Holiness does not have to mean dowdiness. As a part of her witness the Christian woman will be clean, neat and presentable in her clothes wherever she is. God gives us a wonderful freedom in our choices, including dress, with the proviso that it is modest (1 Peter 3) and that it is to His glory (1 Cor 10:31). It is therefore not consistent with Scripture to dress ostentatiously, drawing undue attention to oneself. "The ornament of a quiet and meek spirit is in the sight of God of great price".
We hear the protest, "But we must be in fashion", but what is the fashion? Walking through our city streets we find a multiplicity of fashions from micro and mini to midi and maxi. Jeans, slacks, culottes and trouser suits. Fashion houses no longer dictate what shall be worn, so why object to sober, modest clothes when there is no set fashion? There are lots of women who are not Christians yet wear modest dress.
I do think that Godly women should give attention to dress, particularly when worshipping. This is not in deference to a building, but out of respect for the One we worship and also of the sensitivity of other worshippers.
There is an interesting marginal note to Psalm 96:9 It says, “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, come before Him in holy array"; and in heaven (Rev.7:13) we note that the worshippers were arrayed in white robes. We sometimes smile patronisingly at earlier generations who went to Church in their 'Sunday best' suits, but perhaps they were expressing something that we have lost.
When we go into the big multiple stores we find that the staff are all appropriately dressed to serve us. Obviously the Company they serve want them to project a clean and efficient image. Likewise in the banks and building societies, the customer advisers wear smart costumes and impeccably white blouses, and when we attend important functions such as weddings and funerals, we wear appropriate dress... but for God?
There is another reason why dress should be modest. Women particularly should consider whether their attire is offensive to men. True we live in a time when we have become accustomed to the sight of scantily dressed females, but this does not mean that no one is affected by it. We have come a long way since an old preacher friend of mine commented, "Any undue exposure of the human form is an offence before the Almighty".
That may sound dated, but it still contains much truth, and in my chapter on The Teenager I deal with sexual thresholds, and provocative dress can be threatening to a person with a low threshold. Real Christian love will want to avoid such situations.
Apart from the Christian concept, the psychology of inadequate dress is faulty. The over-exposure of the female form can become vulgar, and instead of being attractive it becomes repulsive. Female charm is more than physical; there is a mystique about it, and the discerning Christian man with an eye to matrimony will not be looking for a 'dolly bird', but a girl with personality, character and spirituality.
Because we live in a world that is sexually-orientated, that is all the more reason why, in a place of worship we should not be provoked. We should be able to breathe a purer air and feel encouraged to nobler thoughts; but females displaying nylon thighs, see-through blouses and be-jeaned posteriors hardly contribute to the spiritual exercise - which brings us to