Should Christians Wear Makeup?
This one goes out to all my Christian ladies who like makeup. Many of you have probably wondered at some point if it is appropriate for a Christian to wear makeup. I’ve heard many opinions–ranging from no way–to go for it!
I love makeup. I’m not super talented at applying it, but I will say that I can rock a good cat eye. Of course, I’ve wondered about God’s opinion on makeup and how it fits in a Biblical view of modesty.
Let’s turn to God’s Word, which should be the ultimate authority on the decisions we make as Christians.
For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7NKJV).
We live in a culture that is obsessed with appearance–especially for females. We take selfies and spend our days on social media, so naturally we tend to think about our appearance. However, God isn’t so impressed. He already knows we’re beautiful because He created us–fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).
What really concerns God is the state of our souls. He wants us to be in a relationship with Him above all else. Jesus never gave a sermon on makeup or fashion because He was more concerned about how we were loving Him and those around us.
Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God (1 Peter 3:3-4 NKJV).
I go a lot deeper on modesty in this post. The main point of this scripture is that modesty and appearance for a Christian–man or woman–should be about classiness and moderation. We shouldn’t be flashy or extreme, and we shouldn’t spend the majority of our time on our looks. It’s all about balance.
I believe this also applies to makeup. When you apply it to your face, ask yourself, am I doing this to get attention? Am I doing this because I don’t like myself? God knows our hearts and He cares about that the most. He wants His daughters to know their beauty and worth–with or without makeup.
Verse 4 (above) mentions the “hidden person of the heart.” This reminds us of God’s focus–our hearts and souls.
Makeup isn’t bad or sinful. It’s about our motives. We need to examine ourselves and our reasons for wearing makeup. I believe makeup is for creative fun and highlighting the natural beauty God gave us.
Remember lovely, you are beautiful and loved by your Heavenly Father. Whether you wear makeup or not will never change this. Always remember your worth in Christ, and let that love radiate to all.
That is true beauty.
Thanks for reading! Please feel free to comment and share 🙂
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11 Comments
Lisa Beth
Great post, the truths are relevant to so many areas. Reminds me of my wonderful pastor David Wilkerson. Biblically conservative, people would always question him on such matters, looking for legalistic answers. One day he said, “Look, a lot of you write and ask about ladies wearing make-up. I’m not here to say it’s right or wrong. Well, if the barn needs paint, then paint it!” ☺
fearfullywonderfullyme
Thank you Lisa! It’s so true that we can easily fall into legalistic rules regarding clothing and makeup. When really it should be something to enjoy and give God glory, rather than to feel shame over. 😊 And that quote is funny!
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Dainty M
I love your perspective in this post. I’m glad you took us back to scriptures as the main basis. People often indulge in arguments on this topic but I agree with you that the motives matter a lot. It’d amaze us to note that even some who do ‘good stuffs’ don’t often do them with good motives and the Lord sees all of that! So yes, motives really matter. Thanks for sharing Emily.
fearfullywonderfullyme
I’m so glad you like it M! You really got it right–we could do all the charity in the world but all for our own glory instead of God’s. Jesus always focused on motives ❤
captain of the flying dutchman
I loved the make up piece, am I guy, man, boy, but I think it’s an issue that needs to be addressed and I loved your point of view on it.
Thank you
fearfullywonderfullyme
Thanks for commenting! I’m glad you liked the post.
Tabitha
Oh, I really, really like this! 🙂 As someone who is newly developing a love for makeup, this is a great read! I think you are right on the money when you say it all comes down to the attitude of why we are putting it on, and whether it is pulling our focus from where it should be.
fearfullywonderfullyme
Amen! God is all about our hearts ❤ I’m so glad you liked it Tabitha!
Wendy Brydge
Love this post, Emily, and couldn’t agree more!
fearfullywonderfullyme
Thanks Wendy 😄