A Bible Based Statement About The Titles: Miss-Mrs-Ms, And Why A Woman Must Not Dress Like A Man

Hey America:

Isn’t it funny how fads get started? It appears to me that many of us just fall into them with little or no thought as to the wisdom (or lack there of) behind them. In recent decades more than one has begun in America, as well as at the very same time more than one practice that was habit among our people in generations past have very greatly ceased to be commonly practiced in modern times. Let’s consider some of these for few minutes.

In decades past in America it was altogether common when introducing a woman to another to use a prefix before her family name, and in so doing give the description of her status in life, whether she was a married or an unmarried woman. In other words,”Sally Jones,” who was an unmarried woman was introduced, or referred to a stranger as, Miss Sally Jones. This denoted that she was an unmarried woman who belonged to the Jones family, her father’s family name being Jones. Later when Miss Sally Jones married Frank George, she began to be introduced as Mrs. George, or even more specifically, Mrs. Frank George. (since her husband’s first name was Frank) When Sally Jones married she took her husband’s family name, and in a formal introduction was referred to using his first name so that it was understood that she not only married into the George family, but specifically she became wife to one of the brothers in the George family, whose name was Frank. For example, Frank Jones may well have had 5 brothers. Therefore to introduce her by saying only Mrs. Jones was not at all descriptive has to who she belonged to. Obviously in all generations among people who were kin, or who enjoyed close friendship ties the need for formality would be dropped, and people then dealt with one another on a first name basis.

Many would think that such formality is “old fashioned”, or “puritanical”, or “oh how submissive”. Some might even think of it has degrading to a woman. My my, what a foolish generation we have become. I suggest that these practices that at one time were common in American culture had great purpose and need, and fulfilled Biblical principles of living far more than many would realize, or want to admit to.

Another recent cultural trend is the use of the term Ms, not a Miss, not a Mrs, but a Ms. Well, just what is a Ms anyway? I understand what a Miss is. She is a female person who is yet unmarried, and thus is meant by God’s law, and very right moral practice to be sexually untouched. The which status she is to maintain until such time as she surrenders herself to a husband. In that she is not yet married she is to remain in her father’s house, and be subject to the laws and habits of her father’s house. This is according to God’s laws and all wise points of understanding. A Mrs, is a woman who has entered the marriage covenant and in the confines of that relationship has surrendered her virginity to her husband. By God’s law she belongs to him, he is literally her owner, and is responsible for all points related to her natural life. Although the husband owns the wife, it is not at all like the ownership of a car, or a house. She can be bought, (in fact the practice of a bride’s price is a very ancient and very wise practice, which worked to prove that a suitor was able to produce a living for the woman she was speaking for, as well as it properly reflected the spiritual reality that Christ as the heavenly bridegroom purchased unto Himself every soul of man that calls out to Him and enters His salvation) but she can never be sold, or traded, or given away. Once acquired, a wife is meant by God to be a permanent possession, thus both the responsibility and treasure of a husband. Therefore, to fulfill the royal law of liberty she must be treated with all understanding and loved as Christ would treat any Believer.

So what is a Ms? In God’s economy there is a Miss, and there is a Mrs. There are unmarried women, and there are married women, but there is no such thing as a half married woman. In my take that is exactly what the spirit behind the term Ms is. It is my determination that the term Ms has come about as certain women want less and less to be counted as a married woman. They do not want to be counted as a Miss, for that may denote they are inexperienced in the ways of the world, and at the same time are responsible to a father’s headship. Nor do they want to be referred to as a Mrs, for that denotes that they belong to a husband, and are therefore responsible to be faithful and obedient to him. I find the term Ms to be reflective of the lives of many women who direct themselves to live in a manner that is “liberated” and “independent” of male headship, and at the same time is reflective of the spirit of many Christians who wish to retain the name of Jesus, but at the same time demand control of their own lives, therefore not living in a manner that is in accordance to His commandments.

Another trend that should be mentioned that certainly violates the principle, or testimony of God’s law, is the practice of women refusing to take the husband’s family name when entering the covenant of marriage. In other words a woman retains her maiden name as her last name instead of taking to herself her husband’s family name. Why would a woman do this? This I can say, it notes a sincere ignorance or abandonment of the working out of the principles of God’s word. A question for you gals that do not wish to take to yourself your husband’s family name. Did you not as a child receive your father’s family name? Did it not note that you were then under his care and government? Was your father so much greater of a man then your husband that you now refuse to depart from your father’s family name and take to yourself your husband’s name? And if that is so, why do you now leave your father to go to a husband, why do you not simply abide with, and serve the purposes of your father? Do you not wish your husband to be to your “knight in shining armor”?, and if not, why did you give yourself to him in the first place? Or is it really that you have never surrendered your person to him, you only cohabitate together so that you can each mutual use the other, but at the same time still remain detached and independent of each other? I tell you America, this is very often the spirit that is the major portion of many marriages in the United States in this generation, and at the same time is reflective of the spirit of many professing Christians who wish to retain a “relationship” with Christ, but live out their lives on their own terms.

