IS THE USE OF MAKEUP A SIN?
The use of
makeup whether we believe it or not is
not only a worldwide custom but indeed one that has become a socially
acceptable normal especially more recently than we may imagine or think.
Therefore, to even question the use of it will seem old-fashioned or out of
place to countless no of women and, of course, men who have grown accustomed to
and comfortable with its widespread use. But what
exactly is the truth about makeup? Today most women, even to little girls wear
it, yet majority are oblivious of its history some of which I'll try to present
now as i believe it may help us with some background clues we need along with
some of the bibles position on this.
Having said that,
allow me clear one wrong notion about that attitude of some of us towards the Old
Testament, I want us to realize the bible's position on the use of it, as I
shall be drawing inferences from it for the purpose of my submission. Now
scripture itself (Apostle Paul) said that most Old Testament (OT) accounts were
actually recorded for us today,
“Now these
things [OT accounts] were OUR EXAMPLES, to the intent we should not lust after
evil things, as they also lusted…Now all these happened unto them for examples
[RSV says “as
a warning”]: and they are written for OUR ADMONITION...” (I Cor. 10:6, 11).
Haven said that;
what TRUTH exactly do we need to know about makeup? What are the facts that can
help us here?
Without any
argument, there are some things that we all naturally agree as wrong or as a
sin without being able to refer to a single verse of scripture that specifically
addresses that subject, this is for those who always say; "where is it
expressly written in the bible", and if u manage to find one or two in the
OT, they say where is it in the NT. Now, smoking and drug consumption are a few
examples, we know smoking is a sin but not one scripture points anywhere to it.
Likewise,
although makeup can be referenced in the bible, there is not one “Thus saith
the Lord, it is a sin" on this subject in the bible. There are, however,
important spiritual principles that can be considered in ascertaining whether
it is or not.
Before we
look at scriptures, I'll like us to see the worlds opinion on this subject.
What exactly is the meaning of the word mascara. Believe me, if we can simply
just accept the worlds word (definition) for what it is, then it becomes easy
for us to move on as what u are about to discover, is its own honest statement
(testimony) from the cosmetics industry themselves.
The word
mascara comes from the word; MASK
& from where the word MASQUERADE is
also derived from.
In essence,
to wear mascara is to wear a mask or to masquerade as something that one is not—for
the purpose of vanity and perceived beauty.
Even the
word cosmetics also has a revealing origin. It comes from the Greek word
kosmos, which means “OF THIS WORLD;
WORLDLY.”
The idea
here is that for women to be accepted in society or by the world, they must
literally masquerade. Talking about
acceptance, I'll again use the world's record (Encyclopaedia) for my
submission,
My choice
for using the Encyclopaedia Britannica on this subject is because those who
wrote it are not selling cosmetics, hence, their profits and livelihood are not
at stake if they tell the truth about why people purchase makeup. In any case,
since their reputation for being an authority on what they write is at stake,
they cannot afford to be less than honest, neither can we be d worse believing
it.
Now the Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. 18, 1956 Edit., p.
157) has this to say;
In the last
two decades, we have seen make-up progress from its early category of woman’s
conceit to become an art and an integral part of feminine beauty and
psychology.
Chief credit
for this widespread use of cosmetics goes to the motion picture industry, which
set new standards of beauty and…brought new products and principles of
application and use to the world’s women”
At the turn
of the twentieth century, makeup was viewed as something only prostitutes,
proud and arrogant women wore. With the invention of movies and television,
Hollywood injected into the limelight the image of a movie starlet’s face
covered with cosmetics. Once this image was accepted by the masses, cosmetics
became commonplace.
The movie
industry has been most responsible for associating makeup with exquisite
beauty, by presenting Hollywood actresses as sex goddesses. It became natural
that young girls and women would wish to be as attractive and desirable as
world-famous screen idols.
Hundreds of
millions of adoring fans want to look like their favourite movie stars. Even
little girls can become obsessed with being pretty, when they should be
enjoying childhood and playing with dolls and toys. They can easily become
slaves to fashion trends that are inseparable from using makeup.
But it was
only after World War II that the cosmetics industry began promoting, through
advertising, the concept of flawless beauty. Relatively quickly, this thinking
took hold around the world, with women and girls becoming enamored with the
idea that they could be more attractive.
Vanity—the desire to look more beautiful—is
what causes women to paint their faces, and is perhaps the most powerful of
human drives.
