Why are Christians required not to follow the fashions of the world?

1. To conform to the world is contrary to their profession of faith.

When people join the church, they profess to to renounce the pomps and vanities of the world, to repent of their pride, to follow the meek and lowly Savior, to live for God. And now, what do they do?

2. This conformity is a broad approval of the spirit of the world.

What is it that lies at the bottom of all this? What is the cause that produces all this gaudy display? It is the love of applause. And when Christians follow the changes of fashion, they pronounce all this innocent. All this waste of money and time and thought, all this feeding and cherishing of vanity and the love of applause, the church sets her seal to, when she conforms to the world.

3. Another reason is, that following the fashions of the world, professing Christians show that they do in fact love the world.

They show it by their conduct, just as the ungodly show it by the same conduct. As they act similarly because they give evidence that they are motivated by the love of fashion.

4. When professing Christians do this, they clearly show that they love human praise.

It is evident that they love admiration and flattery, just as sinners do. Is not this inconsistent with Christian principle, to participate in the very things that are set up by the pride and fashion and lust of the ungodly?

5. By conforming to the world in fashion, you show that you do not hold yourself accountable to God in how you spend your money.

You practically disown your stewardship of the wealth that is in your possession. By laying out money to gratify your own vanity and lust, you take off the keen edge of that truth, which can cut the heart of the selfish sinner. It is practically denying that the earth is the Lord's, with the cattle on a thousand hills, and everything should be used for his glory.

6. You show that reputation is your idol.

When the cry comes to your ears on every wind, "Come over and help us, come over and help us," and every week brings some call to send the gospel, bibles, and missionaries to those who are perishing for lack of knowledge, if you choose to expend money in following the fashions, it is demonstration that reputation is your idol. Suppose now, for the sake of argument, that it is not prohibited in the word of God to follow the fashions, and that professing Christians, if they will, may innocently follow the fashions, (I deny that it is innocent, but suppose it were) does not the fact that they do follow them when there are such calls for money, and time, and thought, and labor to save souls, prove conclusively that they do not love God nor human souls?

Take the case of a woman, whose husband is in slavery, and she is trying to raise enough money for his redemption. There she is, working and saving, rising up early and staying up late, and eating the bread of carefulness, because her husband, the father of her children, the friend of her youth, is in slavery. Now go to that woman and tell her that it is innocent for her to follow the fashions, and dress and display like her neighbors -- will she do it? Why not? She does not desire to do it. She will scarcely buy a pair of shoes for her feet, she grudges almost the bread she eats, so intent is she on her great object.

Now suppose a person loved God and human souls and the kingdom of Christ, does he need an express prohibition from God to prevent him from spending his money and his life in following the fashion? No, indeed, he will rather need a positive injunction to take what is needful for his own comfort and the support of his own life. Take the case of Timothy. Did he need a prohibition to prevent him from indulging in the use of wine? So far from it, he was so cautious that it required an command from God to make him drink a little as a medicine. Although he was sick, he would not drink it until he had the word of God for it, he saw the dangers of it so clearly. (See 1 Timothy 5:23.) Now, show me a man or woman, I do not care what their Christian backgrounds are, who follows the fashions of the world, and I will show you what spirit they are of.

7. By following the fashions you are asking God to give you up to a worldly spirit.

There are many now that have followed the world, and followed the fashions, until God seems to have given them over to the devil for the destruction of the flesh. They have little or no religious feeling, no spirit of prayer, no zeal for the glory of God or the conversion of sinners, the Holy Spirit seems to have withdrawn from them.

8. You tempt the church to follow the fashions.

Where the principal members, the elders and leaders in the church, and their wives and families, are fashionable Christians, they drag the whole church along with them into the train of fashion, and every one copies them as far as they can, down to the lowest servant. Only let a rich Christian lady come out to the house of God in full fashion, and the whole church is invited to follow her example.

9. You tempt yourself to pride and folly and a worldly spirit.

Suppose an alcoholic was reformed, should he go and surround himself with wine and brandy and every seductive liquor, and from time to time tasting a little -- does he not tempt himself? Now see that woman that has been brought up in the spirit of pride and show, and that has been reformed and professed to abandon them all. Let her keep all these trappings, and continue to follow the fashions, and pride will drag her backwards as sure as she lives. She tempts herself to sin and folly.

10. You are tempting the world.

You are setting the world into a more fierce and hot pursuit of these things. The very things that the world love, professing Christians fall in with and follow, and thus tempt the world to continue in the pursuit of what will destroy their souls in hell.

11. By following the fashions, you are inviting the devil to tempt you.

When you follow the fashions, you open your heart to him. You keep it for him, empty, swept, and garnished. Every woman that suffers herself to follow the fashions may rely upon it, she is helping Satan to tempt her to pride and sin.

