Makeup:

We, as Apostolics, more concisely as Apostolics who believe in the biblical principles of holiness (2 Corinthians 7:1, Ephesians 4:24, 1Thessalonians 3:13, 1Thessalonians 4:7, Hebrews 12:14) have been unjustly accused of being legalistic, and/or Pharisees by those whose views differ from ours. While there may have been abuses in these areas by some individuals, I fully intend to remain apart from those persons.

My personal thoughts on the subject of holiness in dress are from a perspective of biblical scholarship, and a heart of love. If God in His holy word tells me I need to do something in order to have a closer relationship to Him, or to be saved, you can bet your bottom dollar I’m going to do those things.

If I’m only doing those things to make myself out as a more holy person than someone else, I’m doing it for the wrong reasons and prove myself to be an unholy individual. This is brought out in:

Luke 18:10-14 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11: The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12: I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13: And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.14: I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Self righteousness is putrid in the sight of God. I believe that we should do the things which God has commanded us to do. Not only those things relating to salvation, but also to holiness. I want the most out of my relationship with God. I want to do everything possible to increase my relationship with Him.

I want to serve God out of a heart of love, not legalistic garbage. We need to keep in mind that anything we are commanded to do in the bible is called doctrine, doctrine is law. The only difference between the holiness movement and those who believe otherwise is the amount of doctrine they believe. How much of God’s word they are willing to be obedient to?

As an example, the bible lists several things that need to be done in order to be saved. This is the short version and I have plenty of scripture beyond what is listed to back up my position:

1. You must believe in Jesus Christ, and that He is your savior. (John 3:16)

2. You must repent of your sins. (Acts 2:38)

3. You must confess your sins to God (as a part of repentance); and confess that Jesus Christ is your savior before men. (Matthew 10:32-33, Acts 19:18, Romans 10:9-10)

4. You must have faith that Jesus Christ is able to; and will save you. (Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 11:6, 1John 5:4)

5. You must be baptized by full immersion in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins. (Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Acts 2:38)

6. You must be baptized in the Holy Ghost with the initial sign of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance. (John 3:5, Acts 1:4-5, Acts 2:16-18, 38).

Most people will tell you that all you need to be saved it just “believe”. Even though in such a short lesson, and there is far more scripture supporting my position, I have just proven conclusively that there is more to being saved than just believing, people will say I’m being legalistic for preaching the entire word of God. The same thing goes with holiness. I will show you what the word of God shows on the subject of holiness in dress, it’s up to you whether you want to believe God or men.

Again, I want to say that I live the life of holiness out of a love for God, not out of a heart full of self righteousness. I want to be obedient to the full word of God. I don’t want to pick and choose what I want to believe. Would you really want God to do that with your salvation?

Let’s start with Clothing:

Deuteronomy 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

In American society, women wear dresses and men wear pants. Many people will say they are wearing women’s pants, not men’s. Yet you ask them about men’s dresses and immediately they are against them. They say it’s sickening to even think about it. I say that it is no more sickening than women’s pants.

Ask yourself, if it is sickening and inappropriate for men to wear dresses, why is it appropriate and acceptable for women to wear pants? What’s with the double standard? In the not too distant past, it was considered sickening and inappropriate for women to wear pants. This change only came about during WWII when women had to work in the shipyards, and building aircraft for the war effort. Even after the war it was still considered inappropriate for women to wear pants outside the work place. Women who wore pants in public were considered “cheap”, “loose”, and certainly not the kind you wanted to marry.

Another example, that men wear pants and women wear dresses as appropriate attire in America, can be found on the doors of public bathrooms. When looking for the proper door to enter to use public facilities it’s easy to figure out which one to use only by looking at the placard on the door. One will show a figure wearing pants and one will show a figure wearing a dress.

There are also those who say that wearing coulots are ok. Let’s define the differences between pants and dresses or skirts. Dresses and skirts have only one leg hole, Pants have two leg holes, Coulots have two leg holes, and therefore, they’re just baggy pants. Modern coulots aren’t even baggy and no longer make an attempt to look like a skirt as they did 20 or 30 years ago.

People have used the excuse that it is more modest to wear coulots or pants to avoid wearing appropriate biblically based attire. The excuse is that their job requires them to wear such clothing in order to remain modest. I’m afraid it has been wrongly taught that modesty matters above all things. Actually morality matters above all things. It’s an abomination to God, and please keep in mind the abominable go to hell. (Revelation 21:8) If your profession requires that you wear inappropriate clothing to remain modest, please change your profession.

Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Let’s talk about the length of a dress or men’s pants:

Exodus 28:42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:

This scripture was written to Aaron as a reference for his sons, the priests. We are the kings and priests of this age; I believe we are to dress as holy as they were since God never changes. We must remember the Old Testament is but the types and shadows of what was to come. If we have any doubts on a subject, we need to check out what the Old Testament says about it as well. It might just clarify everything you’ve read in the New Testament.

