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.
God's power to transform
65-0911 §55
...oing to wear, I think fourteen inches from the hips, or something. And I wonder if our women folks does realize that that is a lust veil. Now you'd say, "I can prove before God that I am innocent of any adultery to my husband, or I..." All this, but still, at the judgment you're going to be called an adulteress. The Bible said so. Jesus said, "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
Is your life worthy of the Gospel?
63-0630E §44
...'t going to do that. No, sir. They live in America, and they let you know so. They're not going to obey. But, as long as you don't do it, don't never try to call yourself a Christian, 'cause you're not. I don't care how much you dance and speak with tongues, if you don't obey your husband, you're out of the will of God. A woman that wears shorts and does these things that she does on the street, don't call yourself a Christian. You want to have the world and still hold your testimony. You cannot do that in the Pres...
You must be born again
61-1231M §75
Now listen. I'm going to have to cut just a little bit here, you know, get the briars out of the way. Women and men that won't follow God's Word and His teaching after they claim to be born again, there's something wrong. I'm going to speak with the women just a minute. If a woman that knows that God's Word condemns bobbed hair, and wearing shorts, wearing slacks, dressing immorally, and haven't got the decency enough to let your hair grow out and put on clothes that look like a Christian, you're deceived. I don't...
The Patriarch Abraham
64-0207 §14
I said, "By the way, what does a Christian girl want to show her underneath skirt for?" I can't understand that. You're borned again of God. You got the beauty of the Holy Ghost to show, that what you are... You are ... you've got virtue that these scandal skirts don't have. That's right. A real woman of God that stands out with virtue, you might be laughed at and called old-fashioned. But you got something that they can't touch---and done lost it, and never can have it again. That's right. You got virtue. That's w...
Conferences
61-0410 §71
...er day... She said, "I tell you I don't wear them little shorts." Said, "I wear slacks." I said, "That's worse." Right. Yes, it is. The Bible said it's an abomination for a woman to put on a garment that pertains to a man. That's filthiness. Yes. Some woman said they don't make any more clothes... They still make sewing machines and you can buy goods. There's no excuse. What you need is the baptism of the Holy Ghost ... [unclear words] this mockery. That's true. Amen. You think I'm beside myself, but I'm not. I kno...