1 Peter 3:3–4: “Let your beauty not be external—the braiding of hair and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes—but the inner person of the heart, the lasting beauty of a gentle and tranquil spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.”

This is me talking about the power of the gospel, the transformative power of the gospel when it comes to history. But look at it this way: you see a redefinition of beauty when it comes to the woman. Beauty is being redefined.

“Let your beauty not be external, the braiding of hair and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.” Does that mean don’t wear fine clothes? I don’t think so. Does that mean don’t braid hair? I don’t think so. Does that mean don’t wear gold? I don’t think so. But how do I show I am more beautiful than you?

Does that mean I should go get the finer clothes? These are the things that can become competition. If beauty is about the braiding of hair, then if you do one million braids, I am going to do three million. That is the competition, right? If it is about fine clothes, if you wear clothes with pearls on one side, I am going to get clothes with pearls on both sides. Why? Beauty. It is the competition.

I am saying one of the impacts of the gospel is the redefinition of beauty.

And I am saying that we are not saying “no fine clothes.” We are not saying “no jewelry.” Jewelry is not spoken of, on its own premise, as bad or good. Jewelry is just jewelry. So don’t misread Peter and think that he is saying, “Don’t braid your hair.”

Why would you think of it like that? If you read it as “don’t braid your hair,” that means beauty is now in not braiding your hair. Remember the focus in this passage is beauty, and it is not discouraging beauty. It is redefining beauty.

And what is now the competition? The competition is the lasting beauty of a gentle and tranquil spirit. Let’s push that. Let’s be aggressive in that direction. That is the truth. But why is that the truth? Because God’s value of you is what is now paramount. Look at how Peter ended this passage: “which is precious in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3:4).

You remember they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What is God seeing? God is looking at that quiet spirit. God is looking at that gentle and tranquil spirit. It is in His sight. It is in His sight. It is what He is valuing. And as a Christian, you definitely want to do what God is valuing.

And Peter is saying God is valuing a gentle and tranquil spirit. Whatever that means, whatever that is, don’t give yourself any excuse. Don’t say, “It’s the man that did this one.” Don’t say, “What about the men?” Don’t say, “Somebody told me that I’m going to lose my virginity before I get married because men can also be promiscuous.” That person is not in these two verses.

But look at what Peter is saying: “Let your beauty not be external.” We see it clearly in Scripture that “people look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Just listen to Scripture. Just pay attention. Just submit yourself to Scripture. He is saying the competition can’t be fine clothes.

This is information to the woman about what God values. That should be controlling us. And that has impacted people in the world. You can see the impact of the gospel, where you see that God values you and, in His eye, beauty is redefined.

God bless you. See you later.