What does the Bible say about wearing make-up?
Anyone who is familiar with the UPC knows that the majority of UPC churches and their affiliates teach against women wearing make-up. The official position of the UPC on make-up is this:
"Since the primary effect of makeup is to highlight sex appeal, we reject makeup as immodest1."
However, since I spent my whole life in the movement I know from personal experience that this is not the view taught in the churches. (At least, I have never heard this view taught.) The argument against make-up that I always heard was taken from three Scriptures (2 Kings 9:30, Jer. 4:30, Eze. 23:40). The reason that it was taken from three Scriptures is because there are only three Scriptures in the entire Bible that say anything against make-up!
You see, make-up is a non-issue Biblically. Nothing was ever said about the subject positively or negatively.There are three Scriptures that make reference to make-up in passing, but none of the three even hint that make-up is a sin. Again, it’s a non-issue.
Unfortunately, the UPC takes these three Scriptures, twists them out of context, and creates a doctrine out of them. That would be bad enough of its own, but the situation is made worse because many UPC churches teach that wearing make-up is a sin. In other words, it’s not an optional doctrine in any UPC church that I’ve ever attended. (The one exception is a church that I attended for five years. The pastor–who I dearly love and respect–allows make-up as long as it does not change the base color of the skin. He is considered extremely liberal by many other pastors.)
In this article I am going to show what the Bible says about make-up, and then respond to the UPC position on the issue.
Is Wearing Make-up A Sin?
Now, if you’ve read my article on Jewelry then you read about how sin is defined. I’m not going to repeat it all here. Instead I recommend that you read the section of the article titled "Does the Bible Ever Say That Wearing Jewelry Is A Sin?" I will briefly recap the subject here by reminding you that the Old Testament Law (Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy) defines what sin is (Rom. 7:7). Everything that is a sin in the New Testament was also a sin in the Old Testament Law, but everything that was a sin in the Old Testament Law was not necessarily a sin in the New Testament.
The reason that I said that is to say this: The Bible never defines make-up as a sin. The Old Testament Law was completely silent on the issue, and the New Testament never mentions it at all!
What Does the Bible Say About Make-up?
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, make-up is only mentioned three times in the Bible (2 Ki. 9:30, Jer. 4:30, Eze. 23:40). Here is what these three Scriptures have to say:
2Ki 9:30 NASB
(30) When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, and she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out the window.Jer 4:30 NASB
(30) And you, O desolate one, what will you do? Although you dress in scarlet, Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold, Although you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you make yourself beautiful. Your lovers despise you; They seek your life.Eze 23:40 NASB
(40) "Furthermore, they have even sent for men who come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and lo, they came–for whom you bathed, painted your eyes and decorated yourselves with ornaments.
One does not have to be a Bible scholar to see that none of these Scriptures say anything about whether or not a person should wear make-up! However, there is also a fourth Scripture that I often heard used to preach against make-up. It is 1 Tim. 2:9, which says:
1Ti 2:9 NASB
(9) Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments.
You might be asking at this point how 1 Tim. 2:9 has anything to do with make-up, and that’s a very valid question! The confusion seems to come from a misunderstanding of the KJV translation of the Scripture. The KJV uses the word "shamefacedness" instead of "modesty." As near as I’ve been able to figure out, many UPC preachers assume that "shamefacedness" means that a person shouldn’t wear make-up. The logic seems to be that it has the word "face" inside of "shamefacedness" so therefore it must be talking about make-up. This is an example of the sort of shoddy Biblical study that is done by many UPC preachers and pastors.
Overwhelming Evidence?
I think anyone will agree that these four Scriptures are hardly overwhelming evidence against make-up! The fact is, the Bible just doesn’t say whether or not a woman can wear make-up! We have to assume that if it mattered at all to God then He would have mentioned it at least once, right? Why should we have to take a few Scriptures that are hidden in the depths of the Old Testament and twist them together in a convoluted fashion to form a doctrine? It seems to me that God was pretty plain about the stuff that mattered to Him! For example, look at Gal. 5:19-21:
Gal 5:19-21 NASB
(19) Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
(20) idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
(21) envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
That’s pretty plain, right? I just don’t think God’s sitting up there seeing how many people He can trick into going to hell! A god who does that is the antithesis of the God of the Bible!
