Hypocrisy in Judging From Outer Appearance

When it comes to outer appearance, there is so much hypocrisy that comes into play. Men who do not allow their wives to wear pants are 10 times out of 10 guilty of having slept with her before they were married or they are living in adultery with their other spouses who they got divorces from are still living. Truly society has a twisted view of doing things and how the mainstream world dresses but to be honest there is a way that a Christian can dress in style and be presentable and still maintain Christian character. It's all about having balance. Balance is something that a lot of Christians lack, so they will abstain from certain things altogether and say that it is of the world. Another example that I hear from people who try to justify their beliefs about a woman shouldn't wear pants, make up, and jewelry is using the example of being in the military or on a secular job that calls for wearing uniforms.  The hypocrisy in that is that a person may very well hold down a job at McDonald's or be in the military but you best believe they do not wear their uniform 24/7. Even when a military person is not in uniform but in casual clothes,  you still know he is military because of the way he talks and the way he carries himself. You see, the hypocrisy is that man created a dress code that signifies who is spiritually clean by how they are dressed outwardly. Man created something that would be a dead giveaway to onlookers and let them know instantly that the person must be of a certain religion because of how they are dressed and it would instantly make people know who they are and what they stand for. Well that is totally opposite of how Jesus did things. Most people who came in contact with Jesus learned and received a deeper revelation of who he was by having communication with him. Jesus was not dressed in a certain fashion to instantaneously prove to people that he was the Christ. That spirit of wanting others to believe you are saved and spiritually clean based on what you wear 24/7 is an establishment of one's own righteousness. But in the same breath I say that a saint of God who is really spiritually clean and walking upright with the Lord is recognized by demons in folks and because the person knows who they are and the authority that they walk in, they are mature enough not to buy into the lie of the world's standards of dress or the hypocritical ways of religious standards of dress. Really the Holy Spirit will teach a person how to dress and cover up and be presentable. Furthermore, Christian women are not forbidden in scripture to wear jewelry and makeup either but Paul and Peter admonishes saved women not to put more attention on adoring the outward appearance but to be humbled, submissive, and having a pure heart. Like I said, everything must be balanced out and not given maximum amount of attention in one area and neglect the other areas. I really think that the Lord is mostly concerned about people not being a hypocrite. If they choose a certain dress code that aligns with their religious affiliation then they should do that and be happy and serve the Lord. We should not worship our clothing, or jewelry, or beauty, or give more allegiance to religion than we do to the Lord Jesus Christ but in many of the teachings about dress, they esteem outer wear as an indication of inner change before they mention that a soul has repented, been water baptized in Jesus name, and received the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Once a person gets saved the right way, true enough they will need to be taught on how to come out of worldliness and a sinful lifestyle of their past, but we should not put absolute stipulations on people that the word of God does not put on them by teaching them that even when their bodies are covered and there is distinction to know whether they are male or female, that they must wear a specific garment in order to be spiritually clean. Because if the truth be told, those who claim to be spiritually clean by their own merits are really far from it.

Christian Codes of Dress........continued

The first teaching that I heard on why women should not wear pants is because even though they make pants for women, they were"originally"made for men. Ok, if we take that and say pants on women is a sin or immoral because they were"at first" a man's garment, then what about all the other types of apparel that were originally made for men that women also now wear, like tennis shoes and T-shirts. Also the color blue was originally a color for the male. So are females walking in rebellion or an abomination for wearing any item of clothing in the color blue? Condoms were also originally made for men but they make female condoms now for women (and I speak of saved, married women only) who do not wish to become pregnant during te sexual act with her husband and does not take birth control. Although the world suggests that sex outside of marriage is okay, it is totally different for a believer in Christ. We don't accept everything that the world says is okay when it contradicts the Word of God. Another way to look at clothing for Christians is the motives behind the clothing. Women who are taught that a woman who wears pants, make up and jewelry is posing as a Jezebel or is a slut, have no proof or facts that her style of dress is in any wise with intentions to tempt the opposite sex. On the other hand, not wearing pants, make up and jewelry does not indicate that a sister is not cooking in her flesh and daydreaming about riding another pogo stick beside her husband in her mind. I'm not suggesting that a woman should dress according to every lustful thought that runs through her mind but that sanctification and inner cleansing starts on the inside and is radiated outwardly. Neither am I suggesting that every Christian(male or female) has the liberty to set their own standards of dress no matter how immodest and revealing it may be. No, not by a long shot. I think Christians should be covered up whether with a pair of pants and shirts on men or pants or dresses and full-covered blouses on women. There is so much that can go into a dress code when it comes to how saints should look in the world. From spending habits of being too extravagant with unreasonably high priced clothes and jewelry to cheap skimpy little skirts and exclusively tight booty pants that show the panty lines on women or the penile print on men. We should not deliberately try to inflame lustful feelings and thoughts in the minds of those watching us. Even at our best and most honest attempt to appear holy and sanctified whether in jeans or a dress there will still be someone who is not purged in their thinking to try to hit on even a saint of God. That is where REAL HOLINESS takes a stand. It's not so much WHAT the Christian has on but WHO they have on. When the devil sends a person be they male or female to try to play up to a child of God with enticing words, and Yes, this will happen even when you are covered from head to toe, then the Christian better make sure their roots in God is deep because the enemy doesn't care anything about how a person presents themselves as being holy, he will try you anyway. I often think about the people in other countries and cultures who suffer tremendously for their faith in Jesus Christ and they don't have all the luxuries of outer wear like we do in the United States. I think they're only concern would be to be clothed or covered to prevent their nakedness from being exposed, not whether the women should wear skirts and the men wear pants. When God clothed Adam and Eve, the bible doesn't say that he made a distinction between their garments but you best believe their roles of Adam being the man and Eve being the woman were NOT switched because GOD clothed them. They clothed themselves in fig leaves  but God came and clothed them the right way with goats skins and when people clothe themselves and stamp an approval of their outerwear making them holy, they just missed the mark because what is in you will come out and a spirit of self-righteousness and not depending on the Lord is what manifests from such attitudes.