We need to understand that not everything in the Old Testament was done away with when Christ came. In fact, there are only three things that passed away with the coming of Christ and his sacrifice for us on the cross.

1. The sacrifice for sins: Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

2. The dietary laws: Acts 10:15 “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.”

3. The Levitical Priesthood: 1Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Exodus 28:42 makes it clear that we are to wear clothes that cover the thigh. I believe that we should wear long enough clothing to cover the thighs; and yet not allow a person to see between the thighs while you are sitting down. This means that a woman’s dress should be several inches below her knees so that when the dress/skirt pulls up as she sits, she will not expose herself accidentally. I usually prefer mid-calf as a “recommendation” so that there is plenty of room for error. If a woman is not sure in her heart if her dress/skirt is long enough, she should err on the long side. Men should just wear long pants as they are always appropriate attire and will certainly scare far fewer women. J

Let’s look at what Isaiah had to say about this.

Isaiah 47:2 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.

Isaiah 47:3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

In this passage, Isaiah is talking about what will happen to Babylon in punishment for her sins against Israel. In this passage Isaiah equates the showing of the thigh or the leg as nakedness. We need to be careful to cover up properly! Again, not to foolishly attempt to earn our way into heaven, God forbid! But because we know it pleases the Lord, and He has made it known to us through his word.

Another thought along these lines is that both sexes should take care to wear their clothing loose enough that it doesn’t pull up into body crevices. The only reason for wearing skin tight clothing is to sexually stimulate the opposite sex. This type of stimulation is inappropriate for a Christian. Trust me; the opposite sex will know if you are fit, attractive, etcetera, whether or not you have on tight clothes.

The length of the sleeves is appropriate to consider at this time as well. If the sleeves are too short, for example sleeveless, on a woman’s blouse, men can see her undergarments when she raises her arms to praise the Lord. Longer sleeves that are baggy will have the same effect. It’s better to err on the side of extra length than to be immodest. My personal preference is for the sleeve to end below the elbow; this gives room for all but the baggiest sleeves and still keeps a person modest. Guys, the ladies don’t need to be seeing your chest or hairy armpits either! It’s just as wrong for you to show off yours as it is for her to show off hers.

One failure of the church today is for the older women to teach the principles of modesty to the younger women. We are living in a generation that has forgotten what modesty is, and bristles at the thought of anyone disagreeing with their personal choice of clothing. We need to remember that we, as Christians, no longer live for ourselves, but as the servants of Christ. The servant doesn’t choose what they will wear, the master does.

Now let’s talk about makeup:

When it comes to makeup there are as many excuses for wearing it as there are for wearing pants. “My skin is too oily”, “It protects my face from sun burning”, or as one man said, “If the barn needs painting you paint it”.

My personal opinion is; no matter what it takes, I want to serve God his way and without excuses. I feel for the woman whose husband was so shallow that he would refer to her as a barn needing painted. We need to study the bible to find out what God’s word says about makeup and those who wear it.

2 Kings 9:30 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.

I think we all know what kind of woman Jezebel was and I don’t think God would want any woman to emulate her. She was ungodly, wicked, a murderer, a promiscuous woman. God used her as an example of what a woman of God shouldn’t be. She was like an Old Testament antichrist almost.

Let’s look at what Ezekial had to say about women who used makeup:

Ezekiel 23:40-44

40: And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments, 41: And satest upon a stately bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine oil. 42: And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her: and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads. 43: Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them? 44: Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women.

It is rather obvious from this passage what kind of women Aholah and Aholibah were. These women were representatives of (actually were) the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

These were women that strayed from God and would do anything to please anyone else including prostituting themselves. I don’t think God would want any woman to act like these did in any way. In both cases given they painted their eyes.

What does this say about women who wear makeup? The inference is that women who wear makeup are false, are loose, and not someone who deserves respect. If you read the whole passage in Ezekiel, you will see how God punished them and shamed them. If you truly love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, would you really want to be a shame to Him?

Now, what does God say about how a person looks who is wearing makeup? Does it improve their looks in the eyes of God? Does it make them more acceptable to others? Will it overshadow the other personal issues a person has? Search out the scriptures for yourself, you will never find a woman who was wearing makeup that was counted as a woman of God. All of them were evil.

Let’s read Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 4:30 And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.

By putting anything on her face she was “renting” i.e. tearing her face, making it ugly before God. Therefore she is not more beautiful in the sight of God, she is less attractive. God loves us just the way we are and when we try to unnaturally improve on what God’s given us, we’re telling God he didn’t do a good enough job and that we can do better than him.

God has made us the way we are for a reason, maybe it’s because we would be too lifted up with pride if we were too attractive. I don’t pretend to know the reason but we’ll all know in the end.

For those who feel they need things to protect heir skin, there are sunscreens that can be used without resorting to “makeup” or “cover-up”. A person could use a skin moisturizer to take care of the dryness created by the stronger sunscreens if that’s an issue.