Still from
the Encyclopedia;
Psalm 39:5-6
states, “…verily [truly] every man at his best state is altogether VANITY…Surely
every man walks in a VAIN SHOW [an image].” Vanity is a powerful force in all
human beings, and it is far stronger than most understand. Each person must
have a healthy respect for the pull of vanity at work within him. Be honest
with yourself, and admit that this tendency is within you.
Pride and
vanity are why the Encyclopedia Britannica defines “cosmetics” as “…products
nobody needs—but wanting them is human nature. Today, the
desire to look better, smell better, and thus feel better causes consumers
worldwide—mostly women—to spend an estimated $65 billion annually on personal
enhancement—cosmetics” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2001).
Statistics
as at 2001, reported that “An estimated 1,282 tubes of lipstick and 2,055 jars
of skin care products are sold every minute” (“Beauty in the mind and wallet of
beholder, “Minnesota Daily Online, March 7, 2001).
Everyone
wants to look or be considered pretty or even beautiful. The pull of vanity
begins early in life. Modern society places enormous emphasis on beauty. As a
result, recent studies demonstrate that even very little girls are unhappy with
themselves to the point of depression, with many actually contemplating suicide
as a result! They feel that they do not measure up to their peers or favorite movie stars.
Today, the obsession with being beautiful has led nearly 10
million adolescent and teenage girls into eating disorders. With the
market already grossing 65 billion dollars a year and rising, a well-known chain
store announced that it has “recently decided to expand its…line of low-priced
cosmetics for teenagers and teens children in the 8- to 14-year old age group”
(“Rouge to Riches,” by Catherine Valenti, abcnews.com, June 25, 2001).
The widely
publicized death of a six-year-old “beauty queen” demonstrates there is a
growing culture obsessed with beauty in very young girls. The American
Society of Plastic Surgery reports that over 1.3 million people had cosmetic
surgery in the year 2000, and 1.2 million were women. A 1999 Gallup poll
revealed that 72% of people say that they are pleased with their appearance,
yet the amount of cosmetics sold, as well as the growing numbers turning to
cosmetic surgery in the United States, is skyrocketing. It is even reported
that younger and younger girls who enter beauty contests are also having
cosmetic surgery to attempt to win and to improve upon how God made them.
Astounding!
The
obsession with looking young, and turning back the clock, has now gone beyond
outrageous. Consider this: 1.6 million women, even some men, are now injecting
tiny amounts of a deadly poison, Botox (from botulism), under the skin of the
face to remove wrinkles. Within four days, the toxin in the treatment literally
paralyzes the facial muscles and temporarily smoothes the skin. (The treatments
only last for 90 days.) The goal is to “look the best you can for as long as
you can”—for $150 to $1000 per treatment!
However, so
many actresses are now using it that movie directors are complaining that they
can no longer produce normal facial expressions. While they may look younger,
most also look frozen and artificial.
In
describing this new trend, one beautician said, “It is as though we have given
up on AUTHENTICITY.” Another expert cut to the heart of why women wear makeup
or want all their wrinkles removed: “The wisdom that a person’s character can
be etched on his face, or [the] observation that at twenty you have the face
nature gave you and at fifty you have the face you merit, may no longer apply.”
Botox is
only the beginning of the threat from various harmful chemicals and toxins that
are latent in cosmetics. This has long been understood!
Before
continuing, lets ask another very key questions. What is d history of makeup?
Where and when did it originate? What purpose did it serve in ancient times?
The answers to these questions will again, shock you!
The ancient
roots of makeup offer the first great insight into why it is used today. The
following quotes demonstrate its early use. “The use of
cosmetics is very ancient. Evidence of the use of eye makeup and aromatic
ointments has been found in Egyptian tombs dating to 3500 BC…
“By the 1st
century AD the Egyptian, Roman, Greek and Middle Eastern cultures had developed
cosmetics such as powders to whiten the skin; kohl to darken the eyelids,
eyelashes, and eyebrows; rouge for the cheeks…” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol.
5, p. 196).
Egyptian
tombs represent the earliest recorded references to the use of makeup. But the
Egyptians were by no means the only culture to use it. Many others followed
suit. Here are some specifics:
“During the Presynaptic
period [ending in 3200 B.C.], men as well as women applied a line of green
paint around the eyes…In dynastic times the colour of paint used was a dark grey.
Red ochre seems to have been used to colour the cheeks and henna the palms,
nails, and, in the late period at least, the hair.
