Why wear our "Sunday best" to church?

[Ovedya]

Pasting from another website:

"Perhaps right now some of you are thinking,

[Ovedya]

Who decides what is nice?

My hair is brushed, well most of the time.

My skin is covered, well the important parts at least.

My face and hands are clean.

I think I look nice.

But what, I'm not in a dress, so I don't glorify God?

I'm being disrespectful to God?

Explain to me what "nice" is.

God's not going to strike you down for not wearing a dress. He's not going to rain fire down from the heavens because you're wearing pants.

However, it is possible that you could stumble a saint in the church. And that, God does not look pleasingly upon.

[Emily~Anne]

I don't want anyone to think I am saying that all men should wear tuxedos and all women should wear dresses only to chucrh on Sunday morning, I just think we should put forth some effort and dress respectably. (Keep in mind I am talking about people who have already been long term members of a church, not someone who is new and possibly not even saved yet.) I dont think it is sinful to be somewhat comfortable in church, not to say we should wear jammies in church. Take my husband for example, he is in a wheelchair and hates Docker type pants because of the way the pockets become what he calls "wings" They stick out at the side. So therefore, believe it or not he wears black jeans to church! (Has anybody fainted?) He even wore black jeans when we got married! But he also takes the time to shave, wears a clean button down shirt and either a sweater vest or tie. And he makes sure the jeans are a very solid black color so they look more like dress slacks, because he is sitting all the time in the wheelchair, it is not that noticable. You can see that he has actually put forth the effort and does care about how he looks in God's house. I have noticed many women wear dress slacks to church, and if I had a pair, I'd probably wear them once in a while too, especially on windy days.

[Ovedya]

To tell the truth, I'm not a really big fan of some of the more attractive sisters in my church locality that wear blue jeans to the meeting. I know of a couple other brothers who feel the same way.

It's ah.....distracting.

[apothanein kerdos]

Amazing how scripture isn't being addressed:

1 Timothy 2:9-10 - Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.

James 2: 2-4 - For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

Now, find me a verse that says we are to "dress for respect" when we gather together.

[Emily~Anne]

Amazing how scripture isn't being addressed:

1 Timothy 2:9-10 - Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.

James 2: 2-4 - For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

Now, find me a verse that says we are to "dress for respect" when we gather together.

Nobody said we should wear designer clothes, just simply put forth an effort out of respect.

[Marnie]

If that's the case, let's all go to church naked.

You go first.

I always get dressed up to go to church. Why wouldn't you?? What you wear shows a lot about what your attitude is. To me, taking time to get "dressed up" speaks volumes about what you think of G-d's house. It has nothing to do with "outward shows," but rather showing respect in Whose honor you are assembling.

[apothanein kerdos]

Amazing how scripture isn't being addressed:

1 Timothy 2:9-10 - Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.

James 2: 2-4 - For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

Now, find me a verse that says we are to "dress for respect" when we gather together.

Nobody said we should wear designer clothes, just simply put forth an effort out of respect.

Where is your scripture? That was my request. Likewise, if you say "we need to respect God when we go to Church," then you need to establish a few things:

1) Where scripture equates dressing nice to respect

2) Where in scripture it says God is worthy of respect in our dress only on Sunday and not any other days of the week

I mean, do we worship God one day a week or 24/7? If 24/7, and your argument is we should dress out of respect, how are we not disrespecting Him when we shower?

[abbershay]

Those scriptures say it best , however they really fall on deaf ears and eyes.

People dress up out of pride and a religious spirit. It is wrong for woman to get dressed up for church they way they all do but they do it anyway.

I know for me i dress up for church to my own degree and i know that i do it out of religion , i know there have been days that i didnt go to chruch because i didnt have anything nice enough that was clean.

one more thing the church building is not Gods house...........

We really should wear our finest clothes on the inside.

[RustyAngeL]

I think God is more concerned that we are there. However dressing punk or Goth does draw attention to the person and not to the one that we are there to focus on. I have worn Jeans and a nice top. There was a man who use to wear cut off and tank tops with sandals Sorry I think that is going to far. Dress so as not to draw attention to yourself.