Still another modern fad- fashion-trend, or whatever you may want to call it, is the practice of women dressing in men’s attire, IE, the wearing of pants. Moses commanded against this in the law. (Duet. 22:5) In fact, Moses, speaking by the unction of the Holy Spirit went so far as to say that not only is such a practice an abomination to Yahweh, but that the person who does so is considered an abomination to Him. What is an abomination? It is something that is detested by God. It is not something that is honored by God. Why we’re speaking of this let’s ask ourselves a question concerning this topic. How is it that almost all men (adult males) would not for a moment consider being seen dressed in a skirt or a dress? In fact, if you think what I am saying is not true, try putting a dress on a man and see how many bruises, black eyes and broken noses will come of it. Yet, it is “supposedly” fine for a woman to dress in pants, and most women (and most of society) think nothing of it? How can she dress like him, but at the same time he can not dress like her? Are there answers to these questions?

Consider:

The great and inestimably wise Creator, Yahweh, (by the Jewish version of His name) had in mind to create a natural world where the highest forms of life in that world (mankind) would live by the inspiration and empowerment of His presence and thus flesh out a constant testimony with their very lives of eternal heavenly realities. In other words you may say that all people that have ever lived were created to be living natural illustrations (representations) of heavenly realities. Sad to say, when sin entered the human race mankind fell from being able to complete this. The man was made as a type of God Himself. The woman was designed and created as a type of the Believer, or the corporate Church. In as much as either of these walk in the Spirit- obedient to God’s ways, their lives will accurately reflect the eternal heavenly realities that they were created to mirror. This will often be done even without them being particularly aware of it. However, as the light of understanding may come to them they will begin to point by point understand how the obedient practices of their lives cause the testimony of their lives to come into alignment with heavenly and eternal realities. Now I say to you. This is ultimate reality, for a person to understand the purpose they were created for, and to begin to understand the reasoning behind the commandments of the Lord. When this understanding can be added to one’s faith it is very-very powerful indeed, and the nature of one’s relationship to God’s laws changes. The commandments are no longer an anchor attached to one’s foot that was before drug along with much difficulty. They become an empowerment that gives both purpose and glory to the life of those that by the Holy Spirit give themselves to fulfill them.

So how does this understanding play out in regards to the man-woman relationship and the use of the titles: Ms, Miss, and Mrs, as well as in regards to the commandment of the Scripture that men and women must be adorned differently the one from the other? (Deuteronomy 22:5)

In that the man is by God’s design the illustration of Christ (who is God incarnate) all issues of his life and conduct must be measured against this reality. Christ is the standard. Any man wishing to live out the reality that he was meant to live out must give himself to Christ, receiving His salvation, and then by the empowerment and functioning of the Holy Spirit, issue by issue, action by action, compare himself to the Lord Jesus Christ. This involves many things, but particularly it involves, and has extreme consequence in regards to the man-woman relationship, particularly that of marriage. The woman was created by the Lord to be a reflection of the individual Believer, or the whole of the corporate Church. Therefore, every action and motivation of her’s must be weighed against the Biblical understanding of what a Believer should, and must do before the Lord Jesus. In other words, as a Believer should and must do to properly relate to the Lord Jesus, so the woman (particularly wife) must do before her husband to properly relate to him. Jesus is the husband of the spirit of all true Christians. This truth is pointedly spoken of in Romans 7:4, and in a slightly less direct manner in 1 Corinthians 6:16-18, and in lesser direct ways it is referred to throughout the body of the Scripture. He is also forthrightly referred to as the husband of the Corporate Church in Revelation 19:7-9 and in Revelation 21:2.

