Despite entering the 21st century, most people are still divided between what is the right attire for entering church or attending the Sunday Mass. Fundamentalists are keen on going with the traditional style while post-millennials prefer the contemporary, easy to go, style.
You can’t judge the faith of a man by his clothes. If a man enters the Church wearing a tank top and shorts, it doesn’t mean that he loves God less than a person wearing a suit. So no, you don’t have to dress up for church, you can if you want to, but God doesn’t demand it.
Being Clean is Enough
There used to a time when going to church was a whole process where you had to dress up accordingly and people are still pressuring their kids to do so. There is nothing spiritual about a dress or a coat and a tie. When it comes to church, attire doesn’t matter as whatever is clean and comfortable should seem sufficient.
In Bible, God says: “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7)
I am not saying that opting for a traditional style or dressing up for church is a bad thing, but it is unnecessary. God doesn’t care for our appearance as he knows what is in our hearts.
The only thing you should do is wear something clean and clean yourself. Doing little stuff like combing your hair, whitening your teeth, and properly maintaining your hygiene is enough for going to church and make God “happy”. As God Himself says: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight and cease to do evil..” (Isaiah 1:16).
What Does Dressing Up Mean Anyway? Not Everyone Can Afford It!
Some people say that what we wear to church should be different from what we wear at other events. I don’t think that God would scold a poor person for not wearing a suit to a Church or anyone at all for that matter.
They say ridiculous things like “There is a dress code for meeting royal people why shouldn’t there be a dress code for meeting God?” Well, first of all, let’s establish what good clothes are?
God has not set any standards for good clothes in the Bible. How do you define good clothes or dressing up? How do you define looking the best in the presence of God? Should I calculate “best” based on the price of clothes? Because if it is based on that, I have bought jeans, shirts, and shoes that are more costly than a suit.
If “best” is based on “the right attire” for the church, then shouldn’t we all wear a Robe, the Holy Tunic and the Chiton to the Church because Jesus wore that?
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornments, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.” (NIV, 1 Peter 3:2-5)
What Does God Want Us to Wear?
There is no attire that God has endorsed in the Bible. So, when people try to drag God into the argument, he doesn’t even enter the debate. I mean it doesn’t allow us to enter a Church naked – we are still going to a Holy place, not a beach.
So, the most crucial question is, what does God want us to wear to Church?
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” (1 Peter 5:5)
Mercy, kindness, and humility – these should be part of our attire.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Roman 12:1)
God is only concerned with our prayers, our sacrifices, and our spiritual worship. If we concentrate on this instead of dressing up for the Sunday Mass, we will be welcomed even more jubilantly at those Pearly Gates of Heaven.
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