“Assyrians
resorted to black dye for eyebrows, hair, and beard, whereas the Persians used
henna, which produced an orange-red colour, a style that existed from 1900 BC.
Gold dust, gold thread, and scented yellow starch were sometimes used in the
hair and beard for festive occasions…” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. 5, 1979
Edit., pp. 1017-1018).
Plainly, the
use of makeup started nationally in Egypt. The Bible uses Egypt as a type of
the sins of this world, which Christians are commanded to come out of.
Even before
its use in Egypt, the original painted harlot was Semiramis, the mother-wife of Nimrod, the great grand son of Noah
and the founder of the Babylonian Mystery Religion and from whom d idolatry
Christmas and Easter worship evolved.
SEMIRAMIS
Semiramis is known as the mother of all
harlots. She used makeup, as well as suggestive whorish clothing, for various
religious and sexual rituals. The following quote describes the kind of
seductive, sensual clothing that she—and later the Egyptians—wore: “Modern
knowledge of ancient Egyptian dress derives for the most part from ancient
paintings and sculpture, since very few garments have been preserved…The
earliest representations of women show them either nude or clad in tightly
fitting white linen skirts down to the ankles” (Ibid., pp. 1016-1017).
Along with
various statues, paintings and busts still in existence from ancient times,
descriptions show how Egyptians used cosmetics and revealing clothing to appeal
to their sensuality. They adopted this dress into their culture from Semiramis, in an attempt to appear more
like the many gods and goddesses they worshiped.
Since the
artwork described here also employed the use of makeup, it is no wonder that
100 years ago it was generally understood and said that “only bad women wear
makeup.” It is the same attitude of alluring through suggestion and sensuality
that links near nudity and use of makeup. Both demonstrate a departure from
modesty and virtue.
We read that
the use of cosmetics spread from culture to culture.
The Columbia Encyclopedia
adds more about how each civilization adopted its own methods of applying and
producing cosmetics. The following shows how the Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian
and Greek cultures all took their lead from Egypt. Notice: “preparations [were]
externally applied to change or enhance the beauty of skin, hair, nails, lips,
and eyes. The use of body paint for ornamental and religious purposes has been
common…The Egyptians used kohl to darken their eyes; a crude paint was used on
the face, and fingers were often dyed with henna…Beauty aides reached a peak in
imperial Rome—especially chalk for the face and a rouge…” (Sixth Edit., 2001).
The emphasis has always been on beauty—and desiring (PURSUIT OF) beauty has
everything to do with pride and vanity.
Many women
who used cosmetics in these cultures also took their lead from Semiramis and
adopted the use of cosmetics for the purpose of harlotry. History shows how
women applied makeup to change their appearance and seduce men. Harlots and “matrons”
(the female leaders of prostitution rings) were specifically recognized by
their silk, jewels and cosmetics.
Did you know
the first women to wear makeup were prostitutes! Changing one’s appearance by
facial paint is a custom ancient PROSTITUTES have dictated to the modern age.
Cosmetics were nothing more than a device used by harlots to, in effect, teach
men to break the Seventh Commandment. This is the message of history—yet the
whole world lies in ignorance of these facts!
More
recently, makeup first became common in the red-light districts of New York,
Amsterdam, Paris and other large cities. Today it is found in nearly every
supermarket and corner drugstore. The problem
is that everyone wants to fit in, be liked and accepted by the majority. No one
naturally wants to stick out, unless it is also designed to get attention—however
perverse. You should expect others to think you are strange, extreme, and
radical. They will tell you that you are being unbalanced. But they speak from
the viewpoint of people, not God.
Now that the
history of cosmetics has been established, let’s look deeper into what d bible
says about it? How does God feel about the use of makeup? Is facial paint
mentioned in God’s Word?
We shall
examine our subject from four (4) Old Testament (OT) scriptures as they
establish the basic framework for understanding God’s view of facial cosmetics.
And when thou art spoiled, what wilt
thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee
with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain
shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy
life.
The book of
Jeremiah 4:1-30 shows the conditions of God's people ancient Israel at the end of
the age among the nations. The setting is God inspiring Jeremiah with a vision
of the DESTRUCTION coming on these modern nations. National sins and “abominations”—things
despised by God—are soon to bring a terrible punishment. God is even now
offering these people a final chance to repent and return to Him.
Jeremiah
continues, “Your way and your doings have procured these things unto you; this
is your wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reaches unto your heart
[these are very serious matters to God]…For My people is foolish, they have not
known Me; they are sottish [drunken, stupid] children, and they have none
understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge” (vs. 18, 22).
