Author Unknown<\/p>\n
I still remember someone telling a teenage girl that her braided hair was wrong. He cited the scripture in I Timothy 2:9. I remember going home to look at that passage to see if that is what it really says. Sure enough, here is what it says.<\/p>\n
“Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness<\/em>” (I Timothy 2:9-10).<\/p><\/blockquote>\nAfter studying the history of braiding, I have come to understand this passage better. In ancient times, only the wealthiest braided their hair. Braids were not the pigtails seen today. The braids were often very, very extravagant and might take a whole day to complete. Of course, the treatment came with many servants waiting on her throughout the day. Its purpose was to flaunt wealth and status, much like rare and expensive jewelry.
\nSo, the issue is not braided hair, but what it represented at the time. The problem was aligning with and adopting the world’s values. The issue is modesty.\nA simple definition of modesty is humility expressed through one’s appearance. Immodesty is a form of pride and arrogance that is expressed through one’s appearance. This means that modesty is a reflection of our hearts, something that scripture bears out:<\/p>\n
“Your adornment must not be merely external–braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God<\/em>” (I Peter 3:3-4).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Fashion designers do not value modesty or a “gentle and quiet spirit.<\/em>” They value just the opposite. Christians need to be acutely aware of this when they go shopping at the mall. The braided hair of ancient times has given way to other forms of pride reflected in appearance. Sometimes it is a wardrobe to display social status. Often, it is something that is too little or too tight, such as a short skirt or a buff guy who wears a shirt two sizes too small. Whatever it is, the root of immodesty comes from the heart. It is an expression of pride.<\/p>\n
Don’t misunderstand. This is not a prohibition against enhancing your appearance. The passages speak of “adorning” yourself, but in a proper and godly way. “Adornment” refers to the act of decorating, enhancing, or making something attractive. The Proverbs 31 woman wore fine clothing, Esther underwent beauty treatments, and the woman of the Song of Solomon wore jewelry.<\/p>\n
So, what does godly adornment consist of? According to these passages, it boils down to these things.<\/p>\n
\n
- Proper clothing. This means it reflects the grace and beauty of womanhood, or the honor and dignity of manhood.<\/li>\n
- Good works.<\/li>\n
- A humble heart. Rather than just a modesty check, do a heart check.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Ask yourself the following questions: What is my motivation for wearing this? What statement does my appearance make? Whose and what kinds of attention do I crave? Is God a part of my decision in my appearance?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Author Unknown I still remember someone telling a teenage girl that her braided hair was wrong. He cited the scripture in I Timothy 2:9. I remember going home to look at that passage to see if that is what it really says. Sure enough, here is what it says. “Likewise, I want women to adorn…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[414,365],"class_list":["post-88988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-hair","tag-modesty"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":52344,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-a-sin-for-a-woman-to-dye-her-hair-colors-such-as-red-blue-or-green\/","url_meta":{"origin":88988,"position":0},"title":"Is it a sin for a woman to dye her hair colors such as red, blue, or green?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, Is it a sin for a woman to dye her hair from natural black to another color such as red, blue, green, etc? Answer: \"Your adornment must not be merely external -- braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1775,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-isnt-i-timothy-29-taken-literally\/","url_meta":{"origin":88988,"position":1},"title":"Why isn’t I Timothy 2:9 taken literally?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 9, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: On I Timothy 2:9, how come it is not taken literally? I was wondering because I keep getting told that it is cultural when I do not understand even how the Bible could possibly be cultural being the Word of God and II Timothy 3:16. Answer: In like manner\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32406,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-men-and-women-who-dress-immodestly-urged-toward-promiscuity\/","url_meta":{"origin":88988,"position":2},"title":"Are men and women who dress immodestly urged toward promiscuity?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 3, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Are men and women who dress immodestly urged toward promiscuity? Answer: Webster's Dictionary defines immodest as: not modest; not decorous; indecent; not shy or humble; bold; forward. Immodesty doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with promiscuity.\u00a0 It can lead to promiscuity,\u00a0but it is not a given.\u00a0 A person can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42534,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-do-the-scriptures-say-about-dreadlocks\/","url_meta":{"origin":88988,"position":3},"title":"What do the Scriptures say about dreadlocks?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, There is a fashion trend among black males to plait their hair or have dreadlocks like rastas. What do the Scriptures say about this? Answer: It depends on the purpose of the hairstyling. I know that the tightly curly hair among those of African descent is often difficult\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":68641,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-proper-for-a-christian-to-be-sexy\/","url_meta":{"origin":88988,"position":4},"title":"Is it proper for a Christian to be sexy?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 2, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it okay for a Christian to be sexy (both male and female)? How do you define the word \"sexy\"? Answer: The Oxford Dictionary defines \"sexy\" as \"sexually attractive or exciting\" when applied to others or \"sexually aroused\" when applied to yourself. Therefore, by definition, \"sexy\" is referring to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1903,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-women-use-head-coverings-when-praying\/","url_meta":{"origin":88988,"position":5},"title":"Should women use head coverings when praying?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 4, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Should women use head coverings when praying? Answer: Consider also this similar question: Is it proper for a man to pray while his head is covered? The overall point in\u00a0I Corinthians 11:1-16\u00a0is a discussion concerning authority, leadership, and submission. Paul states, \"I want you to know that the head\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88988\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}