1.peter.3.3-4
You should not make use of outward aids to make yourselves beautiful, such as the way you do your hair, or the jewelry you wear. Instead your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's sight.

1.tim.2.9
i want the women to be MODEST and sensible about their clothes and to dress properly;NOT WITH FANCY HAIR STYLES OR WITH GOLD ORNAMENTS OR PEARLS OR EXPENSIVE DRESSES, but with good deeds as it is proper for women who CLAIM TO BE RELIGIOUS.

Karo93:


1 Peter 3:3-4

You should not make use of outward aids to make yourselves beautiful, such as the way you do your hair, or the jewelry you wear.

Instead your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's sight.

@Karo93

"Iwa lewa" literally meaning "Character is Beauty"; good character that is

Yeah an admonition to wives from Peter

This is the kind of beauty which lasts and one that God considers very special.

Here peter is against all the ways in which our ladies make themselves beautiful and even go to the house of God saying you have to look good for God or that God only looks at the heart.

though i am not against women looking good but thus says the bible!

I personally think that this is one of those verses where there are no ambiguous interpretations.Paul as far as I am concerned could have been a misogynist. He talked against women leaving their hair uncovered in the church,refrained women from preaching in the churches and basically put women in the 'service' class, I think he had issues with women!

while God expects that the emphasis on beauty should be internal in terms of character development and spiritual advancement,I also know that he doesn't say that women should not beautify themselves, this was Paul's PERSONAL opinion and not a word given by the holy spirit; Esther in the bible went through all the beautification rituals in her time and because of that was chosen to be the king's wife.

Ladies should take care of their personal appearance with what they have at hand.Avoid over making up;it only masks the true beauty God has given you instead of enhancing it.And while yáll at it,don't forget to beautify your character and spiritual person too

^^^ God sees the heart. . .

So does outward appearance matter?

Is it relevant whether the lady wears a mini-skirt or a booboo - or earrings or none? ? ?

I think its neither here nor there.

Ok

Seemings the poster asked no questions

i will say what ive deduced from that verse

It means we should focus on our inner beauty, rather than spend too much time trying to look beautyful

because real beauty lies in the soul which cannot be curropted- i think this verse is very beautiful

But i must add- it doesnt say 'thou shalt not wear gold and braid your hair'

some churches take one verse from the whole of the bible misinterprete and build doctrines on it!

but i guess its how the spirit reveals to each individual- women shouldnt feel like it means we shouldnt look good

personal decisions should be made with God and not what man is trying to trick you into thinking

It was peter who said it not Paul.

I am asking why christian sisters dont  follow the words of peter which accordingly to 2.tim.3.16 is the word of God.

I also want to cripple the excuse of ladies immoral/club dressing styles to church in the name of looking good for God.

but i have not reached any conclusion so i would want the "christian" sisters to explain this otherwise or tell me where they stand on the issue.

karo93:

It was peter who said it not Paul.

I am asking why christian sisters dont  follow the words of peter which accordingly to 2.tim.3.16 is the word of God.

I also want to cripple the excuse of ladies immoral/club dressing styles to church in the name of looking good for God.

but i have not reached any conclusion so i would want the "christian" sisters to explain this otherwise or tell me where they stand on the issue.

well what is your question??- i have told u the meaning

what is immoral to you isnt immoral to everyone else- im pretty sure ur one of those people that say wearing trousers is a sin and use a bible verse to prove it!

paul also said in 1.tim.2.9
i want the women to be MODEST and sensible about their clothes and to dress properly;NOT WITH FANCY HAIR STYLES OR WITH GOLD ORNAMENTS OR PEARLS OR EXPENSIVE DRESSES, but with good deeds as it is proper for women who CLAIM TO BE RELIGIOUS.

what do u all think?

@ayettymama

you just missed the boat though right on schedule-i am not a RELIGIOUS  person who goes about criticizing and jazz and as you can see i just said well,thus says the bible.

why would i criticize trousers when it is not our tradition

please note that i am not trying to preach or burden consciences with guilt. i just want y'all to see what the bible says.
dont forget i have not reached a conclusion and would want to see others view.in fact i will not reach a conclusion.

what is your question??