God’s
indictment reaches a climax in Jeremiah’s vision. The modern nations of Israel
have, like a harlot, sought “lovers” (political allies) who turn on her: “And
when you are spoiled, what will you do? Though you clothed yourself with
crimson…” Jeremiah describes how modern Israel has fallen into the conduct of a
whore among the nations, hence God's anger in chapter 4, verse 30: “though you
deck yourself with ornaments of gold, though you rented your face with
painting, in vain shall you make yourself fair [beautiful]; your LOVERS will
despise you, they will seek your life.”
Ancient Israel
always sought to be like the nations around her. Instead of being an example to
them, Israel wanted acceptance from them! In the same vein, Christian women
today are no different. Not wearing makeup would make them stand out, but
people want to fit in and be accepted. Please examine yourself and recognize
this natural desire at work in your mind!
Take
Jeremiah 4:30 for exactly what it means. Do not add to or subtract from it. It
is plain! The context is God condemning His people for abominations within
their national conduct—their national behaviour. One of the abominations that d
church has learnt from d world and that God says he hates is d obsession with
painting the face—thereby taking on the nature of d world's standard for
measuring beauty as opposed to biblical standard of beauty as prescribed by
scripture.
Whose adorning let it not be that
outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on
of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not
corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the
sight of God of great price.
The whole
point in verse 30 is that painting the eyes is a common worldly method and
therapy for beauty which we have unconsciously imbibed even as God's kids, and
any honest person, truly seeking to please God and find His will, would admit
as much!
If you doubt
me, why is it that upon first removing your makeup, you will look & even
feel strange to yourself, and this feeling does not easily disappear, myself
and my wife tried it out sometime when we were confronted as to whether she
could do without makeup or not. We needed to prove first to ourselves that we
could and believe me, initially, we thought it was no big deal, but after some
days, even though it was my wife and not I who actually took it off, I
sincerely began to feel awkward and out of place, I couldn't believe what grip
artificial beauty already had on me, when alone I begin to wonder why it was
making me feel out of place, this angered me so much that, I questioned myself,
"so if my wife doesn't wear a makeup, will I die"? At this point we
decided, it will be like this, going forward and believe me, we are yet to
fully recover from the grip of not wearing makeup. Worse still are the numerous
explanations we had to start making to those around us.
Upon citing my wife they
asked, "Are you sick"? "Is everything ok"? Just because you
stopped wearing makeup? It became obvious it is not my wife who is sick but our
world is that is so sick of artificial beauty.
You have no
clue how bound you are as well as the sense of relief you are being robbed of
by your need for makeup until you break free, only then will you discover all
the time and money you will save, especially dose who wear human or Brazilian
hair, this is no more fashion, but “living in pure bondage”.
Our
generation is gradually becoming vague, our women are clearly crossing the
lines, nothing seems to be clear anymore; artificial nails, artificial hair,
(Brazilian, Peruvian, Italian, Indian, even Human), artificial eyelash,
artificial eyes (Eye contact lens), artificial teeth, artificial face, artificial
toes, artificial hip, artificial waist, artificial breast, artificial walk (Cat
walking), please someone tell me, what is left that can be said to be real. Can
these be said to be God? It's about time we stop deceiving ourselves.
“Among whom also we all had our conversation [conduct] in times
past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
Like any
prostitute, often still dressed in red, and certainly operating in a “red light
district,” modern Israel has painted her face with makeup. National captivity
and a terrible time of punishment will be God’s remedy for His people and all
who follow these practices—its time we begin to wash and clean up our faces!
Women of
today may think they just want to “look nice” to the world, when in reality they
look otherwise to God.
Lets hear
how Encyclopaedia Britannica concludes this argument;
Vanity—the
desire to look more beautiful—is what causes women to paint their faces, and is
perhaps the most powerful of human drives. (Not from me but the Encyclopedia)
Psalm 39:5-6
states, “…verily [truly] every man at his best state is altogether VANITY… Surely
every man walks in a VAIN SHOW.”
Vanity is a
powerful force in all human beings, and it is far stronger than most
understand. Each person must have a healthy respect for the pull of vanity at
work within him. All we need is be honest with ourselves, and admit that this
tendency is within us.
Pride and
vanity are why the Encyclopaedia Britannica defines “cosmetics” as
"Products
nobody needs—but wanting them is human nature.
