SHOULD CHRISTIAN WOMEN WEAR MAKE-UP OR JEWELRY
This is one of
those really sticky issues where the interpretation depends on culture and on
our own heart-condition as well as whether we believe we should adhere to the
letter or the spirit of a command. I know groups that believe it is wrong to
wear certain colors, certain fabrics, wedding rings, and even certain shoes.
First, we need to
ask ourselves about the historical context and the over-all purpose of these
commands. (What exactly were these commands trying to correct?)
If you study
this, you'll find that 1st century Roman women were quite vain and really
dressed to impress in a way that we'd find incredibly gaudy: lots of jewels,
hair braided in incredible styles that were sometimes enhanced with precious
stones, and silk clothing. Consider this quote from Pliny about Lollia Paulina,
wife of Emperor Caligula, "I have seen her entirely covered with emeralds
and pearls strung alternately, glittering all over her head, hair, bandeau, necklaces
and fingers, the value of all which put together amounted to the sum of forty
millions of sesterces, a value she was ready to attest by producing the
receipts."
Clothing like
this was intended to generate envy, and REALLY intensified the distinction
between the haves and the have-nots. It was completely antithetical to the
teaching that all Christians, rich or poor, were brothers and sisters and equal
before the throne of grace. The vast wealth that this clothing reflected was
also often created by the exploitation of slaves and the poor, which God hates.
So this is the
context in which these commands were issued and this is probably the issue that
the Apostles were trying to correct: over-dressing for social status, to
generate envy, or to stand out in a worldly way and separate oneself from the
hoi polloi in the Assembly.
(As a side note,
however. Early Christians apparently did NOT dress in strange or unusual ways
to attract attention (Epistle to Diognetus) other than their clothing being perhaps
a little more restrained or modest. Their clothing fitted in with the cultures
in which they were a part.)
For ourselves, we have to ask some personal
questions of our conscience:
Does my denomination/my conscience believe we should
adhere to the spirit or the letter of commands such as this?
Does my denomination believe that a Christian should
stand out because of his or her distinctive dress?
Is MY clothing intended to generate attention or envy, to
put others down, to show that I'm a super-Christian, or to otherwise give
myself a pat-on-the-back? Or do my clothes show that I love my poorer brothers
and sisters enough to try to make them feel comfortable around me and that I
love the lost enough to be a good witness?
Do my clothes or jewelry reveal personal greed in my
heart? In other words, how's my charity-life? Am I storing up treasure here on
Earth?
For men: Do these verses only apply to women? Even a man
can feel proud of his Armani suit or Italian-made shoes.
Does the wearing of gold or pearls really have the same
significance in the U.S. that it had in 1st century Rome? Probably not.
"Gold" and "pearls" out of the gum-ball machine are so
common now in most American cultures that few people even notice them unless
someone has rings on every finger.
What does my jewelry/clothing/makeup say to
non-Christians in my area? Does it make me look strange, gaudy, greedy, or do
people see "me" and think of what I "DO" in the community
rather than remember my clothing? Everything we do should be out of love and
concern for others' salvation.
As for makeup,
some groups bring out a lot of scriptures linking (heavy) makeup to
prostitutes. Much of our makeup today worn by conservative Christian women is
not particularly noticeable, in fact, it probably tends to make a woman stand
out LESS because it evens out the complexion and reduces scars.
Each of us has to
examine the verses, examine our conscience, ask questions about stewardship (is
buying a lot of designer clothes, jewelry or expensive makeup a good use of
God's money? Some precious stones are a very poor investment even from a
worldly point of view.) and look at our own heart-attitudes.
In the end, all
that will matter is whether or not we will one day wear a robe of fine, white
linen, that was washed in the precious blood of our Savior.
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