![]() The qualities God wants in His people further reveal His concept of beauty. Peter is not prohibiting nice clothes or nice hairstyles he is simply saying that a gentle and quiet spirit is even more beautiful in God’s eyes. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful” (1 Peter 3:3-5). Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. Peter directed Christian women to focus on the inner, spiritual qualities in order to be truly beautiful: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Saul was a man of physical beauty, but his disobedience against God hurt the nation of Israel. Rebekah was “very beautiful” (Genesis 26:7), but she was also a deceiver and manipulator. Those noted for physical beauty were often great spiritual disappointments. The same was true of God’s beautiful women: Rahab, Hannah, Ruth, Deborah, and Mary of Bethany. It was not their physique or stateliness but their faith and service that made them beautiful. While all these people were beautiful to God, virtually nothing is known about their physical appearance. In all these qualities God saw great beauty. They were totally focused upon Jesus’ will as they shared the gospel with all. ![]() Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and Timothy were ruled by God in every consideration and decision. No consequence or shameful treatment could keep Daniel from reverencing his God. David gave his whole being to doing the will of God. Moses yielded total control of his life to God and became the man of meekness. Abraham trusted God’s promise so implicitly that he would have sacrificed his son of promise without hesitation. Noah’s implicit trust in God led him to construct a gigantic boat miles from water. What is beautiful in God’s eyes? Recognizing the qualities God has cherished in the lives of other people is one way to determine His concept of beauty. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28). Paul wrote, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. In contrast, God never notices those things when He considers beauty in people. When we speak of the so-called “beautiful people,” rarely do we mean those who are struggling to survive, who make their living by menial jobs, or who come from “backward” areas. While our opinions are strongly influenced by one’s address, occupation, and social role, God never determines beauty by social rank or life circumstances. His concept of beauty is different because He ignores cultural preferences and prejudices. God gladly accepts those who revere and obey Him. When Peter said, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism (Acts 10:34), he was saying, “At last, I understand.” Peter realized that God is unconcerned about a person’s origin or culture. Only a divine sign convinced the Jewish witnesses that Gentiles unquestionably had the right to be God’s children. It took an angel to get Peter the Jew and Cornelius the Gentile together. Only a divine revelation could convince Peter to enter a Gentile’s house and preach the gospel to him (Acts 10). People of one culture seldom see beauty in people of a different culture. God never uses the origin or culture of a person as the criterion of beauty. God looks upon the inner beauty, the beauty of one’s heart. Nothing in a person’s outward appearance impresses God. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. God told Samuel: “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. When the prophet Samuel examined Jesse’s sons in search of the next king of Israel, he was impressed with Eliab’s appearance. If a person is beautiful to God, he fits God’s concept of beauty.įor example, God never uses one’s outward physical appearance to determine beauty. No one defines for God His concept of beauty. However, many don’t realize that God’s concept of beauty is also His own. ![]() The fact that beauty is an individual concept is understood clearly by all. To regard something as beautiful, it must meet our own definition and concept of beauty. What is beautiful to us may be ugly to another. To define what is beautiful is difficult because beauty is, as the old saying goes, in the eyes of the beholder.
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