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Sometime ago, an online female friend tried to erroneously justify Christian women wearing light makeup by claiming that for another Christian to oppose such a practice is to make said person a legalist. Sadly, how many times have we heard this same argument before when it comes to obeying certain standards which are found in the Holy Scriptures? Whenever some Christians resist something which they do not like or which they don't want to put into practice in their personal lives, the first thing that will come flying out of their mouths is "Oh, you are just being a legalist!"

At any rate, this same Christian friend likewise informed me that it is her personal belief that the Lord extends certain freedoms to Christian women to express themselves. In her mind, this includes wearing makeup. This was the first time I had ever heard anyone say this, and it struck me as rather odd. At the time my friend said these things to me, I let it slide, and I did not say anything to her, even though I did not agree with her stance. However, the fact that I failed to say anything to her at that time has bothered me ever since. Thus, I was finally compelled to write the following article regarding this same matter.

To be honest, it really saddens me to see how many Christian women on the social networks feel the need to doll up their faces with makeup. Do they do it in the belief that makeup makes them appear more presentable? Do some Christian women wear makeup because they think it makes them more acceptable to their online friends? Is it possible that some of them suffer from an inferiority complex? Are some of them hoping to attract a man? I honestly don't know why they each do it. I imagine the reason is different in every case. However, it does make me question why they are so afraid to show their natural selves exactly as God designed them.

I mean, if you really stop to honestly think about it, for a Christian woman to wear makeup -- no matter how light -- in my view strongly suggests that maybe they think that God did not do a good enough job when He designed them in the womb. Maybe He didn't get their genes exactly right. So, they need to give Him a little help by applying some makeup.

Do I honestly believe this? Of course not! But I am saying these things in the hope that it will shock some Christian women into realizing how the Lord may possibly view their applying makeup. Seriously, have any of you Christian women ever stopped to consider that maybe it really offends God? He made you with certain physical traits, and now you are basically saying that you need to improve upon His work by applying makeup.

I suppose we can apply the same reasoning to other feminine practices such as dying your hair, polishing your nails or wearing fake nails, etc. After all, the primary purpose of doing all of these various things is to alter your physical appearance from the way that God made you. It is really to turn yourself into someone else, at least on the outside.

I also think that Christian women applying makeup is to some degree likewise the result of being affected by worldliness, peer pressure and political correctness. We all know how the world just loves to pressure women into buying all kinds of beauty products. The beauty products industry is a global business empire from which they make literally billions of dollars every single year. I think it would shock all of us if we were to learn exactly how much they collectively earn from cosmetics on a global basis.

But it is a sinister industry, because women are constantly being told every single day of their lives in every manner possible that in order to be successful in this world, and if they hope to obtain a man, it is imperative that they look their very best. It is pounded into them from the time that they are little girls playing with their dolls. Right? Through their toys, a fake fantasy world is created where they are taught that if they look right, dress right, act right, etc., they will eventually meet their prince and live a happy life forever after.

So the lie is propagated that unless you spend vast sums of money on beauty products and look your very best, you will never amount to anything in the world. You will just be a boring, old Plain Jane who few men will even want to look at. You will be a Cinderella just cleaning the ashes, while your beautiful wicked sisters have it all. So the truth is that the cosmetics industry intentionally preys upon a woman's weaknesses, and that most certainly includes her pride and her vanity, and her desire to be wanted and loved.

I think it is very interesting to stop for a moment and to consider how the world views things, as opposed to how God views things. The contrast is actually quite shocking. This contrast between the world and God's Kingdom becomes quite evident in the following set of verses:

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."


"But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."


Isn't that simply amazing? The world concentrates on and does everything possible to emphasize the importance of the outward appearance. It concentrates on the flesh. It dwells on material things. But in contrast, what is most important to the Lord is what is inside, and in our hearts. It is our spiritual condition that matters to God. As I have mentioned before, when Jesus was fasting for forty days in the Jordan River valley, Satan tempted Him with the very same things: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. He tempted Him with physical things which would appeal to His flesh. However, consider the following group of verses:

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."


"And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away."


"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."


"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."


"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."


"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."


In light of the previous Scriptures, it becomes much easier to see more clearly the tactics which are used by the beauty products industry. As I said, they are all about the flesh and the temporality of this current life.

