What Does the Bible Say About Make-up?
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT WEARING MAKE-UP?
"I was watching TV one sleepless night and stumbled upon an infomercial for some beauty product. The commercial showed before and after portraits, that to my eye, looked like the same photo just photoshopped. I laughed to myself. Then I made this video."
Anyone who is familiar with the UPC knows that the majority of UPC churches and their affiliates teach against women wearing make-up. The official position of the UPC on make-up is this:
“Since the primary effect of makeup is to highlight sex appeal, we reject makeup as immodest1.”
However, since I spent my whole life in the movement I know from personal experience that this is not the view taught in the churches. (At least, I have never heard this view taught.) The argument against make-up that I always heard was taken from three Scriptures (2 Kings 9:30, Jer. 4:30, Eze. 23:40). The reason that it was taken from three Scriptures is because there are only three Scriptures in the entire Bible that say anything against make-up!
You see, make-up is a non-issue Biblically. Nothing was ever said about the subject positively or negatively. There are three Scriptures that make reference to make-up in passing, but none of the three even hint that make-up is a sin. Again, it’s a non-issue.
Unfortunately, the UPC takes these three Scriptures, twists them out of context, and creates a doctrine out of them. That would be bad enough of its own, but the situation is made worse because many UPC churches teach that wearing make-up is a sin. In other words, it’s not an optional doctrine in any UPC church that I’ve ever attended. (The one exception is a church that I attended for five years. The pastor–who I dearly love and respect–allows make-up as long as it does not change the base color of the skin. He is considered extremely liberal by many other pastors.)
In this article I am going to show what the Bible says about make-up, and then respond to the UPC position on the issue.
Is Wearing Make-up A Sin?
Now, if you’ve read my article on Jewelry then you read about how sin is defined. I’m not going to repeat it all here. Instead I recommend that you read the section of the article titled “Does the Bible Ever Say That Wearing Jewelry Is A Sin?” I will briefly recap the subject here by reminding you that the Old Testament Law (Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy) defines what sin is (Rom. 7:7). Everything that is a sin in the New Testament was also a sin in the Old Testament Law, but everything that was a sin in the Old Testament Law was not necessarily a sin in the New Testament.
The reason that I said that is to say this: The Bible never defines make-up as a sin. The Old Testament Law was completely silent on the issue, and the New Testament never mentions it at all!
What Does the Bible Say About Make-up?
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, make-up is only mentioned three times in the Bible (2 Ki. 9:30, Jer. 4:30, Eze. 23:40). Here is what these three Scriptures have to say:
2Ki 9:30 NASB
(30) When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, and she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out the window.
BTS Fotoshop from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.
Jer 4:30 NASB
(30) And you, O desolate one, what will you do? Although you dress in scarlet, Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold, Although you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you make yourself beautiful. Your lovers despise you; They seek your life.
Eze 23:40 NASB
(40) “Furthermore, they have even sent for men who come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and lo, they came–for whom you bathed, painted your eyes and decorated yourselves with ornaments.
One does not have to be a Bible scholar to see that none of these Scriptures say anything about whether or not a person should wear make-up! However, there is also a fourth Scripture that I often heard used to preach against make-up. It is 1 Tim. 2:9, which says:
1Ti 2:9 NASB
(9) Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments.
You might be asking at this point how 1 Tim. 2:9 has anything to do with make-up, and that’s a very valid question! The confusion seems to come from a misunderstanding of the KJV translation of the Scripture. The KJV uses the word “shamefacedness” instead of “modesty.” As near as I’ve been able to figure out, many UPC preachers assume that “shamefacedness” means that a person shouldn’t wear make-up. The logic seems to be that it has the word “face” inside of “shamefacedness” so therefore it must be talking about make-up. This is an example of the sort of shoddy Biblical study that is done by many UPC preachers and pastors.
Overwhelming Evidence?
I think anyone will agree that these four Scriptures are hardly overwhelming evidence against make-up! The fact is, the Bible just doesn’t say whether or not a woman can wear make-up! We have to assume that if it mattered at all to God then He would have mentioned it at least once, right? Why should we have to take a few Scriptures that are hidden in the depths of the Old Testament and twist them together in a convoluted fashion to form a doctrine? It seems to me that God was pretty plain about the stuff that mattered to Him! For example, look at Gal. 5:19-21:
Gal 5:19-21 NASB
(19) Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
(20) idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
(21) envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
That’s pretty plain, right? I just don’t think God’s sitting up there seeing how many people He can trick into going to hell! A god who does that is the antithesis of the God of the Bible!
A Few Questions for the UPC:
Here’s a question that I have for the UPC:
If make-up is evil because it enhances our sex appeal, then what other things are we not allowed to do?
Are we not allowed to wear deoderant?
Are we not allowed to brush our hair?
Are we not allowed to wear color-coordinated outfits?
Are we not allowed to wear matching socks?
You see, I really want to enhance my sex appeal! I’m 26, and I want to get married some day! Because of that I do all sorts of stuff to enhance my sex appeal! I brush my teeth twice a day, I style my hair, I make sure my socks match, I exercise regularly enough to keep the worst of the flab off, etc. What’s wrong with doing that? Just because a woman wants to make herself attracted doesn’t mean that she’s promiscuous! Every single one of us does things every day to enhance our attractiveness to the opposite sex!