A Few Questions for the UPC:
Here’s a question that I have for the UPC:
If make-up is evil because it enhances our sex appeal, then what other things are we not allowed to do?
- Are we not allowed to wear deoderant?
- Are we not allowed to brush our hair?
- Are we not allowed to wear color-coordinated outfits?
- Are we not allowed to wear matching socks?
You see, I really want to enhance my sex appeal! I’m 26, and I want to get married some day! Because of that I do all sorts of stuff to enhance my sex appeal! I brush my teeth twice a day, I style my hair, I make sure my socks match, I exercise regularly enough to keep the worst of the flab off, etc. What’s wrong with doing that? Just because a woman wants to make herself attracted doesn’t mean that she’s promiscuous! Every single one of us does things every day to enhance our attractiveness to the opposite sex!
Here are a few other questions:
- If 2 Kings 9:30 is saying that make-up is evil because Jezebel used it, then doesn’t it also mean that we can’t look out the window?
- If Jer. 4:30 is saying that make-up is evil because Israel wore it while they were backslidden, then doesn’t it also mean that wearing scarlet is evil?
- If Eze. 23:40 is saying that make-up is evil because Israel wore it while they were backslidden, then doesn’t it mean that it’s also evil to take a bath?
Isn’t this all a little bit ridiculous?!
Conclusion:
You see, this is the problem with UPC theology: It’s a house of cards. The UPC has made the claim that they and their affiliates are the only ones who possess Truth. But what happens when they find out that something they taught as Truth was wrong? It throws everything else into question! If they can be wrong on one point then they can be wrong on other points as well.
I believe that this is what is happening with make-up. The UPC has been backed into a corner. More and more people are seeing that there is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing make-up. There’s no Scriptural basis for not wearing it, and there’s no logical reason for not wearing it. Now the UPC is forced to defend a doctrine that makes no sense, because if they back off this doctrine then it might cause their members to doubt other doctrines as well.
This is why I believe that the Bible should be the ultimate rule of authority. If I find that I’ve misunderstood something in the Bible then I have no problem changing my beliefs. I don’t claim to have a monopoly on Truth. I claim that Jesus is the only way to God, not any one Christian denomination!
Folks, God doesn’t care whether or not you wear make-up! If He cared then He would have put it in the Bible! If you are a woman who feels that God does not want you wearing make-up then that is between you and Him, but God never gave any organization the right to dictate a doctrine that has no Scriptural basis as being necessary for salvation!
References:
- United Pentecostal Church International, Position Paper on Modesty, Accessed 2006-12-21 20:02:31 [↩]
June 17th, 2008 at 9:19 am
I agree with this posting. I grew up in a chruch that taught these things. Pastors and preachers need to be careful that when they teach the Word of God to the congregation, that they use facts and not try to make their own opinions part of the Word. We are living the last day to be worring about if a sister in church is using makeup. We need to be preaching more about sin and things that cause christians to fall and not condeming others by what we think is “holy”.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Thank you for this article. I appreciate the simple approach to the topic and I have found myself in similar discussions quoting to others what Galatians 5 says will keep people out of the Kingdom - not extra stuff. As a woman, I can say that there are practical sides to not wearing make-up and that is the cost of it and time spent. Sadly, the beauty market in America is a billion-dollar industry - women spend a lot of time and money on their looks, which we all know that time and money could be spent far better. My husband has asked me not to wear make-up so the decision is made for me. But otherwise, I would still wear a small amount like I did before he was in the picture. I do think make-up can be a problem for some women - it becomes their security - but it is still not sin.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:00 am
I couldn’t agree with you more. Why do christians fight and devour one another over irrelate issues, Jesus said I came to save the world not condemn. I strongly feel that a woman knows why she wears her makeup, and that is between her and God. If there is a conviction it will come from the word and the word only. IF GOD DOESN’T DO IT, IT CAN’T BE DONE!!!
October 15th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
I am sad as I read this, I think that most of the ppl who have posted here want to prove to themselves that there is nothing wrong with what they are doing.
So, is it okay for a woman to be a harlot? A prostitute, hooker,stripper, or whatever you want to call her?
Why not? The bible doesn’t say it’s a sin does it?
But in every scripture where make-up is referenced, it is about
a harlot, a “woman of the night”. In one reference referring to scarlet, that was the color that women of the night wore at that time. It was how men knew that they were harlots.