Returning to the erroneous claims which were shared with me by my online female friend some time ago, personally, I am not aware of a single verse in the entire King James version of the Bible where any prophet, holy man, apostle -- or even Jesus for that matter -- condoned, supported or promoted in any way the practice of women wearing makeup. If there are really any such Bible verses which condone this practice for Christian women, then perhaps someone will be motivated to email said Scriptural evidence to me.

This is in fact my challenge to any Christian women who are reading this article, who believe that it is acceptable to wear makeup. If the Lord is really okay with this practice, exactly which Bible verses condone this so-called freedom for women to wear makeup? Exactly where in the Scriptures was this particular freedom granted? Please write to me and let me know. Thanks!

Continuing our discussion, based on my personal knowledge of the Scriptures, I can only arrive at the conclusion that such a practice reflects a worldly spirit influencing one's life. Women of the world wear makeup for all the reasons I stated earlier. However, it is my view that those women who belong to Jesus Christ should not.

Furthermore, contrary to those worldly Christian women who will undoubtedly offer stiff resistance to my position as stated in this current article, I am reminded of the fact that wicked Queen Jezebel -- the wife of evil King Ahab -- was in the practice of painting her face. But did you know that it was on one occasion right after she did that, that she died? She was in fact not only thrown down from a tower, but then the dogs consumed her body, as we see by the following group of verses:

"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. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter. And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel."


Now, lest someone try to distort my words, let me say the following. No, Jezebel did not die because she painted her face. Her sins were far greater than that. She persecuted and killed the Lord's holy Prophets. Even Elijah was the subject of her wrath, and he appears to have been afraid of her. But the point I am trying to make by sharing this particular Bible story is that Jezebel was a powerful and worldly woman who painted her face. She wore makeup. Thus, wearing makeup is a practice of the children of the world, and should not be practiced by God's children.

While wearing makeup may seem like a light thing to some modern Christian women, and nothing to be worried about, I want you to stop and consider to what horrible extremes it has been taken in our modern day. You need to understand that the Devil always starts out innocent enough. He likes to prod and tempt you in the smallest of ways. He wants to test your personal defenses to see where he can get you to compromise. He wants to find a small crack in your spiritual armor. Is it possible that wearing light makeup may be one such crack? Just one small compromise with the world?

Now, I want you to consider what wearing makeup has led to in recent years. As a denizen of the online world, you are no doubt aware of the many grotesque photos floating around on the Internet. Some sick people were apparently no longer happy with just wearing regular makeup. They had to take it to the extreme. But with many of them, they didn't do it all at once. They did it a little at a time. They would do one thing to alter their physical appearance, but that was not enough. So then they would decide to do something else even more radical, bizarre and extreme. Little by little, they transformed themselves into something that no longer even looks human. They have totally disfigured and mutilated the bodies that God gave them.

As I said, many of us are rather familiar with what is going on today. We have got certain individuals walking around who look like absolute demons and devils from the very bowels of Hell. In their self-delusion, they apparently think it looks cool. I most certainly don't! Those people need help!

They wear chains, pins and rings on their faces, heads and on other parts of their bodies. They gouge out huge holes in their ears and weigh them down with various ornaments. They insert prosthetics underneath their skin so that they appear to have devil's horns. They cut off their noses. They grind down their teeth to make them pointed like fangs. They wear contact lenses so that their eyes appear demonic. Such crazy individuals do all kinds of freakish, weird, devilish stuff. I wonder how some of them can even hold a regular job. Are they employed by other freaks similar to themselves? But it is just an extreme form of makeup, so it is okay, right?

Now, some of you Christian women who wear makeup may retort, "Oh, come on now, Bill! Don't be silly! I would never ever do anything so drastic as that!" I am sure you wouldn't. But if that is your response, then you're still missing the point of everything I just stated. You see, whether you just apply a small bit of makeup, or go hog wild like some of those crazy people have done, you are still partaking of the spirit and the customs of the world. Whether it is a little compromise, or a big compromise in your life, it is nevertheless still a compromise.

As I mentioned earlier, God knew how He wanted to design each one of us, and I must assume that He had His reasons for doing so. He knew how He wanted each one of us to look in our physical appearance. In fact, as I have pointed out before, in Psalm 139 we are clearly informed that we are each "wonderfully made". Consider the following group of verses:

"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; FOR I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."