Here are a few other questions:
If 2 Kings 9:30 is saying that make-up is evil because Jezebel used it, then doesn’t it also mean that we can’t look out the window?
If Jer. 4:30 is saying that make-up is evil because Israel wore it while they were backslidden, then doesn’t it also mean that wearing scarlet is evil?
If Eze. 23:40 is saying that make-up is evil because Israel wore it while they were backslidden, then doesn’t it mean that it’s also evil to take a bath?
Isn’t this all a little bit ridiculous?!
Conclusion:
You see, this is the problem with UPC theology: It’s a house of cards. The UPC has made the claim that they and their affiliates are the only ones who possess Truth. But what happens when they find out that something they taught as Truth was wrong? It throws everything else into question! If they can be wrong on one point then they can be wrong on other points as well.
I believe that this is what is happening with make-up. The UPC has been backed into a corner. More and more people are seeing that there is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing make-up. There’s no Scriptural basis for not wearing it, and there’s no logical reason for not wearing it. Now the UPC is forced to defend a doctrine that makes no sense, because if they back off this doctrine then it might cause their members to doubt other doctrines as well.
This is why I believe that the Bible should be the ultimate rule of authority. If I find that I’ve misunderstood something in the Bible then I have no problem changing my beliefs. I don’t claim to have a monopoly on Truth. I claim that Jesus is the only way to God, not any one Christian denomination!
Folks, God doesn’t care whether or not you wear make-up! If He cared then He would have put it in the Bible! If you are a woman who feels that God does not want you wearing make-up then that is between you and Him, but God never gave any organization the right to dictate a doctrine that has no Scriptural basis as being necessary for salvation!
References:
United Pentecostal Church International, Position Paper on Modesty, Accessed 2006-12-21 20:02:31 [↩]
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SOURCE: http://www.whyileft.org/what-does-the-bible-say-about/what-does-the-bible-say-about-wearing-make-up/
Bloggers
note: READ Scripture in context. Remember Kafe's (Peters) warning
when reading Sha'ul's (Paul) letters!
2Pe
3:14 So then, beloved ones, looking forward to this, do
your utmost to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,
2Pe
3:15 and reckon the patience of our Master as deliverance, as
also our beloved brother Sha’ul wrote to you, according to the
wisdom given to him,
2Pe
3:16 as also in all his letters, speaking in
them concerning these matters, in which some are
hard to understand,1 which those who are untaught
and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do also the
other Scriptures.
1 First
of all, then, I counsel that petitions, prayers, intercessions and
thanksgivings be made for all human beings, 2 including
kings and all in positions of prominence; so that we may lead quiet
and peaceful lives, being godly and upright in everything. 3 This
is what God, our Deliverer, regards as good; this is what meets his
approval. 4 He wants all humanity to be delivered
and come to full knowledge of the truth. 5 For God
is one;a and there is but one Mediator between God and humanity,
Yeshua the Messiah, himself human, 6 who gave
himself as a ransom on behalf of all, thus providing testimony to
God's purpose at just the right time. 7 This is why
I myself was appointed a proclaimer, even an emissary - I am telling
the truth, not lying! - a trustworthy and truthful teacher of the
Goyim. 8 Therefore, it is my wish that when the men
pray, no matter where, they should lift up hands that are holy -
they should not become angry or get into arguments. 9Likewise,
the women, when they pray, should be dressed modestly and sensibly
in respectable attire, not with elaborate hairstyles and gold
jewelry, or pearls, or expensive clothes. 10 Rather,
they should adorn themselves with what is appropriate for women who
claim to be worshipping God, namely, good deeds. 11 Let
a woman learn in peace, fully submitted; 12but I do not
permit a woman to teach a man or exercise authority over him;
rather, she is to remain at peace. 13 For Adam was
formed first, then Havah. 14 Also it was not Adam
who was deceived, but the woman who, on being deceived, became
involved in the transgression. 15 Nevertheless, the
woman will be delivered through childbearing, provided that she
continues trusting, loving and living a holy life with modesty. CJB
1Ti
2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in
modest apparel, with shamefacedness and
sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly
array; KJV
Since
I began studying authentic Messianic Judaism one point became clear,
“When reading scripture, context is everything”. Context
trumps false doctrines hands down.
When
in doubt about a reading the B'rit Hadashah...”Shema” -“Hear
oh Israel Adonai our God is Echad (One God)
Love
HaShem fully and be a blessing to my neighbors by Loving them as
myself.
aidōs
has nothing to do with wearing make-up !
G127
αἰδώς
aidōs
ahee-doce'
Perhaps
from G1 (as
a negative particle) and G1492 (through
the idea of downcast eyes); bashfulness,
that is, (towards men), modesty or
(towards God) awe: -
reverence, shamefacedness.
shamefacednessG127
G127
αἰδώς
aidōs
Thayer
Definition:
1)
a sense of shame or honour, modesty, bashfulness, reverence, regard
for others, respect
Part
of Speech: noun
feminine
A
Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: perhaps
from G1 (as
a negative particle) and G1492 (through
the idea of downcast eyes)
Citing
in TDNT: 1:169,
26 SOURCE:
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