CHRISTIAN WOMEN WEARING PANTS, IS IT A SIN?

Ok I'm taking a little break from talking about the Antichrist for now and deal with another issue that is clearly false doctrine in the church. What issue is that? I'm glad you asked. The issue about Christian women wearing pants. OMG!!!! I have done several studies on this topic from the scripture Deuteronomy 22:5 and they ALL point to the same direction of women and men are forbidden to switch roles from original sexual orientation, meaning women should not deliberately try to look like a man in her apparel, neither should men try to pose in society as a female. The deeper searches also mentioned that in bible times Moses was commanding that women shouldn't go to war and military such as is the role of a man (putting on that which pertains to a man......instruments of war). There are some Christians who have made a gospel out of outer clothing (especially on women). Pants are made for both male and female. Men's clothing are found in the men's department and women's clothing are found in the women's department. Because a woman puts on a modest, casual pair of jeans or slacks, that doesn't make her a lesbian. However, because you typically do not find skirts or dresses in the men's section, society would question his masculinity or sanity or both. On another tip, men do wear skirts or kilts for certain occasions such as acting in a play or a dance. Another thing is that preacher's robes are made alike for male preachers and female preachers (straight, dress-like garment) with maybe a different design to distinguish the two. There is a spirit behind the teaching that it's a sin for a woman to wear pants and I've been praying asking God to reveal it to me. All I know is that since my first hearing of such doctrine several years ago, I can say that the teaching came from people (mostly men) who were sexually immoral, living in adultery on their 2nd and 3rd wives, had babies away from home with other women beside their wives, or was on the downlow, or gay men who hated women anyway. If a Christian woman feels she needs to wear dresses and skirts 24/7 365 days a year in order to please the Lord, fine. That is her conviction, but don't condemn and send other women to hell who feel free in serving the Lord in a modest pair of pants  and must I add, if she desires to wear a little make up and jewelry. Many Christian women have their discernment so twisted that they actually believe that another sister in the Lord who wears pants, makeup, and jewelry has backslidden and on her way to hell. How shameful is that!!!! Another thing is jealousy. Some Christian women don't feel a conviction about it, they are just mad and jealous over another sister being free in her walk with God to adorn and beautify herself because she is not going to settle for a teaching that doesn't line up with the scriptures. Most of these people are bound in their thinking. Outer clothing is what they see first in both sinners and saints and it stunts their witness to sinners and isolates their fellowship with other believers who are not dressed specifically like them. What I wish they could see is that you never ever hear a Christian woman who wears pants (makeup and jewelry) to work or maybe even to her place of worship talking about other Christian women who don't wear it. But it's ALWAYS the Christian women who don't wear it that talk about others who do. Like I said, it's a spirit behind that and I just believe this way, if a person believes dresses on women will cool down lust in her or in other men watching her.........it really stirs it up even more because he has easy access to get what he wants. During my days of wearing strictly dresses (because my pastor at that time taught that pants on women was a sin), I literally had to fight off more demons then than I do now that I wear pants. Nowadays men look at me with more respect because I seem sure of who I am and the God that I serve. I'm not saying that dresses are wrong on women, neither am I saying that pants are wrong on women because there is a female-made pants but what I am saying is that when people turn things into a gospel of what can make a person saved and sanctified and holy other than the blood of Jesus Christ through his death on the cross, then people get steered in a whole different direction. The sad part is those who wear those long dresses with no makeup and no jewelry and the ones who teach and condone it and condemn everybody else to hell, they just might be the very ones who God reserves that spot in hell for because instead of them reaching the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ, they sit in judgment of everyone else who do not agree and abide by their rules and regulations as it pertains to outer dress!!!