IS IT WRONG FOR CHRISTIAN WOMEN TO WEAR MAKEUP OR JEWELRY?
PART I
(See Part II - 'Verses on Adorning, Jewelry, Beauty, etc.')
In many cultures, both past and present, men and women have decorated themselves in various ways, and it is not always to draw attention from the opposite sex. Men in some cultures pierce their ears and wear handmade 'jewelry'.
God Himself does not actually forbid the decorating of oneself. This would include makeup or jewelry or fine clothes. I respect those women who have made personal decisions not to wear makeup or jewelry but to be 'plain' or 'natural' instead. Still, let's take a deeper look at 1 Peter and 1 Timothy to see if Paul or Peter are really forbidding (or calling it carnal) to wear jewelry or makeup:
Do Paul and Peter Forbid Personal Adornment?
We know that scripture interprets scripture, so if Paul and Peter are actually inspired by the Holy Spirit to condemn all self-decoration, then they would be calling God Himself carnal or at the very least, One who leads we humans into temptation. I say this because God Himself gave the Israelites these things:
(Ezekial 16:10-12)
I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk (both expensive clothing – think Name-Brand). I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.
(Ezekial 16:17)
You have also taken your beautiful jewelry from My gold and My silver, which I had given you....
(Exodus 28:2)
And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
We also read in Gen. 24 that Rebekah was given bracelets and (gulp) a nose ring before she married Isaac. In Luke 15 the prodigal's father ( a symbol of our Heavenly Father) gave the prodigal son a gold ring to wear. Jesus would not have mentioned the gold ring if humans wearing jewelry were carnal. The gold ring was a special gift to his son - a sign of his love and forgiveness. In Rev. 21, John describes the New Jerusalem as 'a bride adorned for her husband'. If Paul and Peter are believed to be completely forbidding or condemning the adorning of oneself, then it would be contradictory for the Holy Spirit to inspire John to write about a bride adorned in a positive way. (Even if one argues that this is merely spiritual, still, the comparison made is definitely to an earthly bride.) There are other places throughout scripture about jewelry, adorning, and the like. Some positive, and some negative. Whether or not it was positive or negative was based on the user of the adornment and their heart/purposes. Directly after verse 16 in Ezekial, verse 19 says '"Also My food which I gave you - the pastry of fine flour, oil, and honey which I fed you - you set it before them as sweet incense; and so it was", says the LORD God.' This is an excellent example of something that is not sinful except when used for unGodly purposes. Certainly flour, oil, and honey are not sinful. Certainly God gave it to them, just like the jewelry. Certainly anything can be used for good or bad.
Now, back to Paul and Peter. Paul writes that women should not dress 'with broided hair' or 'gold or pearls' or 'fine clothes' (the word 'fine' is not in original manuscript). Historically, some women would interweave their hair with gold and pearls. In 1 Peter 3:3-4 we read: Whose adorning let it not be that outward [adorning] of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But [let it be] the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, [even the ornament] of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
Peter here exhorts women to focus on their inner beauty (gentle, quiet spirit) which is 'well pleasing to the Lord' or 'of great price'. Consider: if we believe and teach that it is always wrong to wear jewelry/makeup or braid our hair because Peter forbids it here in this verse, than we must also believe that we must not wear any clothes! Think about that! This verse warns women against 'putting on apparel'. So, basically, if you read this passage to say that you can never do these things, it would also mean a woman can never literally put on apparel. That is a contradiction. God looks at the heart, and a gentle quiet spirit is 'well pleasing to the Lord', whereas 'beauty is fleeting'. The main message is: are we putting our energies into what we look like, rather than or more than our hearts/behavior? Are you known for our outward beauty, not your inward? Then 'let not that be your beauty'. If that is the case, you need to tone down your outward appearance and work on your inner appearance. You may need to stop the makeup and jewelry or at least lessen it.
Women decorate. They like pretty things. Women even decorate their homes and yards with pretty things and flowers and such, and it is not always to draw attention from the opposite sex. The temple was adorned with beautiful gems. God Himself said in Exodus 28:2 (above) that certain holy garments were for glory and beauty.
While some women will wear too much makeup or decorate themselves to look more sexy to the opposite sex, some will simply want to make something pretty. This is a huge difference, and it is not wrong or forbidden for the Christian. The issue seems to be: How can Christians wear modest clothing yet still wear makeup? Let me answer it with another question: Is makeup as sexually stimulating or 'drawing' to men as clothing? No!