@ayettymama
Why do Christians not do as the verses? or has Christianity evolved?

what do u mean by do the verses??

i meant as paul said in 1.tim.2.9

Do u support God only looks at the heart so anyone can dress skimpily to church.

like i said

your definitiomn of skimpy will differ from everyone elses

i think you dont understand what paul meant and should go back to wat i said

it does not say THOU SHALL NOT WEAR JEWELLRY

it means we shouldnt spend too much time worrying abt outer beauty

as it was said in those times similar to now

jewellry and heavily braided hair signifies social status and wealth

and thats what paul told us to avoid

yes God looks at our hearts- but that doesnt mean people should go to church dressed shabbily and smelling because they dont believe in deodorant!

i just realised that my idea of over dressing is different from yours and from paul's and peter's too so we couldn't measure it here. nice seeing all your views though.

but i should let you know that what paul and peter meant was that they did not want the women to be flamboyantly dressed as they felt those things were worldly and would also make them no different from the heathen women and would also tempt the men.they wanted their women to look modest and be the admiration of all men to differentiate them from the heathen who practiced sexual immoralities and as such dressed to attract men.

that was their point in the two verses.

karo93:

but i should let you know that what paul and peter meant was that they did not want the women to be flamboyantly dressed as they felt those things were worldly and would also make them no different from the heathen women and would also tempt the men.they wanted their women to look modest and be the admiration of all men to differentiate them from the heathen who practiced sexual immoralities and as such dressed to attract men.

that was their point in the two verses.

I quite agree that that was their point but if you read further in that chapter (if i'm not mistaken), Paul also mentioned that his words shouldn't be taken as a rule that must be obeyed cos that was just his own personal opinion and doesn't mean you're a sinner if you don't do what they say.

So many churches (esp in Nigeria) totally misinterpret what so many passages say and get so many people confused.

what peter actually meant was that ladies should focus on inner beauty rather than outer beauty - he wasn't really condemning jewellry wear

Please, when interpreting the bible, ask God for interpretation. Do not use your own mind or thinking. He is asking women to concentrate on how to beautify their character, inner being and not to concentrate on how to beautify the outward appearance. He did not say do not wear jewelries. You are concentrating on KJV which most people are struggling to understand its english. Read other versions. Below are some:

New living translation says:
3 Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. 4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

The message says:

3.What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.
4.Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in.

@donugapi

paul never said it was his personal opinion. theses were like guidelines if you have read the books of paul. Paul was trying to break Judaism ties by telling them that they were no longer under the law so he could not give his own laws for the law as he said is for criminals.[1.tim.1.10]

karo93:

@donugapi

paul never said it was his personal opinion. theses were like guidelines if you have read the books of paul. Paul was trying to break Judaism ties by telling them that they were no longer under the law so he could not give his own laws for the law as he said is for criminals.[1.tim.1.10]

thats not true!

karo93:

It was peter who said it not Paul.

I am asking why christian sisters dont  follow the words of peter which accordingly to 2.tim.3.16 is the word of God.

I also want to cripple the excuse of ladies immoral/club dressing styles to church in the name of looking good for God.

but i have not reached any conclusion so i would want the "christian" sisters to explain this otherwise or tell me where they stand on the issue.

Why do christian brothers not follow the words of Paul in Ephesians 6? Stop pointing fingers on anyone. No one made you a judge. Besides your interpretation is wrong. Read the bible and let it minister to you and then share the love of God through his words. Maybe that would change that woman you are trying to convert to your church or trying to change her mode of dressing. It is the holy spirit that convicts.

Gosh OP, you are so judgmental! There are many verses about being non-judgmental, how come you don't adhere to those?

BTW, given the way men groom today, can't the same principle extend to men? Yet, the poster has only focused on women. Typical.

estrella:

I personally think that this is one of those verses where there are no ambiguous interpretations.Paul as far as I am concerned could have been a misogynist. He talked against women leaving their hair uncovered in the church,refrained women from preaching in the churches and basically put women in the 'service' class, I think he had issues with women!

while God expects that the emphasis on beauty should be internal in terms of character development and spiritual advancement,I also know that he doesn't say that women should not beautify themselves, this was Paul's PERSONAL opinion and not a word given by the holy spirit; Esther in the bible went through all the beautification rituals in her time and because of that was chosen to be the king's wife.

Ladies should take care of their personal appearance with what they have at hand.Avoid over making up;it only masks the true beauty God has given you instead of enhancing it.And while yáll at it,don't forget to beautify your character and spiritual person too

There is nothing like PAUL'S PERSONAL OPINION. Its time we recognise the fact that ALL scripture were written by inspiration of God. Paul was just a scribe and nothing more. Every Word in the bible in its original form is from the Mouth of God.

