Question:
Well, today was Easter, and so everyone at church was wearing their finer clothes. All the men had shirts and ties, and the girls had new dresses or "outfits", but it made me wonder.
Where did the idea of dressing up to go to church come from? Is it actually Biblical to put on one's best to attend a church service? I sincerly doubt Paul would ask the Corinthians to put on the finer sandals before they come to hear him speak.
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I don't exactly know, but the idea of giving your best appearance to God is probably a root 'cause'.
I mean, if you were to meet someone important (i.e the president), you probably wouldn't wear jeans and a t-shirt.
The idea of dressing up for church is probably a 'spin-off' of the scenario with the president. I mean, you're going to be meeting with your Creator, don't you want to look your best? I don't mean this in a "God won't listen to me 'cuz I'm wearing a sweat-suit" way, it's just that dressing up is our culture's way of showing respect, and there's no one else who exists who deserves our respect more.
Is it actually Biblical to put on one's best to attend a church service? I sincerly doubt Paul would ask the Corinthians to put on the finer sandals before they come to hear him speak.
No, Paul probably wouldn't have people wear nice sandals to "hear him speak", but Paul also knew that he wasn't supposed to be the center of attention. God is the reason men covered/uncovered their heads, and women covered/uncovered their heads (I can't remember which did which exactly...). In their culture, that was how they showed respect.
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So we dress up for church because that's where God is?
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I, personally, wouldn't have a problem meeting the President in blue jeans. I think the main thing about what you wear is that it is clean, modest, and comfortable. God sees the heart, it isn't the outside He looks at. I would much rather see women/girls in modest pants then in some of the dresses you see today.
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Originally Posted by Dice So we dress up for church because that's where God is?
My thoughts exactly. I'd say that it seems a little bit hypocritical (though that's probably too strong a word for it) to dress up only on Sundays for God when He's omnipresent.
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Originally Posted by Dice So we dress up for church because that's where God is? In a sense. I'm getting the feeling that if I say much more, we're gonna end up in a very long, pointless debate about 'dressing up for God' that will start straying a long ways from the OP. I've said what I said, and gave my reasoning, and I don't really feel like engaging in a letter-by-letter disection of the words that I used (which is what will probably be what I'm going to get anyways).
Originally Posted by KFBobInsanesMom I, personally, wouldn't have a problem meeting the President in blue jeans. I think the main thing about what you wear is that it is clean, modest, and comfortable. God sees the heart, it isn't the outside He looks at. I would much rather see women/girls in modest pants then in some of the dresses you see today. *sigh*....[See last sentence of my statement above]...
I honestly don't care if you would feel comfortable wearing jeans to meet the President. I sincerely believe you are fully aware of the point of my example, and would greatly appreciate it if you didn't argue the minutia with me.
Originally Posted by DaGeek My thoughts exactly. I'd say that it seems a little bit hypocritical (though that's probably too strong a word for it) to dress up only on Sundays for God when He's omnipresent.
In our culture, 'dressing up' is how we show respect. Yes, I know God is omnipresent and should be worshipped/respected in all aspects of our lives, but there are some times when it is appropriate to 'dress up' to give a physical representation of our intentions.
As I stated before, the (un)covering of the head was something that Paul *commanded* be done in the church (See 1Corinthians 11). Why? It was how that society and culture showed repect.
I realize that God looks at the heart, but I believe that the dressing up is a way for us Americans to physically show that we want to give/look our best for God. I also acknowledge that God in no way cares if I were to come to church in a sweatsuit, or in a 3-piece-suit, as long as my *heart is pure*.
I realize that I've already stated this whole "symbol to show respect thing", but it would seem that it was ignored the first time through, so I'm giving it another shot.
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Originally Posted by KFBobInsanesMom I, personally, wouldn't have a problem meeting the President in blue jeans. I think the main thing about what you wear is that it is clean, modest, and comfortable. God sees the heart, it isn't the outside He looks at. I would much rather see women/girls in modest pants then in some of the dresses you see today.
