John Piper: The Purpose of Clothing
In the second of a series of messages on the topic of marriage, John Piper turned his attention, briefly, to the issue of clothing, for men and women.
The sermon was delivered this past Sunday, providential timing for all of us as we prepare for the release of the Modesty Survey results. What is more exciting, Piper hinted at the possibility of a full message on the topic of clothing in the near future.
Take a minute or two to read and digest what Piper says in the following excerpt from his sermon manuscript. You can read, watch or listen to the sermon here.
Then God Clothed Them
By John Piper © DesiringGod.orgWhat does it mean that God clothed [Adam and Eve]? Was he confirming their hypocrisy? Was he aiding and abetting their pretense? If they were naked and shame-free before the Fall, and if they put on clothes to minimize their shame after the Fall, then what is God doing by clothing them even better than they can clothe themselves? I think the answer is that he is doing something with a negative message and something with a positive message.
Negatively, he is saying: You are not what you were and you are not what you ought to be. The chasm between what you are and what you ought to be is huge. Covering yourself with clothing is a right response to this—not to conceal it, but to confess it. Henceforth, you shall wear clothing, not to conceal that you are not what you should be, but to confess that you are not what you should be. One practical implication of this is that public nudity today is not a return to innocence but rebellion against moral reality. God ordains clothes to witness to the glory we have lost, and it is added rebellion to throw them off.
And for those who rebel in the other direction and make clothes themselves a means of power and prestige and attention getting, God’s answer is not a return to nudity but a return to simplicity (1 Timothy 2:9-10). Clothes are not meant to make people think about what is under them. Clothes are meant to direct attention to what is not under them: Arms and hands that serve others in the name of Christ, “beautiful” feet that carry the gospel to where it is needed, and the brightness of a face that has beheld the glory of Jesus.
- The Modesty Survey Petition: A list of seven encouragements from Christian guys to the girls reading the survey results.
- The Soul of Modesty: C.J. Mahaney’s heart-focused, grace-filled, gospel-centered audio message on the topic of modesty. Made specially available for free download by Sovereign Grace Ministries.
- The Responsibility of Modesty (Part 1): Excerpted from the survey results, a 20-year-old Christian man shares a powerful summation of men’s responsibility in this area.
- The Responsibility of Modesty (Part 2): Excerpted from the survey results, a 22-year-old Christian man shares an insightful analogy explaining the responsibility of women to protect their brothers in Christ.
- Free To Be Modest: Nancy Leigh DeMoss explains how living under the Ownership and Lordship of Jesus Christ, frees us to be modest.
February 7th, 2007 at 9:34 am
Very good!
I would enjoy reading the above mentioned possible future sermon on clothing.
February 7th, 2007 at 10:02 am
AMEN!
February 7th, 2007 at 10:26 am
Hmm, I never considered WHY God clothed Adam and Eve, other than the fact that the killed lamb represented Jesus’ future life and death. The except was intruiging!
God bless you again with his grace and love,
Prudence
February 7th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Very good! Thanks for sharing.
~Lady Tai
February 7th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Thanks so much for posting this. It was really good.
February 7th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
One other point would be Revelation 1:5, where it says we are washed in His Blood. It sounds kind of sick, but then again, what else can take away sin? Like Prudence said, it was a picture of our being clothed in the righteousness of Chirst by His shed blood.
February 7th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Thank you for the new thoughts. I’ve never really thought about the purpose of clothes before, even chuckled at the title. I’ve always had the view that we wore clothes for modesty’s sake, but never thought about he wearing of clothes as being a confession of our sin.
Thanks for posting this
February 7th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
A confession of the chasm between what we ought to be and what we are! The reality of our sinful state makes the gospel all the more precious—-oh how we need saving!!
Listen to the whole message and follow this series if you can—powerful and life changing is the Word of God!
February 7th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Wow…how beautiful. Thanks for sharing this. The modesty survey is turning out to be such a blessing…and the results haven’t even been released yet!
February 9th, 2007 at 10:53 am
I appreciated that excerpt.
You likely know this already, but if you look at the Hebrew word that is used for “aprons” in Gen. 3:7, it means ” a belt or girdle”. And the word used in verse 21 for “coats” means pretty much “a cloak or robe”. So as a friend of mine (SDA evangelist and director of ARISE Institute in MI, David Asscherick) said, “Adam and Eve made themselves underwear and God made them clothes.”
February 18th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
That was so awesome! I have never heard it put that way b4. and what he said about the hands and feet of Christ, now our modesty makes sense. I mean, I always knew we weren’t supposed to lead our Christian brothers into temptation, but I still felt like there was a bigger reason. now I know.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:54 pm
[…] C.J. Mahaney: The Soul of Modesty (audio file) John Piper: The Purpose of Clothing […]
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:22 am
That is so incredibly insightful! John Piper is an amazing man with so much insight, and we are so blessed that we can learn from him.
~Elisabeth Gruber
February 14th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Amen….What an incredible blessing! John Piper definitely hit the nail on the head.
November 9th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I am glad to know I am not the only one.