Should Christians wear jewelry? - Deep Illumination
In order to answer this question, we must know what the mind of God is where jewelry is concerned, as recorded in the scriptures. Some people have debated the statement of peter in 1peter 3:3, claiming that women should not use jewelry; but let's read the scriptures and know the truth.
First of all, both Peter and Paul mentioned 3 specific things in their statement; plaiting of hair (hair styles), wearing of jewelry, and putting on expensive clothes (1Th 2:9) and (1Pet 3:3-4). Most churches that are preaching no jewelry are imposing and placing emphasis only on the “no wearing of jewelry” part of the scriptures, yet ignores the two others, which are “putting on costly apparel” and “fancy hair style”.
1timothy 2:9, “I also want the women to be modest and sensible about their clothes and to dress properly; not with fancy hair styles or with gold ornaments or pearls or expensive dresses,”
Let us face the facts; if women should not wear jewelry of gold and silver, then why the expensive gold or silver wedding rings on their finger? THIS IS JEWELRY!
Secondly, if the wearing of jewelry is forbidden then the wearing of expensive clothes and having fancy hair style should also be forbidden by Christian women and Pastors’ wives.
Because the women were using their outward beauty and jewelry to lure men, Peter through historical knowledge of the women gave a warning and exhortation that their beauty should not be from jewelry, plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of costly apparel; but it should be their inner beauty because inner beauty holds more value than the outward. These women’s beauty was only outwardly but inside their hearts were still darkened with sin, not submitting to their husband (Matthew 23:27). With all these jewelries and beauty, they trusted in their jewelry and used it wrongly. Ezekiel 16:15, "but you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. vs.17 you also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which i had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore.” therefore god had to give the people a rebuke through the prophet Isaiah that he would strip them off their jewelry because of their evil deeds. Isaiah 3:16 moreover the lord saith, because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: [ankle chains] vs.18, “in that day the lord will take away the beauty of ankle-bracelets, and the headbands, and the crescents, vs.19 the pendants, and the bracelets, and the veils;
vs.20, the headdresses, and the leg ornaments, and the sashes, and the houses of the soul, and the amulets; vs.21, the rings and nose jewels;”
With this said, there is biblical proof that jewelry is for the Children of God.
God himself confessed that it was He who gave jewelry to His people to wear; Ezekiel 16:11, “and I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. Vs.12 and I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Vs.13 thus you were adorned with gold and silver,....you grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.”
He also allowed the Israelites to take jewelry and other precious materials from the Egyptians during their exodus from Egypt. Exodus 12:35, “and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: vs.36, “and the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians...
So wearing jewelry is not bad according to scripture and but Peter and Paul's statement was only made as a line of guidance. Gold and silver together with other precious stones are in heaven, which mean God like jewelry. He gave it for beautification because we are royalty to Him.
In order to answer this question, we must know what the mind of God is where jewelry is concerned, as recorded in the scriptures. Some people have debated the statement of peter in 1peter 3:3, claiming that women should not use jewelry; but let's read the scriptures and know the truth.
First of all, both Peter and Paul mentioned 3 specific things in their statement; plaiting of hair (hair styles), wearing of jewelry, and putting on expensive clothes (1Th 2:9) and (1Pet 3:3-4). Most churches that are preaching no jewelry are imposing and placing emphasis only on the “no wearing of jewelry” part of the scriptures, yet ignores the two others, which are “putting on costly apparel” and “fancy hair style”.
1timothy 2:9, “I also want the women to be modest and sensible about their clothes and to dress properly; not with fancy hair styles or with gold ornaments or pearls or expensive dresses,”
Let us face the facts; if women should not wear jewelry of gold and silver, then why the expensive gold or silver wedding rings on their finger? THIS IS JEWELRY!
Secondly, if the wearing of jewelry is forbidden then the wearing of expensive clothes and having fancy hair style should also be forbidden by Christian women and Pastors’ wives.
Because the women were using their outward beauty and jewelry to lure men, Peter through historical knowledge of the women gave a warning and exhortation that their beauty should not be from jewelry, plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of costly apparel; but it should be their inner beauty because inner beauty holds more value than the outward. These women’s beauty was only outwardly but inside their hearts were still darkened with sin, not submitting to their husband (Matthew 23:27). With all these jewelries and beauty, they trusted in their jewelry and used it wrongly. Ezekiel 16:15, "but you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. vs.17 you also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which i had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore.” therefore god had to give the people a rebuke through the prophet Isaiah that he would strip them off their jewelry because of their evil deeds. Isaiah 3:16 moreover the lord saith, because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: [ankle chains] vs.18, “in that day the lord will take away the beauty of ankle-bracelets, and the headbands, and the crescents, vs.19 the pendants, and the bracelets, and the veils;
vs.20, the headdresses, and the leg ornaments, and the sashes, and the houses of the soul, and the amulets; vs.21, the rings and nose jewels;”
With this said, there is biblical proof that jewelry is for the Children of God.
God himself confessed that it was He who gave jewelry to His people to wear; Ezekiel 16:11, “and I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. Vs.12 and I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Vs.13 thus you were adorned with gold and silver,....you grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.”
He also allowed the Israelites to take jewelry and other precious materials from the Egyptians during their exodus from Egypt. Exodus 12:35, “and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: vs.36, “and the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians...
So wearing jewelry is not bad according to scripture and but Peter and Paul's statement was only made as a line of guidance. Gold and silver together with other precious stones are in heaven, which mean God like jewelry. He gave it for beautification because we are royalty to Him.