2. Outward or inward clothing?

One myth is that there is no relationship between the outward man and the inward heart of a Christian. This is the most frequent objection that I hear: “I am of the opinion that God looks at your heart and not the clothes you wear.”⁹ If they mean by such a statement that clothes do not make the person, I agree. If they mean that clothes are utterly unimportant, all I have to do is put them into a debate with so-called “Evangelical Nudists” like Elton Robb and they will change their tune.

A person’s outward appearance communicates (and often miscommunicates) very loudly. In fact, this disjunction between the inward and the outward is what leads to many marriage squabbles. This is why I have felt it necessary to train my children in the Biblical practice of body language.¹⁰ If our body language conveys disinterest, it does not matter how much we protest to the contrary, people will think we are disinterested. Our body must be disciplined to communicate consistently with our verbal communication. The same is true of clothing. It would be tacky to go to a wedding in “mourning apparel” (2 Sam. 14:2), just as it would be inappropriate to go to a construction job in a tuxedo. Don’t get me wrong: I am not advocating wearing tuxedos to church. That too would miscommunicate our intentions. My point is that just as there is body language that communicates (and miscommunicates), there are clothing issues that communicate (or miscommunicate).

When a woman is “dressed like a prostitute” (Prov. 7:10), don’t be surprised when men misunderstand and treat her like a prostitute. Our clothing is important according to the Bible. And in this book I want to at least get people to think about what it would mean to “worship the Lord in holy attire” (1 Chron. 16:29).

But doesn’t what you have just said contradict 1 Peter 3:3-4? Peter commands us, “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”(ESV) Isn’t that a command to dress down?

Not really. Think of it this way: If we take that as a command to dress down, then Peter’s admonition would be to “dress down” all the way to the skin. Read it again: “Don’t let your adorning be external” (ESV). Elton Robb interprets this to mean that Peter is mandating nudity. Or what about the second part? “Don’t let your adorning be … the putting on of clothing…” If you take this as a command to dress down, then you need to go all the way. But Peter’s point is not that the inward replaces the outward. I think that the New King James captures the meaning well when it says, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward…” Peter’s point is that we are failing if we dress up outwardly but fail to dress up inwardly. It is hypocritical to wear a “garment of praise” (Isaiah 61:3) if our hearts have anger and bitterness. It is hypocritical to “worship the Lord in holy attire” (Psalm 29:2) that is “properly dressed for the occasion,”¹¹ but to be inwardly ugly before the Lord. I agree that many who are dressed up may be hypocritical. But the remedy for hypocrisy is not nudity, but rather to have an inward spirit clothed to match the outward.

But 1 Samuel 16:7 commands us not to look at the outward appearance, but rather to look at the heart. It says, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” It’s the heart issue that is important, not the clothes.

Wow! That is a stretch! The text says just the opposite. It is clear from the text that only God can know the heart (apart from divine revelation). And it is just as clear that man can only see the outward appearance (apart from divine revelation). Samuel was trying to interpret God’s choice (something invisible) based on outward visible criteria, but God looks at the heart. It doesn’t matter how pure the heart motive may be, the outward will always be what men judge by. It is the only thing that men can see. Of course, this text is a great one in showing that we can make mistakes in judging by outward criteria. Thus, though Jesus commands us to judge by the outward criteria of fruits (Matt. 7:16,20), we must never be dogmatic, because we can misjudge a person. However, Christ’s point is that the outward will eventually manifest what is happening on the inside (Matt. 7:16,20; Matt. 12:33-37; 15:18-19; Luke 6:43-45).

Thus, when someone looks sad outwardly, we ought to assume that he is sad until he tells us otherwise. Likewise, when our child says “Yes,” but does it with a scowl, we ought not to be satisfied that there is genuine submission.