My thoughts exactly. In Jesus' day, the ones with the very nice clothes and money whose hearts were cold as stone were called "white-washed tombs". I went to a church for 16 years where more emphasis was placed on what one wore than what the condition of the heart was. And, in this way, many were judged unfairly and were hurt. You know how I know? Because I was one of those who did judge in this manner and I regret the actions I took.
If it is your conviction to dress in your very best clothes, then do so; but don't apply your standard to others. I go to work every day in a suit and tie alongside all the other unsaved people who work there. As far as I'm concerned, the clothes do not reflect the heart condition. What if a person is so broken by life's problems, sin or disobedience, that they can barely dress themselves, comb their hair, brush their teeth, etc. but they come in desperation truly seeking God? What if they never knew God's love until somebody showed they cared about them instead of judging them? What if they had some financial, mental or physical condition that prevented them from looking well dressed? What if that person was like the prodigal son who was at rock bottom in his life? Is that person not worthy of the same compassion and grace that God has extended to you?
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Originally Posted by Hopeful I went to a church for 16 years where more emphasis was placed on what one wore than what the condition of the heart was. This is unfortunate
If it is your conviction to dress in your very best clothes, then do so; but don't apply your standard to others. I agree. If you were to come to my church on a Sunday I wasn't playing, there's a good chance you'd find me wearing my school hoody, shorts, sandals, and a baseball cap.
The reason I said what I did earlier (all of it) was because I was getting the impression that people were implying that dressing up on Easter is pointless. I was trying to bring forth the idea that it is a cultural tradition, and I was bringing up reasons why it may have been started, and the Biblical reasons why it may still be done. I wasn't trying to say everyone should do that, but I also wasn't about to say that "it's obviously pointless and possibly hypocritcal to dress up because God is everywhere".
EDIT: A lot of what I was saying was addressing the OP's questions/issues. The OP said that Paul probably wouldn't make people wear their best sandals and such, and I was pointing out the fact that Paul did still have standards for their headwear in worship. The rules that Paul mentioned were also steeped in his culture.
In conclusion:
I am NOT saying that 'dressing-up' is wrong. I'm not saying 'dressing-up' is required. I was merely suggesting why the whole idea of 'dressing up' for Easter was started.
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Originally Posted by guitarman531
*sigh*....[See last sentence of my statement above]...
I honestly don't care if you would feel comfortable wearing jeans to meet the President. I sincerely believe you are fully aware of the point of my example, and would greatly appreciate it if you didn't argue the minutia with me.
I guess I have no idea what the point of your example was then. It seemed you were saying that we wouldn't think of meeting the president in blue jeans so why would we extend less concern to "meeting" with God in church.
I'm not arguing the minutia with you, I am saying that is sounded like you were claiming that people would dress up for the president, but I for one wouldn't think twice about it. I guess whatever point you were trying to make escaped me.
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Originally Posted by guitarman531 The reason I said what I did earlier (all of it) was because I was getting the impression that people were implying that dressing up on Easter is pointless. I was trying to bring forth the idea that it is a cultural tradition, and I was bringing up reasons why it may have been started, and the Biblical reasons why it may still be done. I wasn't trying to say everyone should do that, but I also wasn't about to say that "it's obviously pointless and possibly hypocritcal to dress up because God is everywhere".
Fair enough. So would you agree that "dressing up" would be a personal conviction? For me, as I walk out of the house on Monday through Friday, my wife remarks how nice I look in my suits and "good" clothes. In my mind, I can't wait to get out of them at the end of the day. And being from Hawaii, I curse the inventor of the tie! Those clothes are really not my "best", only what I have to wear. From the perspective of my heart and my appearance (to me), they are not giving God my best.
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Originally Posted by KFBobInsanesMom I guess I have no idea what the point of your example was then. It seemed you were saying that we wouldn't think of meeting the president in blue jeans so why would we extend less concern to "meeting" with God in church.
I'm not arguing the minutia with you, I am saying that is sounded like you were claiming that people would dress up for the president, but I for one wouldn't think twice about it. I guess whatever point you were trying to make escaped me.
