One of the rules at this church is that one must dress well when coming to church. They argue that since one usually dresses his best for an important function, the same principle should apply when meeting the Almighty.

My church also teaches the same. However, I do not always follow it for several reasons:

(1) It is legalistic.
(2) Romans 14:5 says “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”
(3) The Bible never says that Jesus and his disciples had to dress in a noble manner when attending the synagogues.

The Bible does not require one to dress really well to church, and the argument you mentioned is wrong. A similar argument states that Old Testament worship prescribes beautiful clothes and ornaments for the priests, and since Christians are now God’s priests in Christ, we should also dress well at church. However, this is a misapplication of the ceremonial commands, for if these command apply, it would be arbitrary to derive the principle that we ought to dress well to church and not to dress exactly as the Old Testament priests. The Old Testament does not tell the priests to wear nice clothes that they choose for themselves, but to wear exactly what is prescribed.[1]

There is no direct command to dress well at church; nevertheless, there are a few factors to consider.

First, you should seek to edify other people.

Romans 14:5 indeed says, “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” However, you must not neglect verses 15-19:

If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

You should strive to facilitate worship, and to avoid drawing attention to yourself. When attending a church consisting mostly of poor people who do not have nice clothes, you should not dress too well, so you would not stand out. And you should not dress too badly to a church where most people dress well, again, so you would not stand out. Of course, there are reasons why people dress differently besides economic factors, but the point is to avoid drawing attention to yourself for no good reason.

One who walks in love does not insist on his rights, but thinks about how he can contribute to the edification of other people. However, we should oppose any accommodation that amounts to an ideological compromise or an implicit approval of unbiblical thinking.

For example, a man does not have to dress like today’s teenagers or to use their expressions to preach to them. It is sufficient to dress and talk in a way so as not to allow these things to hinder the message. If wearing baggy pants and talking like a barbarian will make the difference between heaven and hellfire for them, then I will accommodate, but this is usually unnecessary. Those who are obsessed with looking and sounding like those they attempt to reach often end up compromising the message.

The church should influence culture instead of letting culture influence it. We can accommodate people only to a certain point, after which we must demand that they follow us as we follow Christ. If they refuse to abandon their unbiblical and brutish ways, then it means that they are reprobates, foreordained to damnation.

The truth is that those who accommodate the secular culture often do so because they enjoy it – the clothes, language, music, etc. – and this is their excuse to embrace the world and still call themselves Christians. Those who are more theologically inclined use their version of “the cultural mandate” to accomplish the same thing, so that they can become completely engaged in sports, politics, drinking, and so on.

Some people say that they go to parties and dinners, and associate with non-Christians in various settings, so that they can reach these people “just like Jesus did.” However, most of the time they do not mention the gospel, even after an extended relationship with the unbelievers. The truth is that they enjoy living like the non-Christians, and their former lives as sinners. Now while they are having fun, they lie to themselves and to others about their true motive. This is carnality with a mission, only it is more about the carnality than about the mission.

Second, you should obey the church leaders.

Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17)

This verse alone should settle the matter. On practical issues such as the dress code, if the pastor says that you should wear nice clothes to church, then wear nice clothes to church. Do what the pastor says to make his job easier. It is that simple. Although there is no direct biblical requirement to wear nice clothes at church, it is a pastor’s legitimate desire to develop a decent, disciplined, and organized people. And there is nothing wrong with his wish to present Christians to outsiders as clean and orderly individuals, not slobs and bums. Then, of course, women should never dress like whores even when they are not in church.

[1] For more on the law, see Vincent Cheung, The Sermon on the Mount and Commentary on Ephesians.