12. You lay a great stumbling block before the greatest part of mankind.

There are a few persons who are pursuing greater objects than fashion. They are engaged in the scramble for political power, or they are eager for literary distinction, or they are striving for wealth. And they do not know that their hearts are set on fashion at all. They are following selfishness on a larger scale. But the great mass of the community are influenced mostly by these fluctuating fashions. To this class of persons it is a great and serious stumbling block, when they see professing Christians just as prompt and as eager to follow the changings of fashion as themselves. They see, and say, "What does their profession of faith amount to, when they follow the fashions as much as anybody?" or, "Certainly it is right to follow the fashions, for see, the professing Christians do it as much as we do."

13. Another reason why professing Christians are required not to be conformed to the world in fashion is the great influence their disregarding fashion would have on the world.

If professing Christians would show their contempt for these things, and not pretend to follow them or regard them, how it would shame the world, and convince the world that they were living for another object, for God and for eternity! How irresistible it would be! What an overwhelming testimony in favor of Christianity! Now suppose all this was hearty and sincere, and joined with all that is consistent and lovely in Christian character, and all that is zealous and bold in labors for the conversion of the world from sin to holiness. What an influence it would have! What thunders it would pour into the ears of the world, to wake them up to follow after God!

Objection. "But in this way you carry Christianity too far away from the people. It is better not to set up an artificial distinction between the church and the world."

The direct reverse of this is true. The nearer you bring the church to the world, the more you annihilate the reasons that should stand out in view of the world, for their changing sides and coming over to the church. Unless you show that you are not like them, and carry the church so far as to have a broad gap between saints and sinners, how can you make the ungodly feel that so great a change is necessary?

Objection. "But the change that is necessary is a change of heart."

True -- but will not a change of heart produce a change of life?

Objection. "You will throw obstacles in the way of people becoming Christians. Many respectable people will become disgusted, and if they cannot be allowed to dress fashionably and be Christians, they will become completely worldly."

This is just about as reasonable as it would be for a sober man to think he must get drunk now and then, to avoid disgusting the drunken, and to retain his influence over them. The truth is, that persons should know, and should see in the lives of professing Christians, that if they embrace God, they must be weaned from the world, and must give up the love of the world, and its pride and show and folly, and live a holy life, in watchfulness and self-denial and active benevolence.

Objection. "It does not matter how we dress, if our hearts are right?"

Your heart right! Then your heart may be right when your conduct is all wrong. Just as well might the vulgar person say, "It does not matter what words I speak, if my heart is right." No, your heart is not right, unless your conduct is right. What is outward conduct, but the acting out of the heart? If your heart was right, you would not wish to follow the fashions of the world.

Objection. "What is the standard of dress? I do not see the use of all your preaching, and laying down rules about plain dress, unless you give us a standard."

This is a mighty stumbling block with many. But to my mind the matter is extremely simple. The whole matter can be summarized in two simple rules. First, be sure that in all your accessories, and dress and furniture to show that you have no fellowship with the designs and principles of those who are aiming to set off themselves, and to gain the human applause. Second, let economy be first consulted, and then convenience. Follow Christian economy, that is, save all you can for Christ's service; and then let things be as convenient as Christian economy will admit.

Objection. "We may be proud of a plain dress as well as of a fashionable dress."

So may any good thing be abused. But that is no reason why it should not be used, if it can be shown to be good. I put it back to the objector: is that any reason why a Christian female, who fears God and loves the human souls, should neglect the means which may make an impression that she is separated from the world, and pour contempt on the fashions of the ungodly, in which they are moving their way to hell?

Objection. "This is a small thing, and ought not to take up so much of a minister's time in the pulpit."

This is an objection often heard from worldly professing Christians. But the minister that fears God will not be deterred by it. He will pursue the subject, until such professing Christians are cut off from their conformity to the world or cut off from the church. It is not merely the dress, as dress, but it is the conformity to the world in dress and fashion, that is the great stumbling-block in the way of sinners. How can the world be converted, while professing Christians are conformed to the world? What good will it do to give money to send the gospel to the lost, when Christians live the way they do at home? Well might non-Christians ask, "What profit will it be to become Christians, when those who are Christians are pursuing the world with all the zeal of the ungodly?" The great thing necessary for the church is to break off from conformity to the world, and then they will have power with God in prayer, and the Holy Spirit will descend and bless their efforts, and the world will be saved.

Objection. "But if we dress like this, we shall be called fanatics."

Whatever the ungodly may call you, fanatics or anything else, you will be known as Christians, and in their secret consciences will be acknowledged as such. It is not in the power of unbelievers to pour contempt on a holy church, that are separated from the world. How was it with the early Christians? They lived separate from the world, and it made such an impression, that even hostile writers say of them, "These people win the hearts of the masses, because they give themselves up to deeds of charity, and pour contempt on the world." Depend upon it, if Christians would live so now, the last effort of hell would soon be expended in vain to defeat the spread of the gospel. Wave after wave would flow abroad, until the highest mountain tops were covered with the waters of life.

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