Growing up, as a matter of religious obedience I was not allowed to have my ears pierced, wear makeup or wear any clothes that were considered tight or revealing. I couldn’t understand where it was said in the Bible that you had to be as plain and unattractive as possible to please God. Fast forward to today where Botox, facelifts and rhinoplasty are very readily available and even considered mainstream. I still wonder whether or not God is for or against these enhancements and if there is any biblical backup to either side.

The religious types would argue 1 Peter 3:3-4

Do not let your adornment be merely outward-arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

The Bible often speaks of a person’s countenance. It really means the look on your face, or the intent of the look on your face to express your mood. Think of it as wearing your inside on the outside. Ultimately, who you are on the inside will show up in your countenance. Maybe at some time someone has offered to slap the look of your face. This was probably because you were showing a bad countenance or attitude which I believe is much more severe and harder to fix than a bad hairdo or crow’s feet. Having a bad countenance doesn’t do much to testify about God’s goodness and how much joy and peace you have found because He is with you. In Matthew 6:16 Jesus goes on to say that those who have sad countenance’s and disfigure their faces while fasting so that everyone can tell they are fasting have their reward. If you want to be seen by men and revered by men, then I guess you got exactly what you wanted and no more. So, with this verse in mind what is the intention behind wanting these procedures?

I guess the faith-based answer is a question. What is the reason behind the decision? What is your motivation to do it, or how does it reflect the state of your heart? Is the intention to glorify God or your ego? Jesus reveals this to us in a powerful way during the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:27-28

You have heard it said that you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

What is in your heart matters. Do you have love in your heart? Is there bitterness in your heart? Do you have peace? All of these things will show outwardly in your countenance. Are you attempting to cover up your shortcomings and ultimately use your appearance to build false confidence? It is doubtful that if you have very low in self esteem and unable to define or enforce any personal boundaries that an invasive, or perhaps even very painful procedures would change what is going on inside of you. These are the types of situations you would want to invite Jesus into so that with His help you can start to fix the inside before you do any major work on the outside.

As an adult I now wear makeup and earrings, and I don’t feel condemned for it. Please note in the quotation of 1 Peter 3 it tells you not MERELY to adorn your outside but the inside too. I am trying to represent God, my family and myself in a favorable light not only in a pleasing countenance, but my physical appearance as well. As I age, I do consider facelifts and fillers, but I do so prayerfully. I believe that God wants good things for you, and since He has made everyone differently, different choices are right for different things for different people. An odd point to note is that I don’t believe God wants me to wear jeans to church service. Not that I believe there is anything wrong with wearing jeans to church, I just don’t believe God wants ME to wear jeans to church. It has nothing to do with my salvation, and nothing to do with sin, just a feeling in my spirit. If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit it will be revealed to you who you are “In Christ.”  Once you know who you are in Christ decisions like these should be put into proper perspective.  In John 10:10 Jesus tells us that His reason for coming to earth is that we can have a rich and satisfying life. And perhaps these procedures are part of some people’s satisfying lives and if so, good for you! I just ask you not to forget to keep the main thing, the main thing. Jesus came to earth to die for our sins, was resurrected and now sits at the right hand of God. Now that is something worth discussing!