Adornment & the Bible

Adornment & the Bible
In pursuit of holiness, the people and ministers of the Churches of God left no area of their lives untouched. Despite any fanaticism that may have resulted in what came to be known as “clothesline religion” the fervor and godly devotion of those “old timers” cannot easily be denied. In fact, they were biblically accurate to teach and believe that true holiness, though itself an inner quality, manifests in and through one’s outward living. Christian principles cannot but produce change in one’s manner of life, bringing greater and more thorough conformity to the image and nature of Christ. No wonder then one’s appearance became among us a matter of scrutiny and practical holiness.

Pride & Vanity
Pride in the heart typically manifests in the conduct, both the attitude and the appearance, of an individual. Accordingly, the use of outward adornment can be indicative of vanity in the inward parts. The question is not whether such is an indicator, but if it is in fact evidence. To use descriptive terminology germane to Church of God thought, the question is not whether the use of outward adornment is evidence of a prideful heart, but what kind of evidence? The traditional Church of God doctrinal position with respect thereto follows:

“Against wearing gold for ornament or decorations such as finger rings, bracelets, earrings, lockets, etc. Ornaments of precious stones and metals are evidences of a prideful heart and are unbecoming to a child of God. ‘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’. 1 Peter 3:3-4. Read also 1 Timothy 2:9; 1 John 2:16.”

Evidence is not Necessarily Proof
The use of the term evidence here must pertain to indicative, not explicit, proof. Since one cannot see another’s heart, save God, we cannot know whether a prideful heart is the cause or motive in another’s adorning or not. We can assume a prideful heart as a possibility, maybe even a probability, but no more. The legal designation for evidence of this nature is circumstantial. “Circumstantial evidence is evidence of an indirect nature, which implies the existence of the main fact in question, but does not in itself prove it. That is, the existence of the main fact is deduced from the indirect or circumstantial evidence by a process of probable reasoning.” Short of an explicit Scriptural statement to that effect we have no valid basis from which to conclude that all use of adornment is inherently sinful and/or unbecoming to Christians. Though we have done so, I believe we have done so wrongly.

The Main NT Passages & Problems
Is there any such Scriptural declaration? Does Scripture say wearing jewelry is in and of itself sinful? Probably the closest passages thereto are quoted and/or referenced in the doctrinal statement above – 1 Peter 3:3-4, & 1 Timothy 2:9.

1 Peter 3:3-4
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.< ?I>

1 Timothy 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;

There is no denying the apostolic warning here. However, the question is not whether there is reason to use caution in adorning ourselves, but rather if adorning is itself condemnable. Let us start with the assumption that these passages do in fact forbid outward adornment. In order to be faithful to the text we must equally apply such abstinence to all aspects of adornment mentioned therein. If these passages do in fact absolutely teach against the wearing of jewelry then not only would the use of precious metals and jewels be forbidden, but broided (bejeweled and/or decorated) and plaited (braided and/or styled)hair; the use of anything, however common, for cosmetic purposes or adorning value; costly clothing, and by extension any related accessories. That would necessarily mean no make-up of any kind, no hair decorations or styles of any kind, no name brand or frivolous clothing of any kind (including suits or ties), and a potentially inexhaustible list of things. In fact, per Peter’s epistle, that would include no clothing whatsoever, as he says to let it not be the “putting on of apparel“! Clearly such a restricted reading of these passages misconstrues the meaning.

If that is not sufficient to indicate the error in interpreting these passages as expressly forbidding adornment then consider that these verses are solely addressed to married Christian women. They are not addressed to women in general. They are not addressed to men. They are not addressed to unbelievers. They only address married women who are believers. This strains the interpretation at best, forcing one to conclude universal application without any “thus saith the Lord”, or else creating a quandary as to why the Apostles would forbid such of married female believers, and none other. Again pointing out the tenuous nature of understanding the texts to forbid an and all use of adornment.

Other Passages & Problems
There are other Biblical problems with our traditional position and conclusions. For instance, if jewelry were always evidence of a prideful heart then wearing jewelry (or doing any of the things negatively mentioned in those passages above) would be evidence of a SINFUL heart. Sin is a violation of the law of God. More specifically, it is a violation of the principles of God’s law — principles that reveal the nature of the Creator Himself. Simply put, sin is that which is offensive to our sinless God. Therefore, working under the assumption that outward adornment is sinful, we would have to conclude that God is complicit in sin. How you ask?
God directed and ordained the creation and use of costly materials in the making of garments for the Levitical priesthood (Exodus 28:4-6). Costly materials equals costly array.

1. God directed and ordained the creation and use of jewelry, comprised of specific precious metals and stones, to be worn on both the person and clothing of the Levitical high priest (Exodus 28:9-28).

2. The Lord Himself appears to the apostle John adorned in a golden girdle (Revelation 1:13).

3. It was customary for all Jewish males, which would have included Christ and his disciples, to wear phylacteries (Deuteronomy 11:18 & Matthew 23:5) — adornment of a religious nature.

4. The Almighty uses jewelry on numerous occasions, and in various ways, as a positive metaphor (i.e. Malachi 3:17, Luke 15:22, & Revelation 21:2).

Conclusions
Obviously then we are in error to conclude that the Scripture shows the use of adornment in and of itself to be wrong. Otherwise, by implication, we make God the minister of sin. It is not the use of adornment that is forbidden, but seems upon closer examination that it is vanity and pride that are being condemned. Adornment then is only forbidden by these passages to the extent that it springs from inward vileness. That is to say the Apostles here are not speaking against the use of adornment itself necessarily, but against a vain or prideful use thereof. Vanity, pride, and covetousness are unquestionably sinful. Adornment may or may not be used in such fashion. Therefore the use of adornment may or may not be sinful. Furthermore, since only God can see the heart of the individual, and properly judge their motives, we can become guilty of judging others unrighteously in such matters.

Should a Christian’s appearance reflect and conform to biblical principles of modesty, selflessness, and holiness? Indeed! We should therefore warn believers about the dangers of becoming abusive of, or even overly comfortable with, the things of this world. That certainly entails warnings against excessive use and/or impure motives in adorning one’s person or clothing. It does not, however, provide any validity for the conclusion that all forms of outward adornment are sinful and forbidden the child of God. To do so is, in my estimation at least, to exceed or go beyond the actual teaching of Scripture, causing us to thereby essentially add to the word of God. Let it not be!