Today, the
desire to look better, smell better, and thus feel better causes consumers
worldwide, mostly women to spend an estimated $65 billion annually on personal
enhancement cosmetics”
(Encyclopedia Britannica, 2001)
And furthermore, that ye have sent
for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came:
for whom thou didst wash thyself, PAINTEDST THY EYES, and deckedst thyself with
ornaments,
The second
scripture to be examined comes from Ezekiel. Much of the book parallels
Jeremiah. God reinforces what He said there. The prophet Ezekiel records the
same kinds of national sins and conditions as Jeremiah.
The context
is of two harlot sisters. Samaria and Jerusalem. God directly likens Israel and
Judah (seeking allies among the nations) to harlots who have sent for men after
painting their faces—exactly like whores awaiting their next customers. Again,
we have here a clear, unmistakable association of the use of eye makeup with
harlotry and whoredom. God next issues a sentence, just like a modern court, to
all who have committed spiritual crimes (sins) in His sight.
‘This
therefore is the Lord the ETERNAL’S SENTENCE: Bring a host of folk against
them, and hand them over to be maltreated and robbed! Let them be stoned and
put to the sword…that ALL WOMEN MAY TAKE WARNING and avoid YOUR sensual ways…and
so learn that I am the Lord the ETERNAL!’”
Women of the
modern world—take warning! Be careful that you don’t conclude that you are an
exception to the consequences foretold in this prophecy. God connects eye paint
directly to seduction for harlotrous purposes.
And when Jehu was come to Jezreel,
Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked
out at a window.
Our
submission on makeup would be incomplete without examining one of the most evil
women in the Old Testament—Jezebel—and her use of cosmetics.
Jezebel
married King Ahab, and is infamous for doing abominable things in God’s sight.
Eventually, God decided to wipe out Ahab and his entire house. A young prophet
explained that Jezebel would die a horrible death, eaten by dogs. This struck
fear in Jezebel and she took action to save herself.
Notice what
she did: “And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she
PAINTED HER FACE, and tired her head, and she looked out at a window”. Jezebel
put on makeup to try to seduce Jehu and escape impending death.
Keil & Delitzsch Commentary of
the Old Testament:
“When Jehu
came to Jezreel and Jezebel heard of it, ‘she put her eyes into lead polish
(i.e., painted them with it), and beautified her head and placed herself at the
window’…It is prepared from antimony ore… which when pounded yields a black
powder with a metallic brilliancy, which was laid upon the eyebrows and
eyelashes…the object was to heighten the splendour of the dark southern eye,
and give it… a more deeply glowing fire, and to impart a youthful appearance to
the whole of the eyelashes even in extreme old age.”
Nonetheless,
Jehu went to Jezreel and executed her. Her makeup failed to seduce him and her
abominations came to an end when Jehu had her thrown from a window. The dogs
did, in fact, eat her flesh as God had declared!
A Warning to God’s Church
Jezebel is
mentioned in the New Testament as part of a specific warning to God’s Church: “Notwithstanding
I have a few things against you, because you suffer that woman JEZEBEL, which
calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to commit
fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols” (Rev. 2:20).
The great
false church of this world (recall the Great Whore of Revelation 17:5, with her
harlot daughters) has continually sought to get into God’s Church, depicted in
Revelation 12 as a very different woman, wearing a “crown of twelve stars.” Jezebel’s
whoredoms were so wicked that she is used by God as a type of this great
universal church. Just as Jezebel tried to seduce Jehu in Old Testament Israel
through the use of facial paint, the Great Whore has continually sought to
deceive the world and even seduce many of God’s New Testament servants by
changing her appearance, cloaking her doctrines with “paint” and masquerading
as God’s Church.
History
shows that she has been able to successfully repeat her whoredoms upon so many
of those of God’s Church. Her powers of seduction have not diminished over
time! She and her false doctrines, beginning with women using makeup,
successfully crept into the true Church of God at the end of the age.
Through the
seductive use of makeup, the Great Whore (Rev. 17:1) and Jezebel both
masquerade for the purpose of fornication. But there is an additional
horrifying parallel of what happens to this Woman (and all those who follow her
doctrines) and what happened to Jezebel. Both come to the same end, dying in
the same terrible way.
states that the beast, which the
Whore rides, will eventually turn and “eat” her, just as the dogs ate Jezebel. Following
and applying these three scriptures, in pursuit of Bible principles, we can
safely draw a conclusion or get a clear picture of d exact and original purpose
and use of makeup.
