Did you ever walk into a store and the first section you encountered was the Cosmetics Department? Often, the first clue is the overpowering, knock-you-out fragrances. Behind the counter are male and female cosmeticians wearing an exaggerated mask of makeup—sometimes in excessive quantities. The whole thrust of their sales strategy is surface beauty: rings on most fingers and toes, glittering bracelets, neck chains, ear danglers and other body modifications, puckered painted lips, thick pasty eyelashes, elaborate hairstyles, and frighteningly long, extended coloured fingernails.
Perhaps such a characterization of a Cosmetics Department has been slightly exaggerated. But you get the point. Their primary focus is external surface beauty.
Neither archaeologists nor anthropologists have yet uncovered any old wedding or family photographs of the Apostle Peter and his wife. Based on Peter’s writings, however, we could assume their attention to outward adornment was not excessive, nor would they push the boundaries of modesty, simplicity and respectability.
As for the Apostle Paul’s references about our bodies and how we should present ourselves outwardly to a perishing world, sometimes he’s accused of being an out-of-style, out-of-touch bachelor. However, we must remind ourselves that Paul was a human vessel selected by God to record God-breathed words on parchment. (1 Timothy 2:9) But, for the sake of argument, if one should dismiss Paul’s words, what about Peter? He was not a bachelor; he was a married man, and he, too, wrote about outward adornment and external attractiveness.
Based on the thrust of Peter’s two epistles, if we asked him about how we should present ourselves outwardly in today’s society, the transcript of our conversation with Peter might go something like this:
Dear child of God, try to remember that you are surrounded by people who are only living for the world in this world. All they have is the world. The images you see online and on their celeb sites, on billboards and in commercials are people who are living superficial and short-sighted lives. They are focused on THIS life - not on eternity. Until they find Christ and have Him inside, their beauty is only skin deep — external. Inside, they are empty. Pity them rather than copy them. They have no inner beauty because, at their core, they are empty sinners lacking a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Peter would probably continue by saying:
Dear believer, think of yourself as a traveller passing through foreign territory on the way home. See yourself as someone pitching a tent each night and then getting up the following day to continue your journey to the eternal city where you have a permanent home.
Rather than trying to mimic the people who permanently live here, live before them in such a way that your inner beauty becomes the real 'wow' factor for them - not your outward appearance. May your outward appearance complement and not detract or distract from the inner beauty of a Christ-filled heart.
Concerning your ability to catch the eyes of onlookers, what really should cause them to take a second look is the radiant inner beauty emanating from Christ in you and shining through you. This is the attractiveness that will bring you the unspeakable joy of having an observer ask you: 'What do you have that I don't have?'
I wrote extensively in my epistles about how unattached and how unlike the world around us we should be. Although the words I wrote in my first Epistle were directed to Christian sisters, in many respects, the message is also relevant to brothers in Christ.
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, 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. 1 Peter 3:3-4 NIV
When considering a verse, it is often helpful to check other translations. For example, check the above verse in the ESV, KJV, NASB, CSB, etc., or even a paraphrase like The Message or J.B. Phillips.
The Apostle Peter wasn’t giving us a list of prohibitions. His point was excessive attention to outward appeal — as if the externals were more important to us than the inner beauty that reflects something of the character of Christ Himself — otherwise known as the “fruit of the Spirit.”
All Christians should be externally marked by modesty, simplicity and respectability. Do you think you can find other Scriptures to support such a statement?
What is most pleasing and precious to the Lord is the inner beauty of a life of submission and devotion to the Lord — distinct and separate from the world around us. That’s the adorning endorsed by the Word of God. Our internal adornment should be our top daily priority – not our surface beauty.
Don’t hesitate to share a thought from your personal experience or a verse that has been a blessing to you – in the comment section below. Or, if you would like to reach out privately, click below.
