We studied how God Defines Beauty in our LIFE groups this week. I am going to start uploading all of our lessons to Kingdom Living rather than just linking to our church website. Here is the pdf of How God Defines Beauty. I want to add to this the role of consumerism in forming our definition of beauty. Most of our ideas of what is beautiful comes from people who want to sell us something. The way to generate sales is to breed dissatisfaction so that the consumer feels a need for their product. There is no way to develop a healthy sense of beauty much less a healthy self image by surrounding yourself with messages that say you aren’t good enough unless you buy this, do that, etc. The good news of scripture is that you are valuable and beautiful no matter what anyone else has to say
Here is the text of the lesson.
Icebreaker: Where do most people get their definition of beauty?
We live in a “touched up” world. The Dove Campaign is beginning to show how much touch up work goes into the average photo you see on the newsstand, billboard, or internet. What you see is no longer what you get. We are surrounded by a made-up and make believe world that tells us beauty is basically unattainable unless you starve yourself. That is not how God views us. God sees us as beautiful because that is how he made everyone of us.
Outward Beauty:
Gen 1:26, 31
With what two qualities did God make mankind?
· He made us in his image
· He said that what he had made was good.
Every culture is different in how they define beauty. Because different cultures say different things are beautiful we see that the way culture defines beauty is arbitrary. It is not