A non-Christian who has been drawn by the conviction of the Holy Spirit must decide that he has come to the end of himself and experience a death to the “old man” in order to by faith step into a relationship with Jesus Christ. I personally remember the deep and long term conviction of the Holy Spirit in my childhood and youth that in time brought me to the place where I, with both my mind and heart decided that I would by faith place every aspect of my life into the hands of Jesus and receive Him as my Lord, Savior, and Christ. (Christ means the anointed One. Jesus only is the One whom the Father places full anointing into and upon) When I did this, as is the case of any and all Believers, Christ became to me the husband of my spirit. Therefore, I began to publicly identify myself with and belonging to Him. This is the wisdom that is behind the principle and practice of a married woman being referred to as MRS. If and when she belongs to a husband, she ought to be glad and proud of this even as a Christian ought to be that he belongs to Jesus. When I surrendered myself to Jesus I took into my life His name. I referred to myself, and then I noticed that others began to refer to me as “a Christian”, and I also referred to others who possess the faith of Jesus Christ as Christians. Which in all practical senses is proclaiming that Jesus became, and is, the husband of my spirit, and in reference to others, that He is at the same time the husband of their spirit. I am, and all other true Christians are, so to speak, singularly and particularly a spouse to Him in the spirit, but at the same time all true Christians together comprise what can be referred to as the Bridehood of Jesus Christ. Therefore, a woman that possesses a right heart, and a minim of understanding should be very forward to be referred to as a MRS and be delighted to take unto herself her husband’s family name.

In Western Society an unmarried woman has typically been referred to with the title of MISS. This is not at all meant as a demeaning term, but rather as a term of honor that is meant to denote that she has kept herself in her body so that one day she can be given to a husband by both her father and her mother, and by her own choice. In my mind this speaks of the spiritual reality that all men are meant to come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and enter that eternal covenant relationship with Him, as the eternal Bride and Bridegroom. Now, in reality before I was a Christian I was not untouched by sin, but was in fact a sinner and very guilty before God. So in that sense my life before Christ was not pictured by the innocence, or purity of a virgin woman. However, in that He loved me He redeemed me, (which basically means He bought me) from the evil one. In so doing He completely and absolutely cleansed me, washing away all my impurities so that when I came to Him, and He became the husband of my spirit and we shared intimacy because I was pure before Him, and therefore, without offense before Him. I owe all this to Him. You might say in respect to the spirit, He provided virginity for me!

So where does the term Ms fit into this equation of heavenly realities? It does not fit. Neither does it fit successfully into the relationship of men and women in this natural world. It does not fit into the general man woman relationship. It does not fit into the father-daughter relationship, it does not fit into the husband-wife relationship. For a Ms represents an independent woman who does not wish to be identified as belonging to, and under the government of the general rule (government) of a body of elders. (which is obviously shown throughout the body of Scripture, whether civil or religious in nature, to be male in gender) Nor does she desire to be under the government of a father,(as what a Miss should be) nor does she desire to be under the government of a husband. (as a Mrs should be) Very sad to say, she is the picture of much of the spirit of modern western Christianity. She is the picture of self will, or lawlessness, of doing what she wants to do when she wants to do it, but at the same time endeavoring to retain the look of being proper and respectable. This type of natural person, and this type of spiritual person does not please God, neither can people of this type build good and lasting families. This spirit is one of the leading causes of a divorce rate of nearly 70% in America, and nearly a 50% refusal of our youth to even attempt marriage.

Where then does the practice of a woman adorning herself in the same manner as a man fit into the proper reflection of heavenly realities. It does not fit in. A woman dressing as would a man, or a man dressing as would a woman does not accurately reflect heavenly realities, but is in fact, it gives a slanderous testimony of eternal and heavenly realities, and is therefore hated by God. Such practice is repulsive to Him. Why is this so?

I freely admit that I was absolutely ignorant and naive of this truth until I was 42 years of age. I had lived an open Christian testimony since I was 14 years of age, but was completely unaware that I participated in a practice that is repulsive to God. Then one day while I was speaking to a brother concerning issues related to what is called Vertical Alignment. (the God demanded order of authority, that is: God- Christ-Man-Woman) This brother told me I needed to look at Deuteronomy 22:5. I ask him what the verse said. He said to me, “Just go look it up, you’ll see.” I admit, I did not have a clue what Deuteronomy 22:5 said. So later I looked into the Bible. When I read the verse I was struck with conviction. No time in recent years do I remember such a sharp and certain point of conviction as I experienced that day upon reading that verse. For the communication of the words was very simple to me and I accepted them, and I did not then, nor will I now, nor has it ever been my practice to twist or pervert these Scriptures to fit my agenda, or the agenda of society around me. I stood there guilty, realizing that all my adult life I had allowed (how be it in my ignorance) the female members of my home to dress in the same manner as a man would.