Think
carefully, lets consider those who wore makeup: the false prophetess Jezebel,
two whoring sisters, Aholah and Aholibah, and the adulteress Judah are the only
Bible examples of women (real or by analogy) who wore makeup!
Now think of
the most well-known,righteous women of the Bible. Name a single one (Old or New
Testament) who wore makeup. There is no mention of Sarah, Rebecca, Ruth, Naomi,
Mary (Christ’s mother), Deborah, Abigail, Esther or any other virtuous woman
ever applying or wearing makeup. The fact that the only examples of those who
wore makeup are adulteresses, harlots and false prophetesses serves as a great
warning to anyone who cares about the Word of God and wishes to follow the
Bible’s righteous examples instead of the wicked.
Let’s now
consider other important principles.
Imperfect or Incomplete Creation?
Ad agencies
are paid based on their ability to sell products. Their goal is to get you, the
consumer, to buy whatever it is they are being paid to promote. The most
successful agencies find and repeat a slogan over and over, of course, the best
slogans can greatly increase sales!
The most
creative that I have heard is one that honestly represents cosmetics for
exactly what they are. It originated from a cosmetics manufacturer:
“We’re
selling hope in a jar, dreams in a bottle.”
Another
slogan for a widely used cosmetics company tells women that its products will
help “you look like you, only better.” Can one look like herself, only not like
herself? Another states that you can be “at your most beautiful” if you use
their products.
These are
all effective marketing ploys, because each appeals to the exact same drive
within all human beings—the desire to be and feel pretty, attractive, beautiful—VANITY.
Makeup
appeals to both the sense of sight and vanity. Women wear cosmetics because
they feel this makes them look more attractive. By this feeling of increased
beauty, their vanity swells. This is exactly what happened to Satan!
I have known
many who sought to get around God’s will. Like Satan, they rebel. This write up
will not—cannot—help them. Some are determined to “lean…unto their own
understanding” (Prov. 3:5). They fulfill the Proverbs that “Every way of a man
is right in his own eyes” (21:2) and “All the ways of a man are clean in his
own eyes” (16:2).
They cannot be told to do anything, and this article will
have no positive effect on their thinking.
Many are confused on whether using
makeup is a sin. Although every Bible example refers to women who used it as
prostitutes, many still seek proof whether makeup is sinful.
David wrote,
“I hate every false way” (Ps. 119:104). Obviously, deceiving—by altering one’s
appearance through makeup—is a “false way.” Do you hate EVERY false way—or just
the ones that feel wrong?
David offers
fascinating insight about the connection between God’s Law and vanity, he said,
“Turn away mine eyes from beholding VANITY” (Ps. 119:37), and “Remove far from
me VANITY and LIES” (Prov. 30:8). Wearing makeup is a form of deceit—and all
deceit, in one way or another, is a lie.
Ask yourself,
do women wear makeup to show love toward neighbor? NO! Do they wear it to
please God? NO! They do it to focus on and please themselves.
God is concerned with character—spiritual
adornment! He is not interested in physical gold or jewels. God is far more
interested in the beauty of your heart than your clothes. If your character is
pure and attractive, then you are properly attired in God’s sight!
This kind of beauty is good enough
for God! IS IT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?
Makeup is
for SELF. It is done to make SELF “get” more beauty, “get” more attention—and “get”
more looks from others. These are all based upon the “lust of the flesh, lust
of the eyes and pride of life.” They are done for purely SELFISH reasons.
God’s way
strives to GIVE, not GET!
James
1:22-24 state, “But be you DOERS of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving
your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like
unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholds himself, and
goes his way, and straightway forgets what manner of man he was.”
Imagine
looking at your reflection in the mirror. Upon observation, you discover dirt
on your face. Would you attempt to clean or wipe your face with the mirror? Of
course not. Likewise, God’s Law, by itself, and without Christ’s blood, will
not remove sin.
God’s Law is
His spiritual mirror. By looking into it, we see our errors and faults—the dirt
on our faces. Now, unless we go and remove the dirt and thoroughly wash it
away, the mirror has not helped us. Also, would the dirt disappear just by
looking into the mirror? Of course not! The mirror only provides a way to
examine the face.
Here is the
point. God’s law is intended to help you wash your face—not paint your face. If
you will honestly look into God’s mirror, it will help you see the paint—and
other sin—that should be REMOVED, rather than APPLIED!
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