What Is In The Closet Reveals What Is In The Heart

What Is In The Closet Reveals What Is In The Heart

Jim Van Gelderen



If you want to live dangerously, open a teenager's closet in their absence. It may be the last thing you do on earth! You might find yourself buried alive. On a more serious note, if want to live dangerously, figuratively open a teenager's closet. Take next Sunday morning to teach a lesson or preach a message on dress and get specific in your application from the Bible. The truth is not only teens, but adults as well, need this kind of message, but can at times react to it. Why? Because someone's clothes is a part of who they are. Proverbs 4:23 warns, "Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." One of those "issues of life" is the clothes one buys and wears. One's wardrobe really does reflect who they are. Let's note a couple of things one's clothes can reveal about what is in their heart.

UNFAITHFULNESS

My father was born in 1924 in Miami, FL. I remember his describing the typical swim attire of his day. The swimming suit would blouse over the shoulder and go down to the elbow. The suit would also go over the torso and down to the knees. Obviously this swimming suit was very modest compared to today. A couple of years ago, I was perusing through a "reminisce type" magazine when I noticed a black and white photo of a crowded beach. I am assuming it came from the early part of the 1900s. I was amazed at how I could look at the photo and there not be temptation by provocative or immodest dress. My point is this, we've changed and the change reveals a change in the hearts Americans.

Every person is either nurturing faithfulness to a present or future spouse or they are nurturing unfaithfulness to a present or future spouse. This can often be discerned by a young ladies deportment and dress. I Timothy 2:8,9 says, "I will therefore . . . that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness . . ." According to Ralph Earle on the word "apparel", "Arndt and Gingrich furnish this definition: ' Deportment, outward, as it expresses itself in clothing . . . as well as inward . . . and probably both at the same time.' " This means that God is not only concerned about the clothes a young lady puts on, but how she carries herself. I have traveled for eighteen years with young men on the Minutemen Evangelistic Team. Why is it that we could go into a Christian school and one of the team members would remark about how he was going to stay away from a young lady because she was "loose"? Christian schools have dress codes. Obviously this kind of girl dresses on the edge, but the issue is also her deportment. Christian young ladies should carry themselves in a manner that is discreet, modest, appropriate and not at all forward or seductive. I wonder where flirting fits in? Maybe this verse of Scripture teaches us it doesn't!

This Scripture also teaches us that women are to dress "in modest apparel, with shamefacedness." John MacArthur* in his commentary on I Timothy gave this definition for "shamefacedness". "At its core is the idea of shame. A godly woman would be ashamed and feel guilt if she . . . contributed to someone's lustful thought." For the female readers this question is in order. How do you react if a man whistled at you in a way that was inappropriate and sensual? Does that cause you to blush or do you like that kind of attention? I remember one day my mother received an obscene phone call while I was listening. As soon as she knew what was going on, she roasted the guy and closed with, "Don't you ever call here again!" With that she slammed down the phone and then stewed in disgust about it for awhile. My mother was shamefaced.

Spiros Zodiahtes defined "shamefacedness as "an innate moral repugnance to a dishonorable act or fashion." What do you do when you see immodest models or advertisements? Do you wish you could dress that way or do you have a repugnance for the provocative dress? What do you do when you come across a picture of Brittany Spears? Do you blush and turn away or do you think that would be great to dress that way? Do you shop at stores that cater to sensual clothing (like Abercombie and Fitch)? Shamefaced Christians have a innate moral repugnance to a dishonorable fashion.

A woman who is nurturing faithfulness will not want to dress or carry herself in a way that causes men to be drawn to her in an inappropriate manner. She is keeping herself for one. She is shamefaced. Her clothes reveal it. Tragically this inner quality is becoming increasing rare even in our Bible believing churches. Men, if we let our daughters and wives watch these night time "slops" (They are not "soaps". There is nothing clean about them.), they are going to get an appetite to dress like the Hollywood harlots do. It is a man's responsibility to protect the women (wife and daughters) God has given him. Modesty is a great protection from wicked men. Immodestly leaves women vulnerable to wicked men and teaches them to nurture unfaithfulness.

