Katrina and I ran down the stairs of our hotel and sprinted across the windy parking lot towards the hot tub. We had checked the hot tub from our window and it was empty, perfect timing to take advantage.

After about fifteen minutes of soaking up the warm water, Katrina turned to me and in an almost annoyed sounding voice asked, “I don’t get it. Why don’t you wear a bikini?” Yikes! I was not excited about answering Katrina’s question.

She and I did not see eye-to-eye on the topic of modesty and I wasn’t interested in getting into an argument.

I was a foot away from her in a tiny hot tub so there was no escaping it. I went on to explain what I thought about modesty and saving my body for my future husband, etc. etc. etc. She didn’t like my answers, I felt awkward, and thankfully we dropped the topic and moved on.

That conversation happened more than five years ago. Since then I have discovered an entirely new way to look at modesty.

Besides just helping guys towards purity and honoring my future husband, I’ve discovered that clothing has a much bigger purpose and significance. One that I didn’t even fully realize until more recently.

Honestly, I wish I could go back in time and add this new info to that modesty conversation I had with Katrina. Since I can’t do that, let me share my latest discoveries with you!

Have you ever wondered why you wear clothes?

They can be so cumbersome and it’s often just plain stressful finding the right outfit. So, why do we even bother with them? That may seem like a ridiculous question but I am being dead serious when I ask it.

Understanding the answer to that question is the foundation for why you should wear what you wear. Clothes are so much bigger than helping guys towards purity and honoring your future husband, or even looking sweet and feminine.

When you understand the original purpose for clothing it totally changes everything.

Let’s figure out the why behind clothing.

You know the story. Eve listened to Satan and ate the fruit. She offered it to her husband, Adam, who was with her and he ate the fruit as well. In that moment their eyes were opened and they were no longer sinless humans. They disobeyed God and sin entered the world. Things would never be the same.

Before they chose to disobey God they were not ashamed of their nakedness. “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25). Up until this point sin had not entered the world. Adam and Eve were completely pure and in perfect fellowship with God. There was no reason to cover up.

It wasn’t until after sin entered the world that their nakedness became shameful.

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.”

“But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ And he said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.’”

“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:7,9-10 & 21)

There you have it.

The very first set of clothes in human history.

It all started after sin entered the world. Notice that Adam and Eve grabbed some fig leaves and tried to cover themselves. What did God do? He killed an animal by the shedding of blood and clothed them with skins. Their fig leaves wouldn’t do.

“Without the shedding of blood there is no remission’ [of sin].” (Hebrews 9:22)

“God was illustrating to Adam and Eve that there had to be payment for their sin. In covering them, He was showing them that there had to be death and bloodshed to take away their sin. The clothing of Adam and Eve is a picture of the Gospel.” – Ken Ham

Did you catch that last line? The clothing of Adam and Eve is a picture of the gospel.

Think about it. From the time that God killed the animal in the garden and covered Adam and Eve, clothing became a symbol of what Christ did for our sins. Christ had to shed His blood on the cross to clothe us in His righteousness and save us from an eternity in Hell.

Clothes are soooooo much bigger than “just being modest.” Clothes are a picture of the gospel! Clothing is a constant reminder of what Christ did for us and the price that He paid for our sin. Clothing is a representation of Christ shedding His blood to save us.

When we start to view clothing from that lens, covering our bodies makes so much more sense. Clothes started back in Genesis and should continue until we are ultimately perfected in Heaven with God.

I hope this post has opened your eyes to think about your clothing in an entirely new way.

Let me leave you with a few questions. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

• If your clothing represents the gospel, shouldn’t you dress in a way that represents the gospel well?
• God created clothing to cover us up. Why do we continue to uncover more and more?
• How does your new understanding of clothing and the gospel change the way that you view modesty?

Photo credit: www.flickr.com | Susannah van der Zaag