You've got it right. I messed up. I sincerely apologize for any disrespect and assuming.
To clarify. If you feel comfortable...fine. However, our culture would probably expect a bit more of a formal outfit (depending on the event/location/etc), but if you were meeting with the Pres., the VP, and the cabinet for a dinner at the White House, the occasion would probably "call for" a bit more than jeans. In the same way, 'dressing up' is part of our cultures for weddings. I know there are exceptions, but in *general* people dress up for weddings.
I really wasn't attempting to appeal to a person's comfort level with my argument. I was trying to make a point about our societies un-written rules for conduct, and was pointing out that Paul did the same thing. He brought the culture's standards for head-coverings into the church.
This'll probably be the last post I'll ever make in the 'non-guitar-related' section of this forum. I hate trying to debate over the internet, esp. in this format.
I'm still sticking to what I said about Paul and all that, but aside from that, I'm pretty much done with this section of the forums...
EDIT:
Originally Posted by Hopeful Fair enough. So would you agree that "dressing up" would be a personal conviction? Yes
For me, as I walk out of the house on Monday through Friday, my wife remarks how nice I look in my suits and "good" clothes. In my mind, I can't wait to get out of them at the end of the day. And being from Hawaii, I curse the inventor of the tie! Those clothes are really not my "best", only what I have to wear. From the perspective of my heart and my appearance (to me), they are not giving God my best. If that's what God has told you, who am I to argue? I personally see no problem with wearing a ball-cap in the sanctuary as long as there is no prayer/worship/preaching going on. Some people would probably want to give me a good talking-to, but I personally don't have a problem with it. I have no problem with wearing a camp-shirt (or Hawaiian shirt) with shorts and sandals to church (plus the cap...can't forget the cap! ).
Answer:
Well, Peter does say, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes." (1 Pet 3:3)
Others above have also alluded to this verse: "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Sam 16:7)
It's true that the Jews had rules concerning how they were supposed to dress, but I don't think that was meant to imply that we're supposed to "dress up" to show respect to God.
Besides, we don't come to church in order to "show respect" to God. We come to church to worship God - that is, to give thanks to him, to delight in him, to rejoice and take joy in him. You dress up when meeting an important person, to show them that you recognize their importance. But worship doesn't mean saying, "God, you're so good," or "You're so important to me," or anything like that; worship ultimately means saying "Thank you, God."
Answer:
Originally Posted by guitarman531 I don't exactly know, but the idea of giving your best appearance to God is probably a root 'cause'.

I mean, if you were to meet someone important (i.e the president), you probably wouldn't wear jeans and a t-shirt.

The idea of dressing up for church is probably a 'spin-off' of the scenario with the president. I mean, you're going to be meeting with your Creator, don't you want to look your best? I don't mean this in a "God won't listen to me 'cuz I'm wearing a sweat-suit" way, it's just that dressing up is our culture's way of showing respect, and there's no one else who exists who deserves our respect more.


No, Paul probably wouldn't have people wear nice sandals to "hear him speak", but Paul also knew that he wasn't supposed to be the center of attention. God is the reason men covered/uncovered their heads, and women covered/uncovered their heads (I can't remember which did which exactly...). In their culture, that was how they showed respect. I totally agree with all that you've said in this thread. I think you hit the nail on the head.
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Guitarman531, thank you for your elaboration. I see your point much more clearly, and I tend to agree. Thanks again .
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Originally Posted by DaGeek Guitarman531, thank you for your elaboration. I see your point much more clearly, and I tend to agree. Thanks again . No problemo! I apologize for being rather grumpy earlier (a lot of personal stress lately...).
In all honesty, I tend to get a rather hostile feeling from some of the other members here (not you or "K...mom" ) from reading through debates and engaging in a few myself, and since I can't tell tone of voice or facial expression from what you type, I just tend to get really defensive (because I can't tell if you're trying to attack me, or just asking questions).
Again, I apologize if I came across as being rather harsh or cynical.
-T (who loves his shorts and ball cap )