^^ paul had alot of personal opinion and said so in the scriptures

but that doesnt mean we should write it off

he told us so we know exaclty how to behave and dont misunderstand what has been written

alot of churches like to write off what paul says and likewise some churches take some of his sayings wrong and too seriously

he has said all those things under the influence of the holy spirit and likewise many of us get revealations from the holy spirit that wont apply to everyone

just like when he said its better not to be married or when he said we shouldnt drink wine i never hear people takin that seriously!

pls to all posters before you write me off as a female critic you would like to go through the thread.

i never said females are the only bad ones or are bad at all and my topic shows that i have not condemned but opened this topic for all opinions[ i have gone as far as posting why they wrote it].

i do not take the judges sit on this table for we are all spectators here.peace

Before one studies the scriptures, one ought to pray first for understanding and guidance from the Holy Spirit. Paul in that passage was pointing to the fact that God doesnt look at how beautifully dressed/braided/adorned a woman looks outwardly but He looks at the heart.

Many people study the scripture on the face value without seeking deep spiritual truths about the scripture. If a woman dresses in obedience to the standard Paul set out (dont quote me wrong - there is nothing wrong with this standard) and in her compound she wakes her neighbour up with quarells, keeps malice with friends, gossips, and is hateful, so by the face value interpretation of that scripture, is she qualified for heaven?

Paul's emphases was not on the order of dressing but on the quality of the heart.

If this chapter is followed accordingly, then we can save a lot of money, resources and eventually preserve our ecosystem from degradation.

karo93:

1.peter.3.3-4
You should not make use of outward aids to make yourselves beautiful, such as the way you do your hair, or the jewelry you wear. Instead your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's sight.

While I'm not going to critique everyone's comments and contributions so far, I'd however want to draw your attention to the following,

In Greek Civilization, the duty of a woman was to 'remain inside and be obedient to her husband', a sign of a good woman which however forbid her to see, hear and if possible speak little

Under Jewish law, a woman was a thing; she was owned by her husband exactly the way a sheep or goat is owned. And finally, under Roman law, a woman had no right; she remained as a child for ever. Because of the fallen world we now live in and sin nature which existed in our flesh, Christian women are now more susceptible to the same maladies as non-Christians

The problem of looking on outward appearance is not limited to women only, 1 Samuel 16:7, Take a look at Luke 16:15 also.

In the days in which Peter lived, those with the means to do so went to great extremes in dresses, cosmetics, and hair styling to look good to others and sometimes intimidate them or rather belittle them.

Ornate hairstyles were prevalent in the high society of the Roman world:

Curl climbs on top of curl and over the forehead there arose something which at its best looked like the chef d’oeuvre of a master pastry cook and, at its worst, like a dry sponge. At the back the hair was plaited, and the braids arranged in a coil which looks like basketwork.

While outward appearances affect every believer, male or female (see Matthew 6; and 23:5-6), Peter particularly instructs married women about their priorities concerning true beauty. There is nothing wrong with dressing in a way that pleases one’s mate. It is no sin to be well-dressed (see Proverbs 31:22). But it is wrong to be preoccupied with outward appearances at the expense of inward beauty. A beautiful woman who lacks inner beauty and character is, according to Proverbs, like a pig with a gold ring in its nose.

Peter was a man in touch with reality, but time have changed, the world is fast changing and people have to change with it. It is now a common factor that without these ornaments, women now look less-attractive to brothers. Everyone is given a measure of faith, let it carry you as far as you could go.

Shalom!

karo93:

1.peter.3.3-4
You should not make use of outward aids to make yourselves beautiful, such as the way you do your hair, or the jewelry you wear. Instead your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's sight.

your version of the bible is clearly skewed. Since the bible say we shouldn't worry about our hair does that mean we should walk around looking homeless with uncombed hair and claim you are doing it for God. The bible claim you should not worry about the outside beauty at least thats how most christians around the world intepret except for some hard core Africans.

karo93:

1.peter.3.3-4
You should not make use of outward aids to make yourselves beautiful, such as the way you do your hair, or the jewelry you wear. Instead your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's sight.

your version of the bible is clearly skewed. Since the bible say we shouldn't worry about our hair does that mean we should walk around looking homeless with uncombed hair and claim you are doing it for God. The bible claim you should not worry about the outside beauty at least thats how most christians around the world intepret except for some hard core Africans.

We all like to understand the bible the way we want to
Just one bible verse has millions of interpretations, all depending on the way you percieve it
And it takes the holy spirit to understand the true meaning of a verse