Have you ever heard it said, "When you go to church you should dress up to show respect for God"? The reasoning often continues with something like, "If you wouldn't visit the President without dressing up, then why would you attend church without doing the same."On the surface the argument seems logical, but when you look at it through the lens of scripture some real problems begin to emerge.
For instance, one of the significant shortcomings of the "dress up for church" philosophy is that it unwittingly turns otherwise sincere Christians into practical hypocrites. To consistently follow this ideal you must do so whenever you meet with God/His people and not just on Sunday mornings. What about those occasions when you're attending a small group Bible study and/or enjoying an early morning prayer breakfast? How about Sunday evening and mid-week services? Doesn't God deserve your best then, too? Shouldn't we also be showing respect in these settings?
And what does "dress up for church" really mean? The truth is that the argument is so subjective that it has the potential to lapse into cultural/generational preferences becoming legalistic standards. If you ask young adults to put on their best clothes today, many of them would not come back wearing suits/ties and Sunday dresses, though the cost of their clothes would be nearly the same (if not more) than these styles. And, if dressing up really shows a greater respect for God, then why don't we expect people who can afford "formal" dresses and tuxedos to wear them to church? This would be the most literal way to fulfill the "dress up" philosophy. In other words, relegating "dress up for church" to one style of clothing is an inflexible standard that fails to take into account different cultural and/or generational styles.
Added to these concerns is another equally cogent issue. If we define one style/look as the standard of what shows respect/reverence for God, it potentially has the consequence of excluding some people who don't have or can't afford that style. I've personally heard it said on a number of occasions, "I can't go to church because I don't have any Sunday clothes." Maybe that's just an excuse for many, but not for all. And, even if we could find people who'd be willing to purchase the items deemed "church appropriate" for those who can't afford them, in the process we only further stereotype an elitist approach to worship. Aren't we supposed to be tearing down walls that keep people away from Christ, not reinforcing the traditional ones that already exist?
I could go on like this ad nauseam, but I think you get my point. There has to be a better way to approach this issue and in the process be thoroughly biblical. It really doesn't matter how logical our arguments for "dress up for church" may seem, if they aren't supported by scripture they are only our preferences/opinions. Of course, we are all entitled to hold preferences/opinions so long as we don't force others to conform to them or judge people by them.
There's only one place in the New Testament where God specifically addressed appropriate and/or inappropriate attire for public worship. In 1 Timothy 2:9-10, Paul gave instruction about women's attire for the gathering of God's people. His concern was that women were being immodest and/or ostentatious in their public persona. Their lavish and possibly lustful styles had become a distraction to the purpose of their attendance. You might have heard a first century church member say, "Look at what she's wearing today!" or "How can she afford such expensive jewelry?" This not only affected people's focus on the Lord, but it also created a schism in the fellowship between the "haves and the have nots." This is not unlike a similar divide addressed by James when wealthy Christians were given preferential treatment at worship services (James 2:1-9). Surely we can all agree that there's no place among God's people for class warfare, since all of us are children of God only by the grace of God and He is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35; 1 Peter 1:17; Romans 2:11; Colossians 3:25; James 2:1-2). The family of God is suppose to be an accepting body of believers that are seeking to encourage one another toward a deeper walk with Christ.
If we follow the biblical guidelines of what to wear during worship gatherings, it could basically be stated as, "modest and appropriate, avoiding ostentation." Of course, you can distract people by going to extremes on either end of the wardrobe spectrum (formal or informal). But, Paul's argument was specifically about more formal attire. All I'm trying to say is that it is impossible to impose one style (what we personally consider "dressed up") on all people across all of time. This doesn't mean that "anything goes" for worship gatherings, but it does mean that there must be ample room for personal liberty in choosing what is "appropriate and modest" for the occasion. Our concern in this matter should be in making certain we don't do anything to diminish or distract from the preeminence of Christ in worship. Any of us could hinder a proper focus on Christ by wearing something that screams "look at me" and/or by criticizing those who dress differently than ourselves.
Actually, I don't know why some people are so fixated on having others conform to their personal standard for church attire. I would hope that most of us are discerning enough to know that reverence and respect are primarily matters of the heart, not your attire. Even people who "dress up" for church are not all doing it out of respect and reverence for God. Some actually dress up to "hide" their disrespect and irreverence for God. The fact is, you simply cannot tell who is respectful solely on the basis of what they are wearing at church. This is a matter of the heart, not your formal or informal clothing. If we wish to prioritize the importance of approaching God with the right spirit then we should be doing so on a much deeper level.
If I may add one additional caveat to this discussion, the whole "dress up for church" argument feels more suited to the Pharisees than to sincere followers of Christ. It was these first century religious elites that placed their primary focus on external conformity to man-made religious standards rather than on true heart transformation. Jesus had some epic confrontations with these traditionalists over matters that seem eerily similar to the one we've been discussing. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not calling everyone who espouses the view of "dress up for church" a Pharisee. I know some people that I highly respect that feel strongly about "dressing up for church." But, let's not forget that it is possible that even devoted Christians can argue from the wrong perspective and be doing so without considering all of the ramifications of their argument.
So, what should my approach be to appropriate church attire?
1. Wear what is comfortable, but don't draw undue attention to yourself. We're not going to church to show off the latest clothing trends (casual/formal), impress people with our bling-bling, or make a fashion statement.
2. Stop paying attention to what everybody else is wearing when you go to worship. You're there to honor God in biblical/meaningful ways, not critique other people's fashion sense.
3. Don't judge someone else's sincerity by what they wear to church on Sunday. What they have on may or may not be an intentional statement on their part, but you are not in a position to make that judgment.
4. Build bridges to people who need Christ by not elevating this issue to the level of a primary doctrine of the faith. Be willing to adjust your style of dress if it will influence someone to sit with you in church to hear the Gospel.
5. Be sure everyday to put on the most important attire, which is "good works" (1 Timothy 2:10). Somebody is watching your life and you may be the only "Jesus" they will ever see.
“...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, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. (1 Timothy 2:9-10 NJKV)
“And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes.” (1 Timothy 2:9-10 NLT)
