The Real Haute Couture

Having fashionable clothing is nice—but is God concerned about it? What does God expect His people to wear? The Bible has more to say about how we should be clothed than one might think.

Haute couture is a French term meaning “high sewing” or “high dressmaking.” Are the clothes hanging in your closet the latest high fashion labels by famous designers? Paris is the center of the fashion industry, and fashionistas are always following the latest trends in designer clothing, seeking to wear highly sought-after fashions from Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, André Courrèges, Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Christian Dior, Hermès, Christian Louboutin, and others. Decades ago, we used to jokingly say that our fashion designer was “Han D’Medown” or “Sal Vahcion Armé!”

Jesus told His disciples not to worry about their life, food, and clothing. He said, “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28–30).

A Christian’s clothing must meet certain standards. 1 Timothy 2:9–10 states that women should “adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation”—and, sadly, much of today’s clothing falls far short of any definition of modesty. Designer labels, from hats to shoes, are made to be flaunted.

The Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22 speaks of a disrespectful guest who utterly insulted his host by showing up to the wedding in improper attire. He was ejected for failing to dress appropriately. This wedding feast is like the coming wedding supper of the Lamb and His bride, the Church, who has “made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is [symbolizes] the righteous acts of the saints” (Revelation 19:6–8).

Here we see that clothing is a biblical metaphor for our actions, which are either unrighteous (filthy rags), or righteous (clean, white, bright, without spot or wrinkle, holy). Righteousness is the clothing God is most concerned about.

Scripture explains that when Christ returns we will appear with Him in glory, so we must now “put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3:1–14). We must “wear” what Christ is wearing by following His example. We are to put on:

• tender mercies (available in your size!)
• kindness (that looks good on you!)
• humbleness of mind (attractive in any season, for any occasion!)
• meekness (always in style!)
• longsuffering (wear it anywhere!)

And above all, we are to put on love. These are garments of righteousness, all aspects of godly character.

After we have been personally cleansed by Christ’s sacrifice, other scriptures instruct us to “put on Christ” and “the whole armor of God” (Galatians 3:27; Romans 13:14; Ephesians 6:11). We are to be “clothed with humility” (1 Peter 5:5) and Isaiah 61:10 speaks of God clothing us with “the garments of salvation,” covering us with “the robe of righteousness.”

Righteousness is the real haute couture. If we desire to be real Christians, we must put on and wear what Christ wears—the clothes of righteousness. To learn more about how to do that, you can request a free copy of What Is a True Christian? or read it right here at TomorrowsWorld.org.