My friends, think about that for a moment. We are wonderfully made! YOU are wonderfully made! You are exactly the way that God intended for you to be. Maybe your body is not perfect by human standards. Maybe you are thin or plump. Maybe you have freckles. Perhaps your nose is a bit bigger than you would prefer. Maybe you wish you had a different hair color or eye color. Perhaps you would like to have a different skin tone. Maybe your teeth are a little crooked. So, yes, maybe we can find different "imperfections" from our human perspective of viewing things. But as far as the Lord is concerned, you are EXACTLY what He ordered. So why are you trying to alter what He gave you with makeup, or through other more extreme means?

You know, looking at this from another angle, what you are doing is really a subtle form of deception. You are trying to appear to be someone who you are really not. It is a form of false representation. This is really easy to do on all of the social networks, because more often than not, people do not meet in person. There is just so much fakery going on. Sadly, even amongst Christians, and perhaps even more so with Christian women who get all dolled up.

My friends, we all just need to be who we are, both in a physical sense, and in every other way as well. If people are unable to accept you for who you are, how you look, how you act, how you believe, etc., then quite frankly, they're simply not worth your time. So please stop yielding to peer pressure and political correctness and be your natural self. Be who God made you to be. Equally important, you need to accept yourself. After all, if can't even accept yourself, how can you expect others to accept you?

Please understand that I am NOT promoting arrogance here, or narcissism, or egotism, or anything similar. I'm just saying to act natural, and to stop trying to be someone who you are not, in both a physical, mental, spiritual and emotional sense. That's it.

Before concluding this article, I want to touch one more time on the topic of Christian women wearing makeup. I am sure that my Christian readers will agree with me when I say that the Scriptures form the foundation of our faith. That being the case, exactly what do they tell us regarding a woman's physical appearance? Consider the following set of verses which offer us a clear answer, and let them be the true guide in your personal life:

"Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God."


"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; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."


"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. 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. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:"


Please notice that the previous group of verses describes both how a Christian woman should dress physically, as well as what her attitude and demeanor -- or behavior -- should be like. Basically, First Century Christian women were to be humble and quiet in character, and respectful towards their husbands. They were to dress modestly, and not wear fancy jewelry, expensive clothing, or style their hair. In other words, they were not to act like the children of the world who did all of those things. So then, given these various guidelines, do you honestly believe that the First Century Church permitted their women to wear makeup to any degree? Isn't the answer rather obvious?

In conclusion, the previous group of verses clearly outlines my personal position regarding this subject. Please note that as occurs with many of the articles that I write, everything I have stated herein is primarily directed to Christians, and more specifically to Christian women. It is NOT directed to women of the world who may not believe in God, and who may not embrace the Bible as the inspired Word of God. As we all know, the children of the world will do as they will do, and they have no interest in what God may say or think about it. They are unbelieving reprobates. I am reminded of this verse:

"The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts."


On the other hand, it may be that after reading this current article -- assuming you have made it this far -- some of you stubborn Christian women may possibly be tempted to call me old-fashioned. Or maybe you'll accuse me of being a legalist. Whatever the case may be, it doesn't really matter, because I am not interested in your opinion. So am I being haughty? No, not at all. It is simply that in my view, when the Scriptures have spoken clearly regarding a certain subject -- as occurs in this case -- then there is really no more to say about it, is there? God has spoken. He has revealed His Will. Nothing more can or should be added to it.

Of course, if you really do accuse me of being old-fashioned, or being a legalist, then please understand that as far as I am concerned, what you are really saying is that even though you claim to be a Christian, the aforementioned Scriptures no longer apply in your life, and that you clearly reject what they say. In other words, in your current state of rebellion, you believe that you have the right to pick and choose. You have the right to embrace those Scriptures which agree with what you want to believe, as well as the right to reject any verses which go against the personal religion you have set up in your life. My friend, if that is your attitude, then you really do need a serious wakeup call from the Lord!

As I stated earlier, unless you can point me to some verses which very clearly reveal that somewhere along the line, God changed His standard with regard to Christian women, then you remain in the wrong, whether you are willing to admit it or not. Of course, that is just your pride.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Abortion: The Slaughter of the Innocent
Cain's Wife: Where Did She Come From?
Future of Same-Sex Marriage
Murdering Millions by Mail: The Abortion Controversy
The Fruit of the Womb
Unrepentant Abortionist
Why Did Jesus Call His Mother 'Woman'?
Women in the Lives of Jesus and the Apostles
Women Shepherds, Pastors and Teachers: A Biblical Perspective

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