Truthfulness in Dress – The Ninth Commandment

Truthfulness in Dress

The Ninth Commandment

Do not practice dishonesty in dress.

Deuteronomy 22:5

“‘A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.’”

In those days the only purpose for “cross-dressing” would have been to deceive—either to conceal one’s true identity or to gain some advantage by being regarded as of a different sex. God made the sexes distinct, each with its own identity and function, as well as its own place in the divine economy. To dress as a member of the opposite sex would have been seen as questioning divine wisdom and seeking, for whatever reason, to circumvent or subvert the divine order.

When people cross-dress today deceit may not be the only motive, but it seems to be involved nonetheless. Anything which challenges, confuses, or defies the divine order and plan is to be avoided.

We are now accepting registrations for the course, Spiritual Maturity 1: Revival. This free, seven-session course by T. M. Moore allows you to study by yourself or with a mentor, and includes free resources from Patrick, Columbanus, Luther, and Edwards, among others. Visit The Ailbe Seminary for more information on this training opportunity.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.