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.
As the eagle stirreth up her nest
60-0804 §31
Oh, brother, to get that man out of a cage... To see sons and daughters of God caged in, it's a pitiful... The most sad thing I ever seen is to know that men and women who are born ... see women walking the street half-naked, in these little old clothes around here, and know that that woman is absolutely possessed of an evil spirit. That's right. Sister, let me tell you something. You say, "I'm as pure as a lily. I wear them." But do you realize something? Let me tell you, at the day of the judgment you're going to...
Believest thou this?
50-0115 §35
It's a shame the way that Christian women dress and allow their young girls, and things to dress out on the streets. I tell you. They tell me that the way Adam and Eve realized they were naked, because they eat apples. If eating apples caused women to know that they were naked, it's time to pass the apples again. That's right. That's exactly the truth. Oh, it's a shame. Dress themselves out here on these beaches somewhere to get a suntan, some married woman with a little kid, or something like that, or these young...
Hebrews, Chapter 7, part 1
57-0915E §78
...k about such things as that. I don't care what the rest of the women does, and the rest of the girls do, you'd be different, because you love Christ too much. I talked to a woman the other day, in a house, and she throwed her hands up like this, she said, "Rev. Branham, I'm almost naked here in my house; I'm walking around." I thought, "Shame on you." In your own house... I don't care where you are. That's right. Dress and act like a woman, like a lady ought to. Shame on you. But you keep... The Bible said, "If you...
The Voice of the Sign
64-0321E §50
...y sell." They still got goods and sewing machines. There's no excuse. The Amish and Dunkard women still wear them. And what happens? They get out there and they carry on. A woman said, "Well, Mr. Branham, I don't wear shorts. I wear [What is them? ... Pedal pushers? Yeah.]," said, "I wear them." I said, "That's worse." I said, "The Bible said, 'It's an abomination for a women to put on a garment that pertains to a man.' " And what kind of a filthy-looking sight is this United States now? That's right. Let me tell y...
Questions and Answers on Hebrews, part 3
57-1006 §86
You get it? It's a shame for a man to have long hair; that's a woman's place. God made a man different from a woman, sex and in looks, and in everything else. She oughtn't to wear a garment... The Bible said that "If a woman will put on a pair of slacks or any garment that pertains to a man, it's an abominable and dirty and filthy sight in the front of God." And God will make her pay for it. Who you going to listen to? This is the Bible. And you run around and say, "Why, I think it's nice ... see women wearing slac...