Growing up we were always taught that our “street clothes” were not good enough to go and worship in. My parents made sure that every Christmas, (it was an unwritten law that was the only time we received new clothes) we would receive our sets of street clothes, school uniforms and church attire. Each Sunday, my brother and I would be dressed in our flawlessly ironed 2 pleated polyester pants with crinkle free button-up shirts usually topped with bow ties on really special occasions. And not to forget the white socks and shiny reflective dress shoes we would’ve spent the previous night polishing. It was strictly prohibited by blood written law for us to wear our Sunday best on any other occasion apart from church and violation of said law was punishable by death. Well that is a slight exaggeration but having been on the receiving end of a couple of my mother’s disciplinary processes, a level close to death is an apt description.

All through to early adulthood, I was of the firm belief that how we dressed when we entered and worshipped in the house of the Lord was inextricably linked to whether our prayers and devotions would receive favourable responses. When I moved cities for college, I not only joined a different church but a different denomination. Much to my chagrin, my traditional beliefs on “Godly” apparel did not apply. T shirts, jeans and cartoonish sweaters were commonplace. Shorts, which I had never seen being worn outside of Sunday school were in style with not a single filthy look or judgemental murmur passed. Through liaisons and fellowship with the members of my new family, I realised that apart from our divergent views on what we considered to be pious clothing there was no difference in our dedication to the Christian faith. So then I had to ask myself, does God really care what you wear?

To better understand the practice, I decided to delve into the history. The phenomenon of the Sunday Best or the practice of dressing up for church can be traced back to the late-eighteenth century and mid-nineteenth century. Traditionally, fancy attire was reserved for social events only amongst the aristocracy of that day simply because only they had the means to afford it. As the wheels of progress and invention turned, along came the bulk manufacturing of fabrics. Commoners were now able to match the elegance once reserved for the upper crust of society. They too were now able to dress up for special occasions and church fell into this category.

However not all Christian groups were as thrilled and embracing of the nouveau middle class’ ostentation when it came to church garb. John Wesley, the leader of the revival movement within the Church of England and father of the Methodist church, opposed the idea of special outfits. He wrote to believers, "Let your dress be cheap, as well as plain," John Wesley frequently spoke out against fine beautification, saying that gold and expensive apparel were sinful. In line with his teachings that Christians “ought to dress plainly, neatly, and simply.”, Methodists turned people away for wearing expensive clothing in some instances. However, with the increasing affluence of the middle class came a need for larger, more elaborate worship centres with extravagant decorations. As a result of this progression, the elegant and formal worship houses began to attract the prominent members of society. In an effort to remain relevant, so to speak, congregations such as the Methodists had to improve their own facilities. In 1843, Horace Bushnell an influential American congregational minister and theologian, wrote an essay called “Taste and Refinement” about how sophistication and refinement were attributes of God and that Christians should imitate them. Due to his mass influence, soon dressing up for church became synonymous with the veneration of God. Till today masses of Christians all over the world continue to dress up for church.

So what does the bible say about dressing as a Christian?

Though I had concentrated on the origins of the “Sunday Best” or dressing up for church, the same question can be posed to apply beyond Sunday to a Christian’s everyday clothing. So what are God’s rules and regulations with regards to what we should and shouldn’t wear? The best place for us to start looking is the bible. In the Old Testament, the book of Deuteronomy disallows dressing in clothing of the opposite sex. “A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this.” (NIV, Deuteronomy 22:5) Like many decrees at the time, this regulation may have been required due to the pagan customs in the neighbouring nations. The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary prepared by Robert Jamieson, Andrew Robert Fausset and David Brown states that “Disguises were assumed at certain times in pagan temples.” “… a man attired in a coloured female dress, in honour of Venus, Ashtaroth, or Astarte, and a woman equipped in armour, worshipped at the shrine of the statue of Mars…” In the eyes of God, cross-dressing was thought as an insult to the difference between the sexes as stated in Genesis 1:27. In contemporary society however, some have argued that the world keeps evolving, so there might be the need to re-evaluate certain principles. Concerning trousers or pants specifically, women's trousers are designed differently from those of men, so it cannot be said women are putting on men’s clothing.

Another prohibition that exists is found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. This prohibition is against wearing clothes woven of mixed fabrics. “Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.” (NIV, Deuteronomy 22:11) This restriction however, has no ostensible application in modern times mainly because most Christians do not make their own textiles today. Unless of course they happen to be in that industry as a profession. Besides for those who are in the industry or clothes manufacturers for that matter, none mix these two fabrics today anyway. The New International version of Leviticus 19:19 says “Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.”  

However, the “New Covenant” introduced by Jesus frees us from stringent compliance of Old Testament statutes. Two passages in the New Testament speak on appropriate attire for women though. I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. (NIV, 1 Timothy 2:9-10)

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. (NIV, 1 Peter 3:2-5) Both of these inserts make emphasise that a Christian’s true beauty derives from the inner person and is appropriately conveyed by virtuous activities. Simply put, dressing modestly and tastefully is the way to go.

So does what we wear really matter as contemporary Christians?

The biggest snare we must avoid falling into as Christians is using our clothing as masks to hide our authentic natures. Sometimes we use clothes and outward appearances to portray a godly image to the outside world while God looks in a totally different direction. In

1 Samuel 16:7, the word says, “For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” In addition 1 Peter 3:3-4 says “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewellery or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

We also need to be wary that our activities are not simply conforming to man’s customs. Mark 7:13 says  ^“Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.” Though this word was spoken to the Pharisees it applies to the modern Christian. The warning Jesus was presenting was for them and by extension us, not to replace the word of God with our own time honoured traditions. Romans 12:2 ESV says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”. In conclusion, whether we believe in the concept of the “Sunday Best” or fine seemingly Godly clothing every other day, our attention need constantly be on God. In John 4:24 we are told “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” Instead of concentrating on the outward worldly appearance of righteousness, we as Christians must instead endeavour to don the whole armour of God as described in Ephesians 6:10-18