For the men the issue is not as much dress which reveals a faithful or unfaithful heart (though it can be), but what kind of dress are you attracted to. James 4:8 is in a passage that is exhorting the one who has fallen into spiritual adultery because of "friendship with the world" to get right with God. This spiritual "two timer" is challenged with these words, "Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purify your hearts ye doubleminded." If you are doubleminded and you purify your heart, you would no longer be doubleminded but singleminded. This teaches us that the essence of purity is singlemindedness. A man is to keep his mind for his wife entirely. A man who let his mind wander to sensual or immodest images is not nurturing singlemindedness, but multimindedness. That is why defeat in what you watch on the TV, or what Internet sites you visit, or what movies you watch, or what magazines you look at, reveals that you are nurturing unfaithfulness in your heart and are destroying the foundation for a solid marriage (whether or not you are married). It is a big deal!

Are you nurturing faithfulness or unfaithfulness for your future or present spouse? Check your closet, ma'am. Check what fashions your looking at, sir. Why? Because what is in your closet reveals what is in your heart.

WORLDLINESS

A few years ago Abercombie and Fitch changed their marketing plan and began to market on teenage sensuality. Unfortunately it was a huge success (which is an indictment on our culture). It seems though that many Christian kids don't get it, because in the average youth group, Abercombie and Fitch is commonly seen. What ever happened to Romans 12:1 and 2? I have noticed certain styles that are associated with worldly subcultures become prevalent on youth group members. What ever happened to Romans 12:1 and 2? About the mid 90's grunge and alternative rock brought a new wave a hair styles that have not left us. Recently I have seen many youth group kids who look like they are trying to win a Backstreet Boys look a like contest? What ever happened to Romans 12:1 and 2? I have noticed far too many of our Christian college students who look more interested in looking like NSync than looking like "strangers and pilgrims." What ever happened to Romans 12:1 and 2? Some of the new breed of youth pastor has fallen into this as well. If a young man is more interested in looking like the latest pop rock group, he is living in direct opposition to The Word of God.

Romans 12:2 says, "Be not conformed to this world." Kenneth Wuest defines the word, "conformed" as "the act of assuming an outward appearance patterned after some certain thing, an appearance or expression which does not conform and is not representative of one's inmost and true nature. It refers here to the act of a child of God assuming as an outward expression the habits, mannerisms, dress, speech expressions, and behavior of the world out from which God saved him, thus not giving a true expression of what he is …" Conformity is looking on the outside what you are not on the inside. In other words, God is saying if you are saved child of God on the inside, it should be reflected on the outside. The world should not be, as I heard one preacher say, "pressing you into its mold". This is not only dealing with dress but, as Wuest says, also "habits, mannerisms" and "speech expressions." Why is it some Christian always have the latest worldly lingo? Could it be they are more interested in what Hollywood has to say than the Holy Word?

Do you have a love for the world and its look? Check your closet. Because what is in the closet reveals what is in your heart.

CONCLUSION

Although this article may seem to be more geared for teenagers, I would like to challenge the preachers reading this article with this thought. How are the teenagers in church doing? Does the outside reflect the "saved" inside? Perhaps God would use a bold, Scriptural, Spirit-filled message or two to help. A few years ago I heard a well respected Fundamentalist evangelist talk about sitting on the platform of church in the 60s or 70s where he periodically held meetings. He looked out and noticed long hair on some of the men and boys and short skirts on some of the teen girls and adult women. He leaned over to the pastor who was his good friend and pointed out his observation. The pastor had evidently become desensitized to it, but nobly said to the evangelist, "Go after it." At the end of the meeting, men had been to barber shop and the women had been to sewing machine. Spirit led, Scriptural, empowered preaching changes lives!

Obviously we are after a change of heart, but a change of heart will reveal itself in a change of life. Inward transformation is seen in external change. That is why a visit to our closet may reveal what is in our heart.

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*I am not giving a blanket endorsement on John McArthur. I am
quoting him as a Greek scholar.

from ptwm.org