“While the Bible was written for us, it was written not to us,” Dr. Michael Heiser writes in The Bible Unfiltered. Thus, it often does not answer modern questions as straightforwardly as we would like, but that does not mean that it is void of wisdom and direct application for the questions that rest in many of our modern minds.
One such question is hard to avoid for woman trying to navigate her way through the twenty-first century in a godly manner. What do we do about makeup? To answer that question with Scripture, one must learn to apply God’s wisdom as manifested through His Word to many areas of life, including identity, creativity, vanity, and idolatry.
Where Does the Bible Directly Forbid Wearing Makeup?
Much to some Christians’ surprise and confusion, the Bible never expressly forbids wearing makeup.
It does mention times when makeup was used for aberrant purposes. Most people know the two passages discussing beautification tools:
“Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart…” (1 Peter 3:3-4)
“Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive apparel, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.” (1 Timothy 2:9-10)
Neither passage addresses makeup directly. However, both carry important truths for women to remember when considering their relationship with it. Those who take these passages to mean that women should scorn all attempts at beautifying themselves outwardly miss the purpose of these passages altogether.
Both Peter and Paul (who wrote 1 Timothy) say that a woman’s worth does not come from her outward appearance but from her inner assurance that she is a child of God, and her focus in life should reflect that reality. What is “precious in the sight of God” should be most precious to His children.
Are we more concerned with becoming the type of people that please our Heavenly Father and reflect Him to the world? Or are we concerned about painting a picture of ourselves that we think people will affirm?
We have missed the message if we care more about maintaining our image than bearing God’s image.
Where Does the Bible Talk More Generally about Makeup?
Elsewhere, Scripture talks about makeup more generally or symbolically—in discussions about the Israelites’ faithlessness.
In the book of Isaiah, the prophet relays God’s denunciation of the daughters of Zion who “are haughty and walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their eyes, mincing along as they go, tinkling with their feet'' (Isaiah 3:16).
Another example appears in Jeremiah 4:30, in which the prophet addresses the kingdom of Judah. The prophet accuses the nation:
“And you, O desolate one, what do you mean that you dress in scarlet, that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? In vain you beautify yourself. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life.”
The reference to ‘enlarging their eyes with paint” alludes to the then-common Eastern practice of lining the upper eyelids with powdered antimony, known as kohl, to increase how large the eyes appear. Just as the wicked queen Jezebel had “painted her eyes and adorned her head” (2 Kings 9:30) in a vain and futile attempt to get what she wanted, the Israelites were accused of beautifying themselves to satisfy their cravings—specifically, by uniting themselves with foreign nations (only to become enslaved by them). Neither Judah nor Jezebel were successful in trying to undermine God’s purposes and satisfy their selfish desires.
Jezebel is not the only woman condemned in the Old Testament for using cosmetics for selfish purposes. The Bible condemns Potiphar’s wife and Delilah for trying to gain power and gratify their internal cravings through beautification tools.
What Do the Bible’s Passages about Makeup Teach Us?
A few things are evident from the Bible’s references to makeup.
First, God does not condone wearing makeup to:
- wield power over others
- replace His love with worldly approval
- serve idols
- satisfy unholy desires
The principle aligns with what is taught in 1 John 2:15-16:
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.”
We all contain a prideful desire for others’ approval. We all recognize that we have not fully understood God’s love.
If we seek to fulfill “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes,” we are not living to honor God and others. We disobey God's Word whenever makeup becomes a tool to idolize the self. Not only that, we will find we are enslaved to worldly standards, to the world we have become united to, instead of focusing on something higher.
Do the Bible’s Warnings about Vanity Apply to Wearing Makeup?
Scripture warns time and time against vanity, the final destination of worldly self-seeking. Interestingly, dictionaries describe the word vain as both “excessively proud of or concerned about one’s own appearance” and “without real significance, value, or importance.” These two definitions collide in Scripture:
“Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.” (Proverbs 11:22)
Beauty is worthless and ill-placed if coupled with a futile mind. Moreover, pride, which C.S. Lewis observes is “the devil’s most effective and destructive tool,” opposes us to God, priming us for destruction (James 4:6, Proverbs 16:18). Whether pride is placed in one’s intellect, wisdom, athletic ability, or attractiveness, pride will always distance us from security in Christ, placing security in others.
The Bible’s warnings against a vain person’s excessive pride should inform our views on makeup. We must reevaluate anything if we realize it actively takes our focus away from Christ and fuels a fixation on ourselves.
Beauty is not a thing to be ashamed or afraid of. However, as with many life areas, it can be a creative work to show our God-given beauty, or it can be misused to idolize ourselves. Therefore, we surrender in all things. We must seek a mindset mirroring John the Baptist, who saw Jesus becoming more popular and proclaimed, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).
All of Christ’s disciples should take this view—the opposite of vanity. We become more confident of our worth as this view becomes part of our lives, and we live out its truth.
We live in an upside-down kingdom. The world will say that to become satisfied, we must put ourselves first, love ourselves most, and elevate ourselves above all others. In contrast, Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24). A life lived for Christ is freedom; a life lived for oneself brings captivity.
If we find that, rather than liberating us, wearing makeup only confines us further in our self-obsession, then we have a problem. We must heed the Bible’s warning against pride and vanity. Suppose makeup is applied to elevate oneself to gain status or approval in the world. In that case, the brushes are being wielded as tools at the enemy’s disposal to steal your joy and instill discontentment.
What Should Women Remember about Wearing Makeup?
You were loved before you were born. Your life was declared worthy by Christ’s death on the cross. Makeup cannot make you any more loved, any more worthy. It can do nothing to change the fact that this life is fleeting (Psalm 144:4) and that your body is slowly withering away. It cannot “transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with His [Christ’s] glorious body” (Philippians 3:21). Only the Spirit of the Lord that lives in believers can do that.
Makeup cannot transform the ugly things in your heart into something new, beautiful, and eternal. Makeup will never make you valuable, lovable, worthy, or acceptable in God’s sight. Thus, it can never fulfill the desires we often try to satisfy in using it.
It can be used as a tool. It can be used creatively and lovingly. Joy can be found in the process. You don’t need it, but you can use it. You have been given that freedom.
“Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh.” (Galatians 5:13)
If you feel that you may be using makeup to serve the flesh and therefore fuel an idol (attractiveness, power, pride, etc.), then bring your concerns to the Lord in prayer.
Maybe He will ask you to give it up for a time. I know many who have done this and have found it incredibly freeing.
Personally, I make a habit of not wearing it a few days out of the week. This is not legalism but is a personal conviction. It reminds me that I am more than the paint I put on my face; I am loved not because of my appearance.
If you wonder what people might think if they see you without makeup, try the bare-faced look for a few days. It might just be the thing that brings you one step closer to being “able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19). It is important to remember Scripture’s warnings against pride and to focus on what is truly important in life, to recall that the things of this world will not last and that your worth is rooted in God alone.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/DragonImages
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