Noah Webster, in his 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language, defined fop as “a vain man of weak understanding and much ostentation; one whose ambition is to gain admiration by showy dress and pertness.”
There are some today who are fops. Some people cannot resist buying the newest clothes fashions. They must have the best suits or the best dresses. They do not care about things of real importance. They only care about putting on a show with what they wear.
Unfortunately, there are fops who attend church. These individuals do not really care about the church or Christ. They rarely do anything for the cause of Christ. Some of them choose to only attend services once on Sunday. They may not show up for midweek Bible study. They rarely study their Bibles. These individuals rarely give to good causes. Yet, these individuals wear fine clothes when they show up for worship. They have on a nice dress or a very nice suit. They have their fine watches and jewelry on so that others may see.
Fops are weak in spiritual understanding and are not interested in growing in knowledge and understanding. Fops attend worship simply as a show.
There is nothing wrong with having nice clothes and fine jewelry. However, one must desire spiritual things more. First Peter 3:3-4 tells women that it is the “hidden man of the heart” which is most important. Peter says it is not the outward appearance of jewelry and of clothes that God wants. Isaiah 3:16-26 gave a warning to the Jews regarding the same problem. The women were more interested in their outward appearances than in their inward spiritual state. The principle holds true for men just as much as for women.
Do not be a fop. Study your Bible. Grow in the knowledge and understanding that it gives, and if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
