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What about women wearing
bikinis at the beach?
In today's culture it is socially acceptable for a woman to go to a
public beach wearing less then she would if she had on underwear.
Bikinis are very small bathing suits that show almost all of a woman's
nakedness. The question is whether or not a Christian woman, let alone
any woman, should display her body in such a way that modesty is
disappears.
Please understand that we are not advocating being
prudes who don't want people to have fun. That isn't it. We
understand that it is not practical to wear full body outfits at the
beach. It is embarrassing and ridiculous. Nevertheless, the
simple fact is that the woman's body is naturally beautiful and
sensuous. Women learn this as they grow up and discover that boys (young
men) will
be attracted to them and will do all sorts of antics to earn a young
woman's
attention and favor. Many young women find this appealing and
often take advantage of their power over males by displaying their
bodies. Therefore, some young (and older) women will purposely
dress in seductive ways so as to further their sense of attractiveness
and control. The males are drawn to this and are easily enticed.
Is it right for a woman, especially a Christian woman,
to use her body in such a way? The answer is obviously no. The woman
needs to be careful not to stumble men and she needs to be careful to be
modest. But, the problem here is subjectivity. What is modest to
one person is not to another. Where one Christian woman will
not wear a bikini, another will. What, then, are we to conclude is appropriate?
The answer lies in Scripture. 1 Tim. 2:9 says, "Likewise, I want women
to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not
with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments; 10
but rather by means of good works, as befits women making a claim to
godliness." The biblical pattern for the dress of a woman is
modesty. Now, the context of these verses is dealing with fancy
adornment; that is, it is dealing with a woman spending lavish amounts
of money on clothing. This draws attention to herself and
demonstrates she is overly concerned with appearance. Note what
two commentaries state:
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"These terms stress
not so much the absence of sexual suggestiveness, though it is
included, but rather an appearance that is simple, moderate,
judicious, and free from ostentation."1
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"Those that profess
godliness should, in their dress, as well as other things, act as
becomes their profession; instead of laying out their money on fine
clothes, they must lay it out in works of piety and charity, which
are properly called good works."2
The emphasis is that a Christian woman should be more concerned with
displaying her godly character than her skin. If her goal
is to impress a man with her godliness, then she is being holy and
sanctified. On the other hand, if she believes is trying to
display herself in order to entice a man, then she is not being modest. Nevertheless, the point of
modesty includes refraining from flaunting one's body. Young men
are especially suseptible to the beauty of young women and it should be
the goal of Christian women to not be a stumbling block.
Don't forget,
Bikinis were never an issue in New Testament times because no woman
would ever display herself in such a way back then. It isn't until
the last few decades that such public displays have become acceptable.
I am married to an attractive woman with a nice figure.
When we go to the beach she wears a one-piece bathing suit. Her desire
is to not to display her body in such a way as to draw attention to it.
She wants to enjoy the sun in the wind, but she also desires to be
modest. I think that a one-piece bathing suit is a good compromise and
shows reasonable judgment.
When dealing with this subjective issue of modesty, a
Christian woman should ask herself what her motives are for wearing such
a thing and if she believes that what she is wearing would draw lust out
of a man or not (It most probably will whether she believes it or not),
and if she is seeking the will of the Lord in her appearance.
Of course, she cannot be responsible for every male especially since she
can be wearing a tent and some guy would be lusting. But that isn't the
point. Rather, her responsibility is before the Lord and to use her body
in a godly and sanctified way since her beauty is a gift from God. Her
obligation is to God first. Therefore, she should pray and ask God
what would be appropriate for modesty and then seek to draw men not with
the flesh, but with godliness.
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1. Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible
Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications,
Inc.) 1983, 1985.
2. Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on
the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.
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Questions on Sexuality
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