I think instead of saying that pastors and preachers should be careful about what they preach, that Josh, you should be careful about what you say. Why try to take things from the bible and make people think that they don’t matter, because you say so. You must be VERY bitter, and that is sad, because
bitterness in your heart is also talked about in the bible.
The truth is that I would rather be safe than sorry. If you are right, I’m still okay, because I don’t wear make-up (anymore).
But if you are wrong, well….
I know it’s popular today for women to wear make-up, it’s so common that those of us who don’t, are looked at as being strange. But the Word of God never changes, no matter how much the people of this world change. I don’t want to be guilty of trying to ignore certain parts of the bible, because it was uncomfortable for me. God is a God of rules, if you don’t believe it read the old testament.
Remember that the way to heaven is straight and narrow, and FEW there be that find it. Hell, however is going to have to increase itself in order to hold all those poor souls going there.
So, just because the majority of the world has decided that
the old paths, and the old ways are no longer important, doesn’t make them right. The majority are not going to heaven.
And remember the definition of a “Christian” is to be Christ-like.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Hey, thanks for putting this up Josh,
I apperciate your hard research on the blogs.. I just have to pray that people who read your blog will continued to be exposed to the truth and grace of God..
I asked a Pastor that was trying to get back to the Oneness church what God told Paul when he asked God to remove the thorn from him..
God answered him my GRACE is sufficient for thee.. 2 Cor 12…
Gods Grace is what save a person not there make-up, dress, ect..
Rebaka you will be in my prayers,…
I am happy that you choose to adhere to your convictions, but it becomes a burden to others when you try to force your conviction on them.
And we are to be free in Christ..
October 18th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Rebekah…i love that you’d rather be safe than sorry, as you stated in your post above.
I am wondering how safe you will be, after you’ve judged and compared those who choose to wear some make up as harlots.
Gods saved and redeemed blood washed blood bought women and you so cavalierly call them prostitutes.
God winked at ignorance once…i pray he close’s both eyes to the ignorance of such bible theolgy that condemns by comparrison as you have done.
October 21st, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I’m not judging anyone, I don’t need to, I’m simply stating the facts. If you can show me a scripture where God referred to make-up and wasn’t talking about a harlot, then I would be happy to read it.
You don’t have to believe anything because I (or anyone else) says that it is so. I choose to believe the bible. I know that God is a God of mercy and love. But he also has A LOT of other parts to Him. He says that he loves the sinner and HATES the sin. He’s not only a God of love, but He’s also a God who hates, and He’s not only a God of Heaven, but is very clear about hell. Hell is the place where all will go who have not obeyed His Word. Not just a place for ppl that you are I think belong there. He is my judge, and He will judge everyone else as well. I’m not trying to force anything on anyone.. if you wanna read His word and believe it you can, if not no one will force you - not even God.
I do know that the way to heaven is straight and narrow and few there be that find it. The masses are not going to be there, only those that followed His instruction. That’s all I’m trying to do is follow what it says to do in the Word. If people who have not experienced the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tounges want to argue with me, that’s okay. I know in whom I believe, and I know what I have experienced
and what is true.
And though I don’t feel that I am judging people, the bible does not say “Don’t judge” it says Judge not, lest ye be judged. I know that I will be judged, and I want to be found pure and holy in His sight without spot or wrinkle.
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:17 am
Hi, Rebekah. I normally stay out of the comment threads on this Web site. I decided to go ahead and respond to your comments, though, because they made a direct statement to me (accusing me of bitterness) and because you asked a question or two that I would like to answer.
I sincerely appreciate your concern for me and your dedication to God. I do not say that lightly. I am not writing this response to debate with you or to challenge your beliefs. I am writing it for the sake of others reading this post.
The purpose of my response to your comments is not to debate. If a debate starts then I will temporarily lock comments on the thread. I like to provide all sides a chance to express their opinions, but this Web site is not a debate forum. I appreciate everyone understanding that.
In reference to the way being straight and narrow, I agree with you completely. I certainly do not buy into an “easy believism” sort of salvation mentality. The Bible says that we were called to be disciples of Christ and then to make disciples of Him. Easton’s Bible dictionary defines a disciple of Jesus as “one who (1) believes his doctrine, (2) rests on his sacrifice, (3) imbibes [drinks up, soaks up] his spirit, and (4) imitates his example (Matt. 10:24; Luke 14:26, 27, 33; John 6:69).” This is what we are called to be, and it is the way that I strive to live my life. The reason I abandoned holiness standards is because after months of study I decided that none of them have a basis in Scripture (although I agree that the Scriptures teach modesty, moderation, etc).