Personally, my feeling is that most women don’t know how to use makeup properly and they’re doing themselves a disservice by using it to be sure. Those who do it properly may not look bad, but compared to a woman that’s free from makeup, they look fake and far less appealing. I’ve always preferred women who didn’t wear makeup to those who do. This was even before I started going to church. Now that I am in church, I will certainly do things God’s way.

Now let’s talk about jewelry

1 Peter 3:3-5 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:

Plaiting of the hair is elaborate braiding. One can do too much to any part of their body, clothing, or accouterments and it become a pride issue. In this passage gold is forbidden to be worn, but if you wear too much silver it becomes jewelry because you’re trying to be a showoff. I don’t want to get anywhere close to being on the wrong side of what God desires us to do.

If we carefully consider the passage we just read, what does it say that the true beauty of a woman is? It’s her heart and her spirit. I’ve found over the course of my life that a beautiful woman will become less and less attractive each time I’m around her if her attitude is ugly. I’ve also found that a woman who is less than a raving beauty will become more and more attractive each time I’m around her if she has a right heart and spirit.

1 Timothy 2:9-10 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.

A lot of people use the shamefacedness to promote not wearing makeup but it just means modesty, awe and reverence in the Greek. That’s why I didn’t include it in the makeup section. However, this passage shows that women should not wear gold, pearls or excessively expensive array.

Broided hair was a fashion back in biblical days (and has recurred since) where a gold tier was placed on a woman’s head and her hair was laced through it, sometimes with gold chains woven in as well. It is also a form of elaborate braiding (plaiting) as described by the root word in the Greek

It also mentions that she wear modest clothing and be sober minded. In other words she is not to be riotous, a party animal. Her works are to glorify God; she is to be an example for those who are younger than she is.

A woman who dresses modestly will be treated far more respectfully by men than one who is immodest. If a woman shows too much flesh, men’s minds will be far more likely to be on one thing, a one night stand. A modest woman is the kind that men want to keep for a lifetime. Please notice that wearing gold, pearls, and costly array are not considered being modest.

Let’s look at the issues of jewelry in the Old Testament:

Ezekiel 33:1-5 And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way. And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments. For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.

This was written just after the children of Israel made the golden calf while Moses was getting the Ten Commandments. They had sinned before God and the only way he would even consider them was if they pulled off their jewelry.

Why would we want to put something on that we would have to pull off again in order to be acceptable before God? Since it says that “no man did put on him his ornaments” even before God commanded it, it must mean that it was a known principle even before this time. Why wouldn’t we want to leave the jewelry off all the time so that we may be holy before God at all times.

We can also look at Ezekiel 23:40-44 again. Remember that decking themselves with ornaments was part of their harlotry.

Ezekiel 23:40-44 (Don’t read again unless necessary)

Now let’s look at hair:

One thing that needs to be established from the beginning is the purpose of hair. Women usually refer to another woman’s hair as beautiful, or some other description other than a reference to its length. Men will almost always refer to the beauty of a woman’s hair with the length of it inclusive in the description.

The biblical description of a woman’s hair is first given that it is her covering. Let’s read: 1Corinthians 11:4-6

1Corinthians 11:4-6, 11-16

:4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoreth his head. :5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. :6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.

In this passage; the lack of a covering on the woman is described as being the same thing as if she were “Shaven”. This word shaven comes from the Greek word “xurao” (xoo-rah'-o) meaning to “shave” or “shear” the hair:

By inference this equates a woman cutting her hair with shaving her head. It also equates shaving or cutting her hair with dishonor and shame because she is removing the covering she needs to have in order to pray.

For those who would say Verse 6 says “If it be a shame” Verse 5 has already declared it to be dishonorable. That which is dishonorable is shameful.

Now let’s look at what’s the bible says in: 1Corinthians 11:11-16

1Corinthians 11:13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? :14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? :15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. :16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

This passage indicates that it was common knowledge at the time of it’s writing that it is improper for a woman to pray uncovered. The word “comely” means “proper or fit” in the Greek. Verse 13 is asking you, is it proper for a woman to pray uncovered? The obvious answer was given earlier, and it is an emphatic “NO”! Verse 15 tells us that her hair is her glory, and that it is given to her for her covering. That covering God has given her to wear when she prays to him.

Verse 14 makes it quite clear that long hair on a man is against the natural pattern of God, and that it is a shame to him. Those who would use Verse 16 to say that the church has no custom of prohibiting long hair on a man are taking the verse out of context of the passage in which it is contained. To use that definition, it would be diametrically opposed to what Verse 14 says. Verse 14 defines Verse 16 and Verse 14 makes it clear that the church mentioned in Verse 16 has no such custom of long hair on men.

The bottom line is that because we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We desire to serve Him the way He has prescribed for us to do so. We don’t do so out of pride, or we have a bad spirit that God will despise. We do it out of love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and we do it gladly, not grudgingly.

This is not, nor did I ever intend it to be an “end all” study of holiness of dress, nor does it address spiritual holiness. There is much more on this subject, but that would make it a book and not a short bible study.