God's Prohibition of Crossdressing

Not too long ago, I taught a Sunday School series on Using the Law Lawfully.  In that series, we analyzed all 613 of the laws in the Old Testament to determine which of them still applied to modern Gentile believers.  One of the laws that we looked at was the prohibition against crossdressing found in Deuteronomy 22:5, and I think that we established a pretty good understanding of that law and how it applies to us today.  Here is the outline from that lesson:

1. Crossdressing
   1. The Old Testament Command
      1. The Jews were prohibited from crossdressing – Deut 22:5
         1. Women were not to wear male clothing
         2. Men were not to wear female clothing
         3. Everyone who does this is an abomination to God
   2. The New Testament Application
      1. This was given as a universal command
         1. “All who do so…”
         2. Not limited to Jews under the Law
      2. Does this apply to men wearing dresses?
         1. Dresses are not mentioned in the Bible
         2. Dresses are primarily viewed as female garments
            1. The silhouette of a person wearing a dress is the universal symbol for an area that is reserved for women
         3. A man wearing a dress could be mistaken for a woman
      3. Does this apply to women wearing pants?
         1. A form of pants are mentioned in the Bible as a male garment
            1. Exodus 28:42 – “breeches”
            2. These were a form of short pants that extended below the knees
            3. They were designed to prevent the priest’s thighs from being exposed at any time while he was doing the work of the tabernacle
            4. Working men would often “gird up” their robes by tucking the robe into a belt thus making the robe shorter and exposing the legs
            5. God used the expression “gird up thy loins” 3 times in the Bible, and two of those times were accompanied with the description “like a man.”
               1. Jer 1:17, Job 38:3, Job 40:7
               2. By the way, the book of Job predates the nation of Israel
            6. The exposure of the thigh is considered nakedness in the Bible
            7. Jewish men wore breeches or short pants under their robes so that they would not be naked when they girded up their robes to work
            8. Breeches remained popular until they were replaced by trousers in the mid-19th century
            9. The pants that men wear today come from the breeches that were worn by men in the past and serve the same purpose
         2. Pants have been viewed as a male garment for at least 4,000 years
            1. The silhouette of a person wearing pants is the universal symbol of an area that is reserved for men
         3. A woman wearing pants could be mistaken for a man
      4. 4 culturally neutral tests to identify violations of Deuteronomy 22:5 (from Nathan Brown comeafterme.com)
         1. The Crossdressing Test
            1. Picture a man in woman’s clothing.  What is he wearing?
            2. Picture a woman in man’s clothing.  What is she wearing?
         2. The Mistaken Identity Test
            1. If a man wants to avoid being mistaken for a woman, what should he wear?
            2. If a woman wants to avoid being mistaken for a man, what should she wear?
         3. The Gender Affirmation Test
            1. What clothing should my son wear if I want to affirm and encourage his masculinity?
            2. What clothing should my daughter wear if I want to affirm and encourage her femininity?
         4. The History Test
            1. In the history of the culture, was there a time when men wore clothing that was distinct to their gender?  What did they wear?
            2. In the history of the culture, was there a time when women wore clothing that was distinct to their gender?  What did they wear?
      5. Regardless of our conclusions about particular items of clothing, the fact that we are to avoid crossdressing still remains
         1. Women were not to wear male clothing
         2. Men were not to wear female clothing
         3. Everyone who does this is an abomination to God