I think men are best at sharing what they think when women wear makeup as opposed to what they think when a woman dresses a certain way. There is a great website called therebelution.com, that has a modesty survey for men (see bottom of homepage for clickable banner). There are several thousand men who have given their thoughts on the different attire women wear, makeup, jewelry and much more. Also check out my page here, 'What Do Men Think'. You will find that their temptation is from clothing/attire - not makeup or adornment. Makeup and jewelry can be worn on a women whose attire is not tight or revealing and whose attitude and behavior are not flirtateous and bold, and the men are not attracted in the wrong way.
In conclusion, the Bible does not state that it is always wrong or sinful to decorate oneself, because in Isaiah and Ezekial God Himself takes credit for giving the Israelites jewelry, fine clothes, ornaments and perfume. We need to consider the entirety of scripture when interpreting one particular verse. If we merely looked at Paul and Peter's admonition without considering any other texts, we might come to the conclusion that it is wrong for women to adorn themselves or do up their hair in any way. Rightly dividing the word is so important!
Again, some Christians will erroneously interpret Paul and Peter's warnings to Christians about wearing 'gold and fine clothes' to mean that it is sensual or carnal to decorate oneself in any way, but actually this interpretation would be going against what God Himself ordained. The English word 'modesty' appears only once in the King James Version of the Bible (1 Timothy 2:9). The word modesty is from the Greek term 'kosmios'. It means: 'orderly, well-arranged, harmonious arrangement, adornment'. This Greek word also appears in the Septuagint (Ecclesiastes 12:9) and is translated 'set in order' and is applied to Solomon's proverbs. Kosmios is derived from kosmos which means: 'order, regular disposition, ornament, decoration, embellishment, adorning' and is used, among other ways, of the world on which we live (Matthew 13:35; Mark 16:15). Kosmos is used of modest attire and translated as "adorning" in 1 Peter 3:3. It does not, as is commonly misunderstood, mean to cover up. It has to do with gaudy dress and arrogance.
Paul and Peter were warning about drawing attention to oneself by being overly decorated and wealthy instead of being careful to have Godly behavior. James 2:2-3 confirms the concern about arrogance and wealth. James writes that if a poor man comes in and a rich man comes in dressed in 'gold rings and fine apparel', that the rich man should not have the best place to sit. Paul also says, in his passage, that women are to be 'shamefaced', and discreet, which alludes to being shy and not arrogant. The context of both Paul and Peter's passages about 'modesty', is submission and a quiet spirit. They are *not* talking about sensuality or sexiness at all.
"Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart". Paul and Peter want Christian women to be more concerned about the heart. That is why the word 'rather' is used - '...let not your beauty be that outward adorning....but rather let it be the hidden person of the heart.
Like I mentioned, Ezekial and Isaiah both say that God Himself gave them different kinds of jewelry and fine clothes, but He also rebukes them because their hearts were arrogant and they abused this. He says, "The daughters of Zion are haughty with outstretched necks (heads held high) and wanton eyes (seductive, ogling), walking and mincing (skipping or tripping)". In another passage, God tells about the Israelites 'enlarging their eyes with paint' to try to allure their enemies to come protect them. Many use this verse to warn against makeup, but the point is that the reason they were doing it was wrong! Consider; God, being omniscient, knew ahead of time that the Israelites would abuse the jewelry and fine clothes He gave them, but He still gave it to them.
Like I mentioned, Ezekial and Isaiah both say that God Himself gave them different kinds of jewelry and fine clothes, but He also rebukes them because their hearts were arrogant and they abused this. He says, "The daughters of Zion are haughty with outstretched necks (heads held high) and wanton eyes (seductive, ogling), walking and mincing (skipping or tripping)". In another passage, God tells about the Israelites 'enlarging their eyes with paint' to try to allure their enemies to come protect them. Many use this verse to warn against makeup, but the point is that the reason they were doing it was wrong! Consider; God, being omniscient, knew ahead of time that the Israelites would abuse the jewelry and fine clothes He gave them, but He still gave it to them.
Anything can be abused, it does not mean that in and of itself these things are carnal or sinful or forbidden.
The Israelites in Isaiah were definitely glorifying themselves and involving themselves in pagan worship! God sees the hearts. It wasn't the makeup or jewelry that He abhorred, it was the hearts and intents of those wearing it. This was the main message of Peter and Paul.
Some women may wear makeup for the wrong reasons, but definitely not all, and it is not contradictory for the Christian woman to be careful to wear modest, feminine clothing, and yet still wear a little makeup or jewelry.
