How Can a Christian Woman Swim Safely Without Offending God in Dress?
1) Direct Answer
A Christian woman can swim without offending God by keeping modesty, separation, and a feminine testimony. Choose private or women‑only settings; avoid mixed bathing and beaches. Wear a loose, opaque, feminine swim garment that does not reveal the form when wet, covers the body well (neckline high, sleeves at least to the elbow, hem well below the knee—mid‑calf is safer), and is not transparent, tight, split, or clingy. Do it for health or family refreshment, not for show. Keep a meek, shamefaced spirit, and if there is any doubt in the heart, don’t do it.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- The Bible says women are to “adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety” (1 Timothy 2:9–10). Modesty is not only the cloth, but the spirit—yet it does govern how we dress.
- “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man” (Deuteronomy 22:5). So the outer garment should remain clearly feminine, not the form or style of men’s wear.
- Peter points to the hidden man of the heart, with a meek and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:3–4). The inside life shows on the outside.
- We must not be a stumbling block (Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus said a man can commit adultery in his heart by looking with lust (Matthew 5:28). So we guard our brothers by not displaying the body.
- God covered Adam and Eve with coats, not mere aprons (Genesis 3:7, 21). Isaiah 47:2–3 shows that uncovering the thigh is counted as nakedness; Exodus 28:42 shows covering from the loins even to the thighs. Now notice, Scripture treats exposure of the thigh as nakedness—so coverage below the knee is a safe, clean standard.
- “Love not the world” (1 John 2:15) and “be not conformed” (Romans 12:2). Beaches and mixed pools are built for display; separation keeps the testimony clean.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Water makes thin fabric cling and show the body. So choose garments and fabrics that stay opaque and loose when wet.
- Mixed settings put a woman’s body before men’s eyes. Even if her intent is pure, the effect can still stumble others and stain her witness.
- A feminine outer garment honors Deuteronomy 22:5. If functional underlayers are used for coverage, keep them under a proper, loose, opaque swim dress so the visible outfit remains clearly feminine.
- If you have to ask, “Is this too tight, too short, too sheer, or too revealing when wet?” it’s already a warning from the conscience. Better to please the Lord than to fit the culture.
4) Reinforcing Statement
Salvation is in the new birth, but the new birth shows itself. You see, holiness is beautiful when it’s simple, modest, and separate. Walk softly, cover cleanly, and keep your testimony above reproach.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
A man running from the presence of the Lord
65-0217 §40
Don't care... You take a woman, she might be ever ... not very attractive, and whatever she is; but you let that woman stand for principles of womanhood, let her stand like a lady, and if a man's got a ounce of man about him, he'll take up for her. Absolutely. We appreciate something that somebody's got that they believe that it's the truth and will stand for what they think is right. How wishy-washy, that's what! Too many Christians today are so soft-soaped and everything until they think all they do is join a chu...
And thy Seed shall possess the gate of His enemy
62-0121M §51
I spoke on that one day in Oregon. There's a woman wrote me a great big letter. She said, "Brother Branham, you got a wonderful ministry, but you're sure ruining it." She said, "Now what about... ?" Said, "I wear overalls all the time." Said, "What about going out in the garden to pick some garden, and with a dress on. Don't you think it would look much better with overalls on, than it would be---or dungarees, ever what it is---than to have a dress on?" And said, "Look, I ride up into the mountains with the boys wh...
Abraham's covenant confirmed
61-0210 §22
...t the Holy Spirit today would rebuke and tear down the church... You remember, the Laodicean age? He said, "As many as I love, I rebuke." As many as I love, I rebuke. Thank God for rebuking. A real father will straighten us up, and get us out. I met a ... happened to meet a lady today, and she was very much upset at what I said the other night, about women wearing little, short clothes. It was not nice for Christians to do that, and it was absolutely unscriptural. She said, "Young man, you'll ruin your ministry." I...
Thy loving kindness
58-0228 §46
Listen, Christian, women, men, since you have come to Christ, are you conducting yourself as a Christian should? Have you got yourself off in some little denomination, saying, "Me and my little group, we believe it this a way. We will have nothing to do with that, have nothing to do with this or that."? Oh, may God speak to your soul tonight. What can we do? The hour's coming when you're going to beg for this, and you're not going to find it. Sinner friend away from God, little woman, little man, do you realize tha...
And thy Seed shall possess the gate of His enemies
61-0212E §14
Now what's the strange thing to me, that a woman that don't know right and left hand ... and as soon as Christ comes to her heart she realizes she's naked, and she'll try to hide herself; and we, who are supposed to be a Christian nation, continually take that off. Can you explain it to me? I just want to ask that question. And all... I don't mean that to joke. This is not no place to joke. This is the desk, the pulpit of God, see. But isn't that true? Can you make sense out of it? A native that knows nothing about...