Is it a sin to wear jewelry & braid your hair?

In this passage, Peter mentions the way the hair is fixed, wearing gold, and the type of apparel.

Some people have interpreted these passages to say that women cannot braid their hair, wear gold, pearls, or expensive clothing. However, that's missing the point. The way Peter stated it in 1 Peter 3:3, was that women were not suppose to put on apparel. Does that mean they aren't suppose to wear clothes? Certainly not!

The point is that the emphasis should not be on how we look outwardly. In both passages, the instructions on dress are followed by the revelation that it is the inner person who makes one beautiful. That is repeated other places in scripture. Proverbs 19:22 says, "Kindness makes a man attractive. . ." (LB). This is the true beauty of a Christian.

Each person has a desire to be attractive. This need should be fulfilled by our conduct and good works, not by our outward appearance. Gold, pearls and expensive clothing can be worn, but the admonition is not to be gaudy with these things. Let your true beauty come from your heart, which is hidden
Costly is a relative term. Some garments that might be considered cheap in the United States might be worth a year's wages in some third world countries. Therefore, just as with the word "modest" (see note 2 at this verse), "moderation" is a key word in describing what costly means. Our dress should be appropriate to the situation and culture where we live

 

>>I think it also means not holding the gaze of men.<<

I agree partially. I woman should not set out to attire herself to hold the gaze of a man, but if she is dressed appropiately, and he still stares, I do not hold that woman as brazen or wrong.

 

Excellent reply, Jubliant!

In Moderation,
Diane

 

But, Timothy, the companion text to this one, in 1Pe 3:3, says "plainly" that women are not to wear clothes at all! "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;" I'm not attacking your conviction at all. I do want to point out, though, that you can't take just one verse of scripture and run with it without comparing it to other scriptures. If you do that, you'll be telling people they must be baptized to be saved, as in Acts 2:38.

Susan

 

I would start the thread, but not sure as to how and it's your idea. But I would like explore this a bit more. Anyone else??

 

You can'tt ake one verse and make it say whatever, you must take all related verses in teh bible and see what the over all teaching of scripture is. Leaving off some verses, and useing only one is trying to make scripture say wath the reader wants it too.

 

Depends on what kind of braids you want., you can make a braid with 5 or 6 inches of hair, see it on people all the time.

 

Here you've gone against your own standard for scripture interpretation. In another forum, where you're asking for help finding a good church to move to, your definition of KJVO is that the church not be "Bible correctors" by using any Greek meanings for words, etc. But here you use Webster's 1828 dictionary to prove your point. So which is it? No helps to understand King James English, or use a secular dictionary to prove a point?

Don't misunderstand me. I use only the KJV for my reading and studying, and so does my pastor. But I do use Strong's Concordance (and Webster's 1828!) to help clarify some of the more obscure meanings of words, but not to "correct" my Bible. You can't pick and choose when you'll use something extra in your Bible interpretation.

The only "look closer" that I see, without the aid of anything outside the Scripture itself, is to use these verses in their contexts. When you do that, they are telling us not to depend upon the outward appearance to adorn ourselves, but to be beautiful from within.

Susan

Susan

 

feel free to point out what i'm missing. i'm not "making" the verse say anything, just reading and understanding it based on the plain meaning of words.

if god wanted godly women to make themselves beautiful through clothing and jewelry and other external means, who would i be to argue? but that's not the plain teaching of scripture.

 

i used the dictionary here to help people understand what "adorn" means, since for some reason people seem to think it means only "to wear".

do you really think fully understanding what english words mean is really somehow an attempt at "correcting" the bible?

please quote where i said dthe 1828 webster's dictionary should not be used to understand scripture.

[ July 10, 2003, 03:22 PM: Message edited by: timothy 1969 ]

 

Amen! Amen! I was trying to think of a way to explain this. You explained it beautifully. Thank you so much!

Yes, I agree we Christian women are to adorn ourselves with good works, gentleness, quietness, submissiveness, and humility.

[ July 10, 2003, 03:25 PM: Message edited by: Headcoveredlady ]

 

Timothy, here is what you said in your thread about moving to another area and finding a KJVO church (which is what I would do - in fact, I thought about recommending my own church!):

Pair that with this statement:

I took that to mean, perhaps mistakenly, that you accept no other outside reference material to help understand the King James English - no concordance, no dictionary, nothing.

No, I don't think that at all . . . but I thought that you did, because of your two statements above. I was trying to point out your inconsistency! In one post, you use just the verse, saying you don't see how it could be plainer, but in another, you break out the dictionary to explain what it really means. Seemed inconsistent to me. I never said that you said it was wrong to use the Webster's 1828.

Susan

 

feel free to point out what i'm missing. i'm not "making" the verse say anything, just reading and understanding it based on the plain meaning of words.

if god wanted godly women to make themselves beautiful through clothing and jewelry and other external means, who would i be to argue? but that's not the plain teaching of scripture. </font>[/QUOTE]Please go back to page one and see my post there using the other verses similar to these in the bible to get a more full understanding of the issue.

 

feel free to point out what i'm missing. i'm not "making" the verse say anything, just reading and understanding it based on the plain meaning of words.

if god wanted godly women to make themselves beautiful through clothing and jewelry and other external means, who would i be to argue? but that's not the plain teaching of scripture. </font>[/QUOTE]Please go back to page one and see my post there using the other verses similar to these in the bible to get a more full understanding of the issue. </font>[/QUOTE]since i have a family i've studied these verses many times. i don't see how the verses from 1 timothy undermine the literal interpretation of 1 peter.

 

So did we all agree it is not a sin to wear, in moderation, jewelry and braid hair but that we should FIRST adorn ourselves with a Christ-like spirit, humilty and manner?


Diane

 

OK . . . I must have misunderstood your statement in the other thread, but this isn't the place to get that explained. Suffice it to say that we seem to agree that using outside helps doesn't correct the KJV!

Susan

 

I agree that women are to clothe themselves modestly. Not wearing gold, pearls, broided hair and costly array as outlined in 1 Timothy 2.

I also agree that women are not to ADORN themselves with gold, broided hair or apparel. But, are to put on the adornment of good works, submissiveness, gentleness and quietness.1 Peter 3.

The word adorn means to decorate.

Would we all agree that women do adorn or decorate themselves with certain types of clothing?

I agree that a born again Christian woman is not to decorate herself but to only adorn herself with good works and godliness while she clothes herself in modest apparel.

 

I notice that you continue to use the word broid and all I have been able to cross reference says that is braiding of one's hair, possibly with adornment. Will you no longer braid your hair?

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. I see nothing wrong with my gold cross necklace, etc. It has two hearts entwined on the cross and has been noticed so often, giving me the chance to witness to those who ask about it.......

Diane