³Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; ⁴but 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.

Debates rage in some Christian circles about how passages like this should influence a woman’s appearance. Surprisingly there are more than a few references to beauty in Scripture. The inspired writer of Genesis acknowledges the discrepancy in physical beauty between Leah and Rachel in the OT (Gen. 29:17). This is no different from acknowledging the difference in strength and stature of men. These are simply facts of life.

However, we err when we place more value on women who are blessed with beauty when what is precious to God is not a woman’s outward appearance but her inward character. Scripture warns against an imbalance when it teaches us, “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion” (Prov. 11:22).

So, in his inspired wisdom, Peter counsels women in marriage to bring under control the natural desire to be beautiful and focus more on inner Christ-likeness. That is not easy in today’s culture when glamour and sexiness are unrealistically airbrushed and Photoshopped to near perfection. What is a Christian woman to do? How can she compete?

Peter’s comments are akin to saying, “Men, don’t let your strength be about exercising your body and building muscle for show, but let your strength be about your inner ability to conquer temptation or take action in the face of fear.” This statement does not negate a man pursuing a physical development regimen. So, the NASB translators insert the term “merely” to convey this sense concerning a woman’s efforts to enhance her outward beauty.

This is the kind of language Peter uses concerning a woman’s behavior in marriage. Her overall posture should not be about looking better through unhealthy attention to her outward appearance, but on her “hidden” behavior, that is, the inner character. Peter’s attention to hairstyles, jewelry, and apparel (all of which go in and out of style) is put in opposition to the “imperishable” character of “a gentle and quiet spirit.” The latter is far better and more fruitful in a marriage than being bossy, loud, argumentative, pushy, or otherwise verbally abrasive. A woman’s godly character not only helps to positively influence her husband, but God Himself thinks this kind of behavior is impressive. That is a truly beautiful woman.

Lord, help me value inner beauty more than outward beauty.