Is Modesty in Style at All?
to); not loose or lewd; having chastity.”1 (Note:We would say not being forward or bold is not being seductive or flirtatious.) The word lewd in this definition means “intending to excite lust or sexual desire.”2 Also in the definition above is the word chastity, which is an old English word that means “being pure; having an innocence; the absence of seductive influence; abstaining from acts or thoughts that do not agree with virginity or strict marital fidelity; not indulging in sexual activity or encouraging it.”3 If Noah Webster were alive today, he would probably be shocked at how women currently dress. He might even think that girls and women everywhere were prostitutes. He would possibly stay inside his house so that he would not be tempted to lose his fidelity or purity by what he saw all around him. Stop and think how much our society has changed and how it exposes all parts of the female body as normal, accepted fashion.When you look at what Christian girls wear today as well, it appears that limitations are no longer regarded. When Paul wrote his letter to young Timothy, he said that he needed to tell girls and women to dress “modestly” and “sensibly.” Another version says “with soberness” (ABUV).The word “sensibly” is actually the Greek word sophrosune. Sophrosune means “to place a voluntary limitation on one’s freedom of thought and behavior.” The Conybeare Translation says, “with self-restraint.” Our freedom in Christ is not about removing what we consider to be limitations that actually produce a godly lifestyle. It’s about being free from satan’s power to influence our lives. Once we accept Jesus’ lordship, He convicts us to place restraint upon our lifestyle in order to honor God.Today, our society would probably disdain and criticize Noah Webster, Paul, Timothy, and other great men in history for their strict moral way of thinking; but in centuries past, modesty was an accepted virtue in society, because our whole society was influenced by Christianity and Judaism. which are both based upon living according to the standards of the Bible. Immodesty symbolized prostitution. 19