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Anyone ever heard of giving God your best? Also, grooming is a courtesty to others (John the Baptist was an exception). For example, tucking in a t-shirt shows that you respect others enough to take the time to get dressed and not be sloppy. (don't flame me, I understand that some people due to weight or build can't tuck in -- ok, understand we're not talking judgementalism or legalism here - just basic grooming)

Also, for the best witnessing, a person shouldn't dress so that their outward appearance is a distraction to the person they're talking with. For instance, at our Bible College there was a girl w/dreadlocks. They were huge and overtook all other features about her. Certainly as Christians, IF WE WERE PERFECT, we wouldn't let it distract us. But we ARE human. And the lost person she may be talking with is not going to be focused on the spiritual to begin with. So, as much as possible, a person who is truly concerned about being humble, not seeking attention, and wanting to reach the person they're talking with, it's best if their outward dress and grooming is not a distraction.

(And BTW, nobody was legalistic at our school -- no one ever mentioned her hair or told her to cut it. After the 1st year of school, she decided on her own to do that, and it's beautful and undistracting now. Same story for a student who came to school w/a tongue post. No one said a word, and after a year it was gone. This was just wisdom on their part, because the most important thing to both of them was to get through to the lost (not to draw attention to their bodies.)

Good post.

I believe there are thousands of ways to give God our best in ways that please Him most. I suspect dress is way far down on HIS list, if it's on the list at all.

Certainly I'd prefer to avoid distracting others focusing on God. The eye of the beholder is a factor as you noted. There will always be plenty of distractions for those given to being distracted.

And, while there's a place for being all things to all people, I think it would be at least a little odd to perhaps dysfunctional for all of us to go around changing costumes every other hour depending on the audience. We'd need a valet to run along behind us with the wardrobe. And who would carry his wardrobe?

Also, we all have different personalities, tastes and things we look good or terrible in. Some measure of balance taking all those priorities into consideration is probably about what God expects of us to settle on and then forget.

For some, clean and decent is a struggle. Others have trouble being at ease around others unless the firs person is decked out to the max. Reasonableness and balance could decide the boundaries quite safely, IMHO.

Anyway--thanks.

Taste can, at some point, related to Godliness--clearly.

I'd have real trouble seeing dancers in a worship service prancing about with their but cracks showing.

But on the whole, I think God cares tons and tons less about such externals than we think.

I think in most cases--it's a case of

those who eat meat eat as unto the Lord. Those who abstain abstain as unto The Lord. God receives both as unto Him.

BUT HE'S VERY DOWN ON FOLKS WHO USE ETERNALS TO HINDER OTHERS COMING TO GOD.