One more point on the standards: They had nothing to do with me leaving Oneness Pentecostalism. I left because I came to the conclusion that speaking in tongues was not the evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost, and that a person could be baptized in the Titles and be saved. My conclusion on the holiness standards only came after months of studying each one individually to see what the Bible taught. My goal was not to do what I wanted to do, it was to align myself as closely as possible with Scripture. If I’ve missed it, then I’ve missed it…but it won’t be for a lack of study or prayer.
I’d like to encourage you to read My Story: http://www.whyileft.org/my-story/. If you read it you will see that the trigger that caused me to leave Oneness Pentecostalism was that I started to feel a call to be a teacher. The thought of teaching someone incorrectly scared the living daylights out of me. It literally terrified me. I began to pray that God would open my eyes to anything I believed that was incorrect, because I did not want to lead people astray. At the time I was attending a UPC church and I bought into the entire holiness / Oneness Pentecostal doctrine hook, line and sinker. But I began to repeatedly pray that God would help me align myself with His Word. I began to read through the New Testament, and things started jumping out of me that I had never noticed before. I lived in terror for several months, feeling like I was being deceived. I just couldn’t understand it. Then I eventually decided that I was just going to pray and study and align myself with Scripture to the best of my ability. I decided to do my best to hold to “sound doctrine,” while trusting in God’s grace to continue to lead and guide me and ultimately to bring me safely home to His arms. Because, after all, it is God’s grace that saves us. In the end it is what we are all dependent on. I do not use grace as an excuse to sin–far from it! I just recognize that I will never be perfect, so I have determined to try my hardest while recognizing that God’s grace is sufficient for my failures.
I know that some will read what I just wrote and they will think, “Aha! He’s admitting that he can do whatever he wants because God’s grace will cover him!” If anyone thinks that, then please back up and read what I just wrote…and read it again, and again…and again…until you get it.
About the bitterness referenced in your first comment: I really am not bitter. I did struggle with bitterness right after I left Oneness Pentecostalism. It was something that I had to pray quite a bit about. You’re right in pointing out that bitterness is a sin. I appreciate you warning me about it, but I ask you to please refrain from judging my heart and motives when you do not even know me. If you have read many of the other articles on this Web site then I’m sure you’ve seen that I’ve made two things clear: 1) I am not trying to get anyone to leave Oneness Pentecostalism, and 2) I think Oneness Pentecostals can be saved. In other words, this is not an anti-Oneness Pentecostal (or anti-holiness) Web site.
I will not repeat my whole story here, I’d just like you and everyone else know that this Web site is the result of heart-rending prayer and study. It frustrates me when people accuse me of taking the easy road out, because there was nothing easy about it. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made.
In your last post you said that if anyone could show you “a scripture where God referred to make-up and wasn’t talking about a harlot” then you would be happy to read it.
There are really only three Scriptures in the Bible that talk about make-up. They are 2 Kings 9:30 (Jezebel), Jer. 4:30 (a prophecy about the fall of Judah), and Ezekiel 23:40. Some people also think Proverbs 6:25 is referring to make-up, but that’s debatable. For the sake of this discussion, let’s assume Prov. 6:25 is talking about make-up. That would be 4 Scriptures.
Here is a break-down of the four of them:
2 Kings 9:30: Jezebel is about to die. She knows she’s about to die, and, to her credit, she’s pretty defiant about it. She paints her eyes with antimony. She almost certainly was not trying to entice Jehu like many holiness preachers claim. Many commentators think that she was preparing herself to die like a queen, and that’s probably correct. Whatever her motives, there are two reasons why she almost certainly was not trying to seduce Jehu: 1) She was old by this time; 2) She called Jehu a Zimri (traitor) when he arrived, and accused him of murdering his master (2 Kings 9:31). Certainly not a good way to get things started off on the right foot. She had to have known that Jehu was doing a “blood purge” to secure the throne, and that she was going to die no matter what she did.
Conclusion: There is nothing about harlotry, prostitution, hooking, or stripping in 2 Kings 9:30.