Although the conviction of the truth of the commandment was completely certain and I had no intentions of running from it or “sweeping it under the rug” of complacency and forgetfulness. Yet, I did not have a clue as to the reasoning of the commandment. So I cried out to Yahweh. I said, “I don’t get it. Why does the great Creator care about threads. Why? I don’t understand, it does not make sense to me? Make me to understand what I am missing!” And He did. It took about three weeks, and with input from a certain brother the Holy Spirit opened my heart and mind to understand.

Clothing has three purposes. One of which is to cover us from the elements. It is very obvious that if we did not protect our flesh from the elements we would soon be destroyed. Another basic purpose is for modesty sake. All human person, male and female are sexually oriented. We are formed, and if I may say it this way, we are “wired” that way. Therefore, if people did not cloth themselves confusion and every evil work would abound. The third basic reasoning for clothing is that clothing is a form of illustration in itself. Clothing speaks, and is meant by God to be so. Just as in the work a day world you can know a policeman by his uniform, a fireman by his uniform, a soldier by his uniform…an office worker by his attire, a construction worker by his attire, in like manner God has purposed that in every aspect of their being (this includes their attire) the male and female give signals that relate specifically to their gender. Now I realize that this doctrine flies headlong contrary to a very great portion of modern philosophy that teaches that men and women are the same. I tell you that they are not at all the same, but were created by the Lord Jesus Christ to be distinctfully different the one sex from the other. Oh yes, the sexes are both human persons and therefore possess many great similarities, but are at the same time totally differently beings, and therefore are to conduct themselves according to the laws (wisdom) that pertain to each gender. Even as each person as two hands, and although they are both hands, the one hand is distinctfully different then the other. One is left, and the other is right. One person is male and another is female. In the Lord, the male (man) has certain purpose and calling that relates to that gender, and the female (woman) has certain purpose and calling that relates to that gender. This is so to allow for a happy working in the family and in society, and to fulfill the purpose that Yahweh has for each gender to reflect eternal and heavenly realities that are specific to that gender. Now, does this mean that either sex is more important to God than the other? Absolutely not! Does it mean that one sex is of greater value, either in this natural life, or in reference to the Lord? Absolutely not! It only means that Yahweh created the sexes to be different from each other so that their differences could be used to bring forth and maintain a full measure of life on the earth, and reflect eternal and heavenly realities that are very precious to Him.

The picture that is brought forth with a woman dressing like a man (IE, wearing pants) is that of her being equal to the man. I do not speak in reference to worth, I speak in reference to headship. For the Creator created the woman to be subject to the man. Basic reasoning, as well as the Scripture teaches this. For nothing that came forth from another can be greater than that which brought it forth. It was the woman that came forth from the man. It was not the man that came forth from the woman. Thus the woman is to be subjection to the man. Even as a child comes forth from its mother, and as long as it is a child it is to be in subjection to its mother. Even as the man was created by God, so is therefore by reason to be subject to God. So when the woman dresses like a man she is saying by her attire that she is equal to the man, and since she was purposed by Yahweh to be a reflection of heavenly things her action is therefore saying that the Believer is equal to the Lord. Now we know that through invitation, at God’s pleasure Believers are given certain elements of authority in the Lord. This reality exists now, and will also exist in eternity future, but this is in no sense to be taken that a Believer is equal to the Almighty Sovereign. NO WAY. When a woman, whether in ignorance and blindness of heart by her attire gives this picture she is cooperating with the spirit of feminism, which then puts forth the very expression of Lucifer. For it was Lucifer who in time past said in his heart, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: I will be like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14: 13-14 KJV) When a woman, by her attire, or any other means brings forth the expression that she is equal in headship to a man she is bringing forth the expression concerning spiritual realities that the Believer is equal to the Lord, which is the same damning thought that caused Lucifer to be cast forth from heaven. This Beloved, is the very reason why it is hated by God for a woman to dress like a man. This is why it is repulsive to God for a woman to dress like a man. As the late Paul Harvey would say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”

For many years I walked as a Christian without a twinge of conviction related to the commandment that men and women were to adorn themselves distinctfully different the one from the other. This was so in that I was completely ignorant of this truth. However, in due time He brought forth understanding to me, and conviction came to me with that understanding. Persecution and rejection have also come to me as I have taken steps to walk out this truth and communicate it to others. I now urge you Christian man and woman to add understanding to your faith and walk in accordance with the truth more perfectly, that the Great Sovereign might have pleasure, and not disapproval-with your manner of life. For the Lord comes, and His reward is with Him, to give every soul of man according to his/her works. Amen.

A Watchman,

Greg DeHart

george clothing