Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 2:9-10 1 Peter 3:1-5
In these Scriptures we will see two issues concerning women. In the first place, we read concerning the,
Dress for Women
“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 class=””.” (1 Tim. 2:9)
Some religious groups have made this a doctrine for their women. They should wear no jewelry, no broided or beautifying of the hair, and no costly clothing. Before going further into this, let us turn to 1 Peter 3 in our Bibles. In verse 1 we see this is addressed to “ye wives,” and in verse three (we will come back to verses 1 and 2 later), we read,
“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel.”
Like 1 Timothy 2:9, this has been misused in many religions. In both instances it is not saying these things can never be worn, but in both verses it tells us this should not be used for “adorning.” If the verse in 1 Peter 3:3 was taken literally, we would have to say it was saying that women should not put on apparel! In both Scriptures we find the word “adorning.” In 1 Peter we read, “Whose adorning let it not be…,” and in 1 Timothy 2:9 it says, that the women “adorn themselves in modest apparel …” In verse 10 of 1 Timothy 2, it says,
“But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”
In other words don’t get our minds fixed on the outward beauty, but rather let it be the beauty of good (or godly) works. Then in 1 Peter 3, after saying “whose adorning, let it not be …,” verse 4 says,
“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 a great price.”
Both verses are speaking of women being modest, and not using outward appearances, but rather using the life of good works, or godly works, which come from the new creation that we are in Christ. The desires for the beauty of the flesh come from the old person we were before being saved. Now we have the new nature that the Lord has given us, and this should be our “adorning.”
The Hidden One of the Heart
The second thing that we can learn from these Scriptures is the question that came up in a previous lesson. “What if the husband doesn’t take his place that God meant for him to have?” The Scripture here in 1 Peter 3 helps to answer that, too. Going back to verse 1, we read,
“Likewise ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the Word, they may also without the word be won by the behaviour (conduct) of the wives.”
This portion of Scripture could be speaking about unsaved husbands, or it could be saved husbands who do not study the Word. They can be won as they see Christ and His Word through the wife. They can be won when they see the beauty of the hidden man (the new creation) in the life of the wife. These Scriptures clearly teach much more than how some people want to use them. They show the importance of our putting the emphasis on spiritual things. If we can just “present our bodies a living sacrifice unto God which is our reasonable service,” we can see how the Lord can use us. Wives who have husbands who are not saved, should use this “hidden man of the heart” as a means to win their husbands. Remember you want to draw him to the Lord, not just to yourself. When we are tempted to put emphasis on the beautifying of the body, let’s remember the little chorus,
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All His wonderful passion and purity
Oh, Thou Spirit divine
All my nature refine
Until the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.
