Moment With The Master
“Professing Godliness”
Categories: Moment With The MasterI desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, (1 Timothy 2:8-9)
The operative word here is “godliness”. It suggests a lifestyle directed by a strong desire to please God. Jesus states the same principle in the gospels: “'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' “(Mark 12:30) Here is one so devoted to God that his daily ambition is to reflect God’s moral purity. (I Peter 2:9) Their purity is reflected in what one says or does, the places they go, and the way they dress.
The apostle uses three other words that describe the godly woman. First, she must dress “modestly”. The Greek word “kosmos” means to be well arranged. But, what does that mean? A harlot may dress in a well arranged fashion, but she is certainly not professing “godliness”. (Proverbs 7:10)
Second, she must have an attitude of “propriety”. The King James Version says with “shamefacedness”. The idea is of one bound by a sense of shame. Unlike the loose world around her, this woman is bound by her profession to God. Because of her keen sense of godly purity, she would blush if she knew she caused anyone to look upon her nakedness. (Jeremiah 6:15)
“Sobriety” is the third attitude described here. It means to be “serious minded”. This woman carefully and prayerfully considers what she wears. She not only represents God, but she may have an impact on others. Her goal is to look like God and not like the world.
In Titus Paul describes those women “adorning the doctrine of God” as “discreet” and “chaste”. (Titus 2:5,10) Let me plainly say that when the neckline is so revealing that she continues to cover her nakedness with her hands, or when her attire is so tight that it leaves little to the imagination, then one has failed in the guidelines we’ve discussed.
Women who focus upon serving the Lord, who reflect a gentle and quite spirit, who serve others and especially their families, and who are known for their purity of life and demeanor, are precious indeed! These women have nothing to prove, for they have become all that God wants them to be.
By George Slover
