Pants

Tonight we had a gym night at our church.

I wore loose crops, made for women, and a t-shirt.

Gym nights always remind me of a gym night I once attended.

I was there, playing with my son, in loose women's pants when a family walked in.

This family is known in the Independent Baptist church circle of the greater Vancouver area because they've attended church for a long time, have many children, I believe one or two may be in the ministry, and I suppose they are an upstanding family.

As they walked into the gym I looked over at them, the mother looked over at me, mmediately her eyes went to my pants and this scornful look came across her face. In fact, I got funny looks from the whole family.

Honestly, I'm kind of used to getting looks for wearing pants when I'm at church events. I don't wear pants unless they're activity appropriate. Gym night is definitely  pants appropriate if I want to play, church picnics if I want to get really involved, and that's about the extent of pants appropriate church activities..

So I get these dirty looks, which coloured my opinion of them a little but I tried to smile and be kind.

I did not enjoy that gym night. That family was no fun to play with.

The last game we played was dodge ball. Their daughter, a teenager, squatted down to pick up a ball rolling towards her. She was wearing spandex under her skirt so no one saw anything. Nevertheless, there she was, legs wide open, squatted down to pick up a ball.

And I wonder, is that better than just wearing pants?

I went home that night very angry. Besides the dirty looks when they walked in, there was a few other things that just turned me off the family. I wanted to write a long, scornful post against people like them.

Then I had to remember that I am commanded to love them. God does not want me ranting and railing at His children.

I'm not sure what it is about Independent Baptists and pants. I certainly have no idea why some of them think that their manner of dress sanctifies them. The fact is, we as Baptists think everything sanctifies us: we homeschool our children, keep ourselves separate from the world, go to King James, hymn singing church's three times a week, keep ourselves from liquor, smoking, worldly movies, and deprive ourselves of activity appropriate attire all in an effort to be better than everyone else.

WAKE UP, BAPTISTS!

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags-- Isaiah 64:6

The things we do in life, all of it is garbage, only the things done through Christ will last.

Every man's work shall be made

manifest: for the day shall declare it,

because it shall be revealed by fire; and

the fire shall try every man's work of what

sort it is.

If any man's work abide which he hath

built thereupon, he shall receive a reward

1 Corinthians 3:13&14

If I am wearing pants while I lead someone to the Lord, will my work be burned? If I smoke before going to church, will God not speak to me? If I send my child to a public school, will he go to Hell?

The answer to all those questions is no.

I don't think we should smoke because it is not good for us and it's hazardous to others. I don't think we should send our children to public or private or even Christian schools because they are our children, it's our job to educate them, and no one will put real love, thought, and care into educating our children. However, there are Christian's who can't afford mom staying home to teach, there are Christian's who, for some reason can't stop smoking, there are baby Christian's, fresh out of the world that have higher things to focus on than what they are wearing. Should they be shunned and given dirty looks because of it? 

NO.

We are not sanctified by our clothes, church, family, home, and everything else we do in life.

Husbands, love your wives, even as

Christ also loved the church, and gave

himself for it;

That he might sanctify and cleanse it

with the washing of water by the word.

Ephesians 5:25&26

Jesus said:

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy

word is truth.

John 17:17

We are sanctified by the Word.

Our standard is the Bible.

Now, speaking of standard, what does the Bible say about pants?

Nothing. The word 'pants' is not in the Bible.

The verse that many use to promote their no pants theology is this one:

The woman shall not wear that which

pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man

put on a woman's garment: for all that do

so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.

Deuteronomy 22:5

I'm just going to say it: they make pants for women. They make immodest pants but they also make loose modest ones.

I had a conversation once with a girl who had just finished her first year at Pensacola Bible College and I asked about the dress code. Among other things, she told me that some girls wore skirts so tight they may as well have been wearing nothing at all.

Are tight skirts better than loose pants?

In like manner also, that women adorn

themselves in modest apparel, with

shamefacedness and sobriety; not with

broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly

array;

but (which becometh women professing

godliness) with good works.

1 Timothy 2:9

According to verse 9, our apparel must be modest, and inexpensive. The whole matter of broided hair, gold, pearls, and costly array is that it feeds pride and creates division.

Whose adorning let it not be that

outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and

of wearing gold, or of putting on of

apparel;

But let it be the hidden man of the heart,

in that which is not corruptible, even the

ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which

is in the sight of God of great price.

1 Peter 3:3-4

Clearly, God doesn't want us focused on what we are wearing whether it be clothes, jewelry or hairstyle. He's focused on the inside and the fact is, your inside will manifest on your outside.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:

Proverbs 23:7a

I had a conversation with my pastor's wife, who I love, about the matter of wearing pants.

She was not allowed to wear pants growing up. She told me that when her and her husband got into the ministry she wondered at Christian women who wore pants. She thought they were rebellious but then she realized that that was not true. She asked herself why she never wore pants and realized that it was the way she was brought up. It was not wrong for her to be brought up that way, she just couldn't put that on anyone else. She told me that skirts and dresses are not always appropriate- especially for young active girls- and she told me that some people just can't afford to change their whole wardrobe.

In turn, I gave her my testimony concerning the matter. A few years ago I deeply considered switching to just dresses and skirts. I prayed and read about it. I came out fully persuaded that I didn't have to limit myself to just dresses and skirts. I could wear women's pants as long as they were modest.

Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before

God. Happy is he that condemneth not

himself in that thing which he alloweth.

Romans 14:22

I am so thankful I get to wear modest pants, shorts, and crops. I can freely run around and play with my son without worry. 

I don't need to justify what I wear before anyone.

This being said, I must make sure to always be modest lest I cause a sister in Christ to stumble.

Let us not therefore judge one another

any more: but judge this rather, that no

man put a stumblingblock or an occasion

to fall in his brother's way.

I know, and am persuaded by the Lord 

Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of

itself: but to him that esteemeth anything

to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

But if thy brother be grieved with thy

meat, now walkest thou not charitably.

Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom

Christ died. 

Let not then your good be evil spoken of:

For the kingdom of God is not meat and

drink; but righteousness, and peace, and

joy in the Holy Ghost.

Romans 14:13-17

This holier than thou attitude about not wearing pants causes division and discord. Me, I can handle it. I was mad at first but I calmed down quickly. Other, younger Christians may not be so willing. For someone to leave church because people treated them differently just for dressing different would be a terrible, unnecessary shame.

Do you look down on people for what they wear? Do you think it makes you better than them?

You are just a sinner saved by grace. You deserve Hell and would go there if it wasn't for God's free gift to 'whosoever believeth in Him'. We have no right to judge others in these matters. We have the right to judge sin, yes, but in these things, we are free.

I hope this was a help and a blessing to you in some way.