“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Th. 5:23) God created all three parts of man: spirit, soul, and body. This is seen in the creation of the first man where God formed his physical body from the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (spirit), and man became a living being (soul) (Gen. 2:7). There is a sense in which man is a two-part being composed of the inner man and the outer man (2 Cor. 4:16; Rm. 7:22; Eph. 3:16). Our bodies are a temporary dwelling place just like a tent (cf. 2 Pt. 1:12-15). This means that we are sojourners and pilgrims on the Earth (1 Pt. 1:1, 2:11). That also means that this Earth is not our home and it too is temporary (2 Pt. 3:1-12; Heb. 1:10-12). While here on Earth, our bodies must be sanctified or set apart for the purpose of glorifying God (1 Cor. 6:18-20). Whatever we do in our bodies should be to the glory (honor) of God. God owns our bodies which means we are stewards of our bodies. That means we must keep our bodies pure and sound. This also means that we must keep our bodies covered as God requires us to do. The first man and woman were naked and not ashamed, until sin came into the world (Gen. 2:25, 3:7-11). From this time forward, God has required us to clothe our bodies to cover our nakedness (Gen. 3:21). Observe that Adam and Eve’s fig leaf coverings (translated as “belt” in 1 Kgs. 2:5) were not adequate to cover their nakedness. The word translated as “tunics” (Gen. 3:21) is also found in Exodus 28:4 as attire for the priests. This word describes a garment that covered at least from the shoulders to the knees. The priests were also required to wear linen pants which reached from the waist to the bottom of the thighs (down to the knee) to cover their nakedness (Ex. 28:42). We can then deduce that any clothing that exposes more skin than this exposes nakedness which is shameful (cf. Isa. 47:2-3). In other words, this does not bring glory to God and must be avoided. As stewards of our bodies, we must always be mindful that lust begins by looking (Mt. 5:28). Adequately clothing our bodies guards against lust which leads to other sins such as fornication and adultery. Trent Thrasher
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