Proverbs 6:25: If this verse is talking about some sort of eye shadow then it is talking about harlotry. I don’t think the verse is talking about make-up, but even if it is the command in the verse is for men to not lust after adultresses and prostitutes. As a man, I can assure you that a woman’s eye shadow has nothing to do with arousing desire. I think it is more likely that Prov. 6:25 is talking about some sort of flirtatious winking or seductive looks, and quite a few commentators agree.
Conclusion: If Proverbs 6:25 is talking about make-up, then it is referring to adultresses.
Jeremiah 4:30: Personifying Judah as a prostitute. Do you were scarlet? I’m just curious. I know most Apostolic women do. Also, in verse 31 Jeremiah uses another illustration: He personifies Judah as a woman in labor. Is that also a sin? I’m being serious. We can’t just pick one word out of the passage and make THAT a sin and ignore everything else.
Ezekiel 23:40: This is an extended prophecy that is personifying Israel and Judah as “Oholah” and “Oholibah.” It accuses them of playing the harlot in Egypt (23:3). Skip down to verse 40, and it says that they “bathed, painted [their] eyes and decorated [themselves] with ornaments.”
Conclusion: If painting the eyes makes you a harlot then bathing does too. I’m not being sarcastic, I’m being dead serious. Again, we cannot take one little thing from a passage and make THAT thing a sin and allow other things in the passage to go unchallenged.
Sister, there is simply no basis for associating make-up with harlotry. Just because a harlot does something does not make what she did a sin. In other words, harlots wore clothes. Is that a sin? They took baths. Is that a sin? The Bible does not even hint that God has a problem with make-up.
Rebekah, I do not expect to change your mind. I am writing this for other people who read this article. Again, I sincerely appreciate your committment to God and your dedication to Him. I will encourage you to pray that God will continue to draw you closer to Him and to open your eyes to anything in your life that is displeasing to Him. I pray the same prayer almost every day. And you know what? He answers :).
P.S. - I was baptized in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues when I was 11 years old. So I do meet the Oneness Pentecostal litmus test of being able to “know truth” or “see the truth” =). I no longer believe that tongues is the evidence of the Holy Ghost, of course, but I want to make it clear that you’re talking to someone who was baptized in Jesus’ Name and filled with the Holy Ghost UPC-style…and who preached, taught, played the drums, danced, shouted, and followed every standard there was.
God bless,
Josh Spiers
October 28th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
That was great resources again Josh, you have been a blessing to the teaching of God…
Rebeka I love that you have a desire to follow the Lord and you the bible say those that seek him will find him..
I too.. am a person that was baptised in Jesus Name and spoke in tongues..
I also know that grace is what saved me not my church..
Love ya and my prayers are with you..
November 6th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Josh, I read your take on make-up & would like to kindly comment. In principle, I do not think that there’s a legitimate comparison of bathing/wearing scarlet & make-up. Clearly, God expects us to cover ourselves & bathe. The wearing of scarlet in Jer. 4:30 is a isolated connection w/ harlotry that we do not see elsewhere in Scripture. In fact, we see the color used in positive ways all throughout the Bible (i.e., the tabernacle, Rahab, etc.). However, never do we see God using facial paint in a positive way, but He ALWAYS uses it in very negative circumstances indicating His displeasure w/ it. Is everyone who wears make-up a harlot? Certainly not, but it does reveal God’s attitude towards it which should cause us to back up & excercise caution w/ the matter. Also, consider that we’re God’s literal temple in the NT & He consistently tells Moses (OT) not to alter His place of dwelling, as He’s very peculiar when it comes to His tabernacle/temple. In short, it’s not our house…it’s His & He’s the divine architect. We wouldn’t dare paint the Governor’s house, why should we paint God’s? Moreover, how would trees, snow, dust etc. look w/ paint on them? No one even considers such UNNATURALNESS…until it comes to humans, who have a free will & therein lies the problem. In sum, the things of nature as created by God are to remain in their natural created state as much as possible. Also would like to talk to you about tongues issue later. I, like you, have for the last 10 yrs. closely scrutinized pentecostalism since I’m a teacher/pastor who many people look to for doctrinal advice. This scares me to death, so I watch for inconsistencies & try to keep an honest heart, which is why I have an interest in your positions! Much more to say, but I don’t want to wear you out. [EDIT: Phone # removed]