What does the Bible say about wearing jewelry and makeup – the debate on this matter is still on! Many spiritual people have contradictory ideas, and you would want to know better.
Many theories generated on this topic have led to several misconceptions. In this article, we have taken excerpts from the Holy Book to clear out all the doubts you can have!
The topic of women trying to make them look pretty or attractive has always mostly been condemned by the church. Hence, today we are here to discuss is wearing makeup a sin?
Hence, if you want to know in detail what the Bible says about wearing jewelry and makeup, keep reading on.
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What does the Bible say about wearing jewelry and makeup
A certain group of Christians thoroughly condemn women wearing makeup and jewelry. There have also been instances where women who have appeared in the church adorning themselves with makeup or jewelry have been asked never to visit the church anymore.
However, it is nowhere written in the Bible that women cannot adorn themselves with makeup, jewelry, or any other ornament. While it is important to respect the belief of the children of God, it is also important to not give in to something that is not the Word of God.
Then what does the Bible say about wearing jewelry and makeup, you wonder? Let us have a look.
God does not look at the outer appearance of a person
In the verse of 1 Samuel 16:7 in the Bible
the Lord says to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
This verse of the Bible identifies one of the fundamental truths faced by a man every day. We, as humans, are more focused on the externals of a person.
However, we rarely understand how the person is in reality. On the contrary, what the Lord sees is beyond the external appearances.
He looks at how good or bad the heart and soul of the person are. The limitations of the human perspective are identified in this verse.
The whole point of this verse is to understand where your beauty lies truly.
With time, many women are giving up under societal pressures and definitions of ‘beauty.’ The feeling of not being pretty enough and trying to impress many people by putting on makeup and jewelry is becoming common.
On the contrary, the Lord wants every person to have extremely high self-confidence and esteem. The key is to feel beautiful and look beyond what satisfies the eyes.
He wants us to feel beautiful and understand that God loves us equally. God wants every individual to make themselves better and do things that would help them bear good fruit.
However, a person cannot completely put the fact aside that humans first vibe with external appearances. It is the visual signals that connect us with another person.
Confidence, rebelliousness, warmth, calmness, meticulousness, and carelessness are all a part of the visual signals we show to others and notice first. However, the Lord wants to be aware that appearances are deceptive. He asks us to look beyond what we try to show and understand who we truly are, thus embracing our inner beauty.
Jewelry and makeup should not become a person’s idol
The verse, 1 Peter 3:3-4 says
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornments, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
The second thing we should know when we talk about what the Bible says about wearing jewelry and makeup is that it should never become a woman’s idol.
It is very easy to get attached to a simple lipstick or mascara. However, God tells us not to focus on making our outer self beautiful or pretty. He tells us that we become pretty by the number of good deeds we do. Our main focus should be on doing things that help the poor.
The moment a woman gets puffed with her outer beauty, she sins. God teaches us that people should never focus more on pearls, golds, diamonds, braided hairstyles, or wearing tons of makeup. Instead, real happiness lies in donating the money to the church that one could have spent buying and wearing makeup.
Hence, before wearing makeup and jewelry, a woman must ask herself why. Is she wearing the jewelry and the makeup to enhance her features? If this is the reason that makes a woman indulge in makeup and jewelry, then it is okay. However, if she is doing it to look pretty and attract another man, that is a sin.
That answers our question- is makeup a sin? God wants us to shift our focus from all these unimportant things in life. He does not want us to focus on the latest fashions or the costliest makeup.
Instead, he wants us to shift our focus to the truly important things. Wonder what are those? It is to be of service to the people who need it and believes in God.
Therefore, in conclusion, the use of makeup and jewelry is not condemned in the Bible. However, it does mention focusing on the inner beauty of the person rather than the fleeting outer beauty.
It is wrong to flaunt the outward beauty and make it a point of pride. One must remember that a person’s real beauty lies truly in what he is as a person. It is extremely wrong to chase after vanity and make a person’s exterior look beautiful. But, what is worth it is to make the character of a person godly to be in touch with God.
Braided hair in the Bible
What does the Bible say about braided hair? Let us find out!
The Verse 3, 1 Peter 3:3 says
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornments, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.”
In Verse 4, Peter 3:4
“Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
Women in the first century adorned themselves with extensive hairdos. They used to do it all, from plates to braids to wigs, locks, and curls. Along with that, women also used to make their hair prettier by using ornaments and jewelry.
However, all of these made themselves look pretty to attract others and draw attention.
God, on the other hand, sees the inner beauty of us. He focuses on looking beyond making your outer self pretty and working on the inner soul.
This is the sole reason why some women in the church are prohibited from wearing braids. The reason for this was to make women focus on their inner beauty.
It was for them to become more modest and have humility in themselves. God teaches that the true sense of living is in spending a lot to look pretty but drowning oneself in caring for others and in the service of the Lord.
There is also another reason why it is prohibited for women to braid their hair or weave them.
Although mythological, it is believed that people with fertility issues called upon the devil to help them long ago. The demons asked them to braid their hair, each braid symbolizing the power to make them more fertile.
However, this was completely against what God said. He taught us to embrace our natural selves.
He wants us to know that we are beautiful just the way he has made us. Thus, He also asks us not to alter ourselves from what we are. For instance, not curl when we have straight hair strands, not straighten if we have curly hair strands. Therefore, beautifying our hair somewhat takes us away from what is truly important – God.
Hence, it is asked by the church as a part of the Bible to refrain oneself from braiding the hair.
What does the Bible say about jewelry
The Verse, Timothy 2:9 says
“Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.”
The Verse, Peter 3:3 says
“Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—”
Like we have discussed previously, what God truly looks at is beyond the external beauty of a person. There are quite a few Bible verses on jewelry.
If you read what the Bible says about wearing jewelry and makeup, you will know it is fine to do so. According to the Bible, a person might adorn themselves with jewelry as long as they are not puffing up with pride owing to their external beauty.
There is nothing that a necklace symbolizes in the Bible except pride. However, even though the verses in the para mentioned above say otherwise and condemn the wear of jewelry, there is also a verse that says,
In verses 11- 13
God picks up an abandoned newborn female child and then feeds and provides for her. He says:
“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. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver.”
Hence, some people completely condemn wearing jewelry, and some are not strict. On the other hand, some members are okay with wearing jewelry but not in the church. Hence, as long as a person does not make the jewelry their idol that distracts from the true meaning of life, it is okay to wear jewelry.
What are the Bible verses about ladies wearing trousers
We are now mostly clear about what does the Bible say about wearing jewelry and makeup. Let us also know the Bible verse on ladies wearing trousers.
In the verse, Deuteronomy 22:5
“A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.”
One might feel that the Bible condemns women wearing trousers. However, there is no mention of ‘trouser’ in the Bible. The verse means women must not wear trousers or pants to church. It is also not okay for a woman to wear a pant if the male of the family asks the woman not to do so.
Even though a woman can wear trousers, she must know the proper place of wearing them. Hence, the fact that the woman is wearing the trouser is not a problem. However, the mentality behind the woman wearing the trouser is of concern.
Final Thoughts
When you go into detail on what does the Bible say about wearing jewelry and makeup, you would realize that it is not a sin. God focuses on the internal beauty of a person and teaches us all to do the same thing.
While it is okay to wear these, it is important not to make them extremely necessary. Instead, the real focus should be on helping the ones in need and service to God.