Comment

  • Reply October 31, 2021

    Jacovin Davis

    I will never forget I went to a church looking for help and deliverance. But that ended after the ministers would mock and talk down on me because I had jeans on the 2 Sundays that I went to that church. At that time I was homeless and trying to break the bondage of drugs and homosexuality off, and that was sad and I know God wasn’t in that for them to despise me because of my clothes, and not knowing anything about me. They will have to face God on Judgement Day: I believe as long as you covered and if your heart is right and you sincere that is all that matters I even had taken off my earrings and that was the respect that I had for God not to go into His House with earrings on. But I was crushed after they did that and that was nothing but legalism and a critical judgemental spirit. Right today I am more comfortable dressing casual and sometimes I might do a suit, but the end of the day its the matters of the heart in which God looks at. In the bible days there was no jeans and shirts nor suits.

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