No one can even be over righteous, even though Solomon in Ecclesiastics 7:17 says "Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?" He was simply saying; you should live a moderate life, don't kill yourself for nothing. You can't be over righteous because righteousness is a gift, you didn't and can't earn it by works, it comes by accepting Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour. (See Ephe.2:8, 1 Corin.1:30 and Titus 3:5-7)
One of the most misinterpreted Bible portion on this matter is 1 Peter 3:1-4 So, let's look at it from different translations.
Message says:
1 Peter 3:1 The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated. 2 by your life of holy beauty. 3 What matters is not your outer appearance - the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes - 4 but your inner disposition. 5 The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands.
NIV:
3 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands.
Please, let's follow the Bible accurately, I didn't hear don't adorn yourself with jewelry or don't style your hair but the Bible said, let your beauty not be based on outward adornment not that outward adornment is a sin. I know a lot of people will be surprised to hear me say this because those who know me know I don't have time for most of those things nevertheless, looking good is good, don't just let your life depend on them, don't make those things your God but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't make nice hair styles, or you shouldn't wear jewelries.
I do wear earrings and wrist watch but that doesn't mean I can't go out without them and I can't be running late for church service then rush back because I forgot my watch or my earrings. The Bible is saying that your beauty should not be based outwardly but inwardly.
Some women look so beautiful in their physical adornments but are very ugly inside, Jezebels, draining lives out of their husbands and people around them, that's deception. Let your outward adornment be moderate and let it not override your inward adornment which is the fear of God. Does it say that hairstyles, wearing of jewelries and fine clothes is a sin? NO! It didn't say so but it said, let your beauty not be based on them.
Most people are also holding strongly to what Apostle Paul said in:
1 Timothy 2:9-109 And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. 10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.
Yet, both Apostle Peter and Apostle Paul are saying be decent in your appearance don't draw attention by the things you wear.
My take is that physical adornments like nice hairstyles, good clothing and wearing of jewelries is not a sin, it becomes a sin when you over do it, it becomes a sin when your intention is to lure men to sin, it becomes a sin when you can't do without a particular jewelry, or hairstyle or clothing. It becomes a sin when it takes the place of God in your life. It becomes a sin when it leads people astray. Dress neatly and decently even with your adornments.
Someone once told me that wearing earrings is a sin and I shouldn't wear it again. In fact, he said it makes me ugly and that's why my husband hasn't come yet. What! I was like; really? I've heard you but I also have the Spirit of God and I know He has rebuked and corrected me on so many things but this one has never been an issue so I can't stop because you said so.
God can specifically instruct you not to wear jewelries or make some hairstyles and all that because of the assignment He has called you to do. Don't make specific instructions general instructions Biko! There are some clothes I will never wear, some hairstyles I will never make and there are some jewelries I will never wear because I know how He relates with me and I know who I am. There are some jewelries, clothing's and hairstyles a Christian should never wear.
When men encounter God for themselves they will live right. They will know what to do and what not to do. Let's play our own part by discipling them, teach them the basics, give them the sincere milk of the Word, and stop deliberating on outward adornment, work on their inward man by feeding them with the right food and let God be praised in their lives because when the inward man is genuinely changed, it will reflect in the outward man.
There is an account of Ezekiel that interests me so much. Although God was talking about Jerusalem but this account actually meant a lot to me especially on adornments and all that. To be honest, I had a different perspective on this matter after coming across this Bible portion.
Please carefully enjoy this reading:
Ezekiel 16
1 God's Message came to me:
:2 "Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her outrageous violations.
:3 Say this: 'The Message of God, the Master, to Jerusalem: You were born and bred among Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
:4 "'On the day you were born your umbilical cord was not cut, you weren't bathed and cleaned up, you weren't rubbed with salt, you weren't wrapped in a baby blanket.
:5 No one cared a fig for you. No one did one thing to care for you tenderly in these ways. You were thrown out into a vacant lot and left there, dirty and unwashed - a newborn nobody wanted.
:6 "'And then I came by. I saw you all miserable and bloody. Yes, I said to you, lying there helpless and filthy, "Live!
:7 Grow up like a plant in the field!" And you did. You grew up. You grew tall and matured as a woman, full-breasted, with flowing hair. But you were naked and vulnerable, fragile and exposed.
:8 "'I came by again and saw you, saw that you were ready for love and a lover. I took care of you, dressed you and protected you. I promised you my love and entered the covenant of marriage with you. I, God, the Master, gave my word. You became mine.
:9 I gave you a good bath, washing off all that old blood, and anointed you with aromatic oils.
:10 I dressed you in a colorful gown and put leather sandals on your feet. I gave you linen blouses and a fashionable wardrobe of expensive clothing.
:11 I adorned you with jewelry: I placed bracelets on your wrists, fitted you out with a necklace,
:12 emerald rings, sapphire earrings, and a diamond tiara.
:13 You were provided with everything precious and beautiful: with exquisite clothes and elegant food, garnished with honey and oil. You were absolutely stunning. You were a queen!
:14 You became world-famous, a legendary beauty brought to perfection by my adornments. Decree of God, the Master.
:15 "'But your beauty went to your head and you became a common whore, grabbing anyone coming down the street and taking him into your bed.
:16 You took your fine dresses and made "tents" of them, using them as brothels in which you practiced your trade. This kind of thing should never happen, never. What a Sick Soul!
:17 "'And then you took all that fine jewelry I gave you, my gold and my silver, and made pornographic images of them for your brothels.
:18 You decorated your beds with fashionable silks and cottons, and perfumed them with my aromatic oils and incense.
:19 And then you set out the wonderful foods I provided - the fresh breads and fruits, with fine herbs and spices, which were my gifts to you - and you served them as delicacies in your whorehouses. That's what happened, says God, the Master.
:20 "'And then you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had given birth to as my children, and you killed them, sacrificing them to idols. Wasn't it bad enough that you had become a whore?
God was talking about His saving grace that redeemed the people of Jerusalem and with same grace has He redeemed us lavishing us with His everlasting love, but why use adornments to convey the message?
You that is against wearing of jewelries do you wear wrist watch? If yes, then allow me to tell you that wrist watch is also a jewelry.God was talking about His saving grace that redeemed the people of Jerusalem and with same grace has He redeemed us lavishing us with His everlasting love, but why use adornments to convey the message?
Please stop saying that God destroyed the Israelites because of jewelries, they were destroyed because they made idol with what God asked them to use and beautiful themselves. See Exo.3:21-22; 32:1-10.
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