Ladies, Does How You Dress Cause Men to Lust? by Al Martin (a plea for Biblical modesty)
What a breath of fresh air. Sadly, today’s Evangellyfish would wrongfully call him unloving, ungraceful, and/or a legalist.
As I’ve said before, a sanctuary is supposed to be a sanctuary. If men want to see thigh meat or breasts, we can go to KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). A Biblical sanctuary is a safe place where more of Christ is revealed, not cleavage. The only exposing we should see in church is the exposing of sin (Eph. 5), which includes immodesty.
“Thank God not to my lust, but to my disgust that this would be tolerated at Trinity Baptist Church.” – Al Martin
“I’m not a dirty-minded old man trying to rob you of your Christian liberty. I’m a pastor determined that in this place, women should appear modestly to the glory of God, unto the good of their precious brothers.“ – Al Martin
It takes courage to deliver a message like this. Thank you, pastor Martin. For another great message on this subject, click on C.J. Mahaney’s two videos here.
DISCLAIMER: I sometimes share excerpts from various sermons (or videos) from various professing Christians. However, this does not mean I endorse all views of every person shared here or in other videos on their channel.
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Facebook friend R.E. Shultz commended the following under this post.
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Indeed, this sermon would not sit well in many churches. If you wear a necklace of fresh meat around starving dogs and you are attacked is it the dog’s fault or yours? If you flash wads of money around and walk down a dark city alley and are robbed is it the thief’s fault or yours? If you flash your assets and a man lusts is it your fault or his? There is responsibility on both sides. As a man who has served in three branches of the military in Europe and Asia, I have a vast amount of experience in what men think when they see women in various attire.
While the man is to control his thoughts, it does not negate the woman’s role to not provoke such thoughts. I am from the hippie/free love movement era. In those days, I was not a Christian and would have applauded such attire. I was 15 in the “Summer of Love” so with teenage hormones and the attire it is reasonable to say I was on fire or burning as Paul puts it in 1st Corinthians 7. Even then, there was some modicum of modesty maintained by Christian girls. Now, say anything about modesty and you will get backlash from church women and unbelievers.
I would hope most women know by now that men are wired to be sight oriented. That is a fact whether you are a believer or not. Knowing this should make women more cautious about what they show or how they stroll, but it does not. I am surprised some have not walked down the street in nothing but a thong as that is all the law requires in many places. When I was in a class for Citizens On Patrol I was told this was legal and unless it caused some disturbance the lady could not be arrested for her “attire” or lack thereof.
It often comes up in SA cases as to what she was wearing. What she was wearing did not cause the man to commit the crime. What it most likely did was set her up as an easy mark. Like any thief, they want easy access and escape. Time is often a factor so the less clothing to struggle with would be a key factor in choosing a victim. If time is not an issue, then choice may be made upon personal preferences. We are living in a world where such things are happening more and ladies should take a class on how to decrease their chances of being a victim.
Ladies, modern designers are selling s*x appeal. They care nothing about modesty. They know if men respond to what you are wearing most of you will appreciate the attention and buy more clothing like it. Indeed, if you knew what men were thinking when they see you in your favorite outfit many of you might blush and even be appalled. Yet, some would be thrilled as they wanted to have that effect on men. They might never allow a man to fulfill his lust, but they love that he is looking at her that way.
Men, if you are going out for a date with your wife and her attire makes you want to forego the date and retreat to the boudoir she should change. If it did that to you, it will do it to most men she will walk by. Some men have some pride in that as he got the girl men lust for. No Christian man should think like that.
Men, you also remember what it was like when you were a teenager. If what your daughter is wearing what would make you fight lust back then it is reasonable to believe that every boy she walks by will think those thoughts and many will try to act on it. Let her cry, but have her change and return that outfit. If your wife is dressing like your teenage daughter, that is another needed conversation. That is part of you being provider and protector of your family.
Let’s talk about what breasts are; mobile infant feeding systems. Men become fixated because from an early age older boys and men are drawing the child’s attention to them commenting on the asset and calling them various street names.
If we think of what they consist of it is not nearly as fascinating. They are composed mostly of fat so the bigger the fatter. They are also composed of sweat glands, blood vessels and milk ducts. Thus fat bags for the purpose of feeding infants. They are comparable to a cow’s udder though they are seldom used for their designed purpose any more.
Had we been taught that as kids we would not have developed an obsession with them and the ladies might not be so proud of their “girls” to show as much of them as possible. There is no need for cleavage other then to offer the man a hint of things to come or make him wish there was things to come.
