1 Peter 3:3-4
3 Whose [hos] adorning [kosmos] let it [esto] not [ou] be [esto] that outward [exothen] adorning of plaiting [emploke] the hair [thrix], and [kai] of wearing [perithesis] of
gold [chrusion], or [e] of putting on [endusis] of
apparel [himation];
4 But [alla] let it be the hidden
[kruptos] man [anthropos] of the heart [kardia], in [en] that which is not corruptible [aphthartos], even the ornament of a meek [praus] and [kai] quiet [hesuchios] spirit [pneuma], which [hos] is [esti] in the sight [enopion] of God [theos] of great
price [poluteles]. KJV-Interlinear
3 And let not your adornment be
merely external braiding the hair, and
wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4 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. NASB
Adornment or
accessorizing oneself in order to become more beautiful or presentable to
others, is a natural desire, and rightly so.
God adorned the entire
world, with color, with texture, with aroma, with every possible thing one can
imagine.Fruits have taste and
color.They can certainly nourish
without these things.The forest has
texture, and variety, and color, and aroma s galore. The forest can certainly function without
these things.
But what would this
world be without a waterfall, without a sunset, without the clean smell after
an afternoon rain?
And into this world God
placed man, who does not look so ravishing, so He added woman, and that is
where all the adornment of a relationship begins. People can function in life without all of
the beautifying things they use, but then what would life be like if everyone
were ugly.
The woman is the object
of desire, the treasure worth fighting for.
She offers many good things, not the least of which are intimate. And so the woman will accessorize herself, in
order to feel good about herself, as well as attractive to others.
Every man will take
notice when a well adorned woman walks by, but while the excitement of the
outer attraction is strong, the longer term desires of the male prefer a
relationship that will last a long time, and not for just a single encounter or
weekend.
External things are
enticing, but there is a personality behind all the outer wares. And it is that inner personality that one has
to ultimately deal with in a relationship.
If a woman is beautiful, but has a bad attitude, then she is worthless.
Peter does not condemn
adornment and accessorizing oneself, but what he does here is emphasize the
inner self over the outer self. This does not mean that you neglect your outer
self.Remember that men are external
minded creatures, and their eye captures in all the beauty it can.
The mans desires lie
outside of himself, while the womans desires lie within herself. This is why, gentlemen, that opening the
door, bringing home flowers, cleaning up the yard, fixing things, saying all
the right things, will gain a mountain of response from your wife. Women appreciate the nice things, which
reflects on their inner being.
And Peter here
emphasizes that the inner self, your soul, needs to be more valued and attended
to, as opposed to the outer condition of your life. Look what response can you get from external
beauty, but how much more response can you obtain from internal beauty? Doctrine in the soul is your inner
adornment.It is your inner source of
beauty.
When you are in
fellowship, and as you study doctrine, it becomes the building blocks of your
souls structure.
As you use doctrine,
while living your life while in fellowship, then your function becomes your
spiritual production.No matter what you
do, while in fellowship, your soul develops production.
The doctrine details in
your soul are the foundation and building structure of your inner castle, your
inner temple, your inner home.But a
home is not a home until you begin to adorn it.
You place furniture, and paintings and rugs and shelves and knick-knack s
in your home.Now it takes on a
life.It becomes a real home.
Your spiritual
production is the adornment of your soul.
Also, referred to as the gold, silver, and precious stones you
accumulate within the structure of your soul.
The opposite adornment
ingredients of the sin nature, or production while out of fellowship, is often referred
to as the wood, hay, and stubble adornment, or worthless accessories.
Everyone enjoys the beauty
of nature, but the inner beauty of the soul originates from the doctrine that
resides within the soul, and overflows to the personality, and far surpasses natures
beauty, in that a lasting and meaningful relationship can be constructed based
on that inner beauty.
The external beauty of
a wife or of nature, cannot be possessed.
You can only observe and appreciate it.
Anyone can only view and appreciate the outer beauties of the world
around us.
But the inner beauty of
the soul (whether you are male or female), is something that you can own and
possess, and incorporate into your entire being, forever. It is something like when you inhale a
pleasant aroma, close your eyes and allow the aroma to absorb inside of you,
and you feel that it is becoming a part of you, that is how the woman feels or
responds to life, when life is good to her.
This is something that
a man can only begin to understand, and really never understand.
But by the same token,
when the wife adorns her inner self, and this overflows to her outer self, then
the man comes to greatly appreciate her. And the wife, as such, becomes the
husbands most valued possession.
God gave us all, many
examples of adornment in this world.And
these are only external examples of how our inner soul can be, if we advance in
our spiritual life.This is what God
desires from us, which is doctrine in us.
In life, God is the
masculine part of life and we, humanity, are the feminine part of life. Doctrine
in our soul becomes the foundation of our inner beauty as well as our inner
wealth, and how we conduct ourselves in life, is converted to the adornment
within our soul.
Any woman would die for
the cover girl figure, and attention of those observing her. But, that attractiveness is only temporary. What we should all want to die for, is the
inner beauty of the soul, which far surpasses any exterior beauty you can
imagine, and it is permanent and a possession which you will never lose, ever.
And that is what God
places high value on your spiritual maturity, complete with your spiritual
production.