Inner Beauty
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. I Peter 3:3-4 (KJV)
These verses have been used for decades and even centuries to bring people into bondage about the way they dress- particularly women. Let’s look at this passage and see how we can truly apply it to our lives.
Peter was discussing how women could win their unsaved husbands. He was telling them that they would not be as effective with the way they looked or with outward appearances. He was giving them insight that the best way to win their husbands to the Lord was to demonstrate to them the inward changes that a life dedicated to Christ brings. He was encouraging them to show their spouses that the Lord had given them a quiet and peaceful heart. He was telling them that such a demeanor was more attractive than any outward adorning of their person. Holiness does not come from our outer appearance, it comes from the state of our heart- it is an inner thing.
Many have used this passage to say that women should not wear jewelry, cut their hair, wear make-up or many other outward things that can be used to make women more attractive. However, if we follow that logic, we cannot ignore the statement that Peter makes about apparel, or clothing. If Peter was telling women not to wear things such as jewelry, then according to this, he was also telling them not to wear clothing! Of course, we know that was not his intention. So we must look the passage as a whole and not just pick out those things we want to apply to bring others under bondage.
In today’s culture, we do have a problem with how we dress- both men and women. We should do everything we can to look good while being modest in how we appear. The reason is that we do not want to be responsible for tempting others to sin. That is another message for another day, but suffice it to say that we should not dress with the intention of causing others to lust after us or to look at us in a sexual manner. Yes, some will have that in their hearts no matter what we do, but we don’t want to be a knowing accomplice in someone’s sin. But to use this passage to say that people cannot wear anything attractive is an inaccurate application of the Word of God.
All we have to do is go to the Lord with how we dress. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if something you are wearing is something that could be a problem for others. Don’t look on it as a limitation of your personal expression, but see it as an opportunity to do something to help someone else avoid the trap of sin. As Christians, we are to love others and do only good unto them, and being mindful of how we dress is one way we can help others. However, don’t be in bondage, avoiding all forms of making yourself attractive, but dress in such a way as to bring glory to God. Choosing to use our lives to glorify God is the best form of personal expression there is.