What age does this cease to be a problem? One of my pastors was 21 and asked a man in his 70s. The older man replied that you have to ask someone older. Another pastor in his 80s looked out at the congregation where there were ladies in short dresses and parted thighs had to stop and tell them he was having troubles preaching. The legs snapped like a steel trap and the dress pulls were swift. He should not have had to say that in church.
Position is a thing. The mind will be programmed to see some positions as a s*xual one and a man can walk by thinking about buying a new car or his golf score and see a woman lying down or in some other position and get a s*xual thought and may not even know why. If that is a position that he and his wife use to engage in intimacy the subconscious kicked that thought in. He may not even find the woman attractive and be perplexed about the thought. The beach is a place especially subject to that kind of imagery along with the near nudity.
I would love to take a time tunnel back to the 50’s where women were still classy and adorned their chassis in modesty and even elegance. This sloppy and ripped up look would not even have been accepted by the poor. If our jeans had holes, they were patched and we did not pay someone good money to destroy them. Yet, it is what it is and there is very little common sense so it would be foolish to expect class. Indeed, one of the ten things common in all revivals is that Christians change how they dress and yet we cry legalism when it it addressed.
Al Martin passed away yesterday. The following is a tribute from Joel Beeke.
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In Memoriam: Dr. Albert N. Martin
With a mixture of sorrow and rejoicing, we mark the passing from the church militant to the church triumphant of Dr. Albert N. Martin, a beloved friend, faithful pastor, and valiant soldier in the army of King Jesus, who died yesterday on the cusp of turning 92. For decades, he stood as a pillar in the Reformed world—known for his solid, detailed, enlightening, powerful, and faithful preaching of God’s Word and his steadfast, discerning, and unwavering commitment to all of its truths. His departure leaves a nostalgic void, not only among those who knew him personally and those who were members of his beloved Trinity Baptist Church of Montville, New Jersey, but across a much broader fellowship of churches and believers who were nourished by his ministry throughout the English-speaking world.
To many of us, Al Martin was more than a preacher of righteousness; he was a trusted friend, a wise counselor, and a brother deeply knit to our hearts in the bonds of the gospel. His friendship was marked by sincerity, love, and spiritual warmth. He possessed that rare combination of theological precision and pastoral tenderness, speaking the truth with clarity while carrying the burdens of Christ’s flock with compassion. His counsel was never shallow, never rushed, but always seasoned with Scripture and rooted in a profound communion with his Lord.
In an age often marked by theological compromise and superficiality, Al Martin stood firm. He was not swayed by trends nor intimidated by opposition. Like a watchman on the walls of Zion, he sounded forth the whole counsel of God with courage and conviction. His preaching bore the marks of careful exegesis, experiential depth, and earnest application, pressing divine truth upon the conscience with solemn urgency.
We grieve because such men are not easily replaced. The ranks of those who have labored long in the trenches, who have weathered storms, and who have remained faithful unto old age, seem to grow thinner with each passing year. And yet, we do not grieve as those without hope. For while the church militant feels the loss, the church triumphant rejoices in gain.
Personally, I owe a lot to Al Martin beginning about a half century ago when I listened to all his cassette tape lectures to his theological students with great profit. My own personal friendship with him didn’t flourish until about a few decades ago when he was still in New Jersey after I persuaded him that he should start a writing ministry. He insisted that he had no gifts to write and I insisted that his sermons reveal that he has excellent gifts for writing. He replied that he didn’t even have a computer and I insisted that he should get one and have someone teach him how to use it. He followed my advice and sent me a manuscript on the Holy Spirit’s role in preaching less than a year later. I then asked him to edit all the much-circulated cassette tape lectures to his theological students and publish them in a multi-volume set. He did even more! He traveled back to New Jersey from Michigan to record them all in an improved version, published the whole set in three volumes, and asked me to preface the first volume because, in his words to me, “You are the brother who taught me that I had a gift I didn’t know that I had and who also persuaded me to revisit these old theological lectures to prepare them for press.” While in Michigan, we frequently had three-hour lunches together; I also invited him to speak for our seminary conference and for some chapel messages—all of which were memorable events.
Brother Al Martin has now entered into the presence of the King whom he so faithfully served. The voice that once proclaimed Christ to others now joins the song of the redeemed around the throne. The labors of decades have given way to eternal rest. The battles are over; the victory is secure. He is now ever with the Lord—seeing by sight what he long embraced by faith.
What a comfort it is to know that the gospel he preached is the gospel that has brought him safely home. The Christ he exalted has now welcomed him with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
May the Lord raise up others in his stead—men of like conviction and devotion. And may we who remain be stirred by his example to greater faithfulness, until our own course is finished and we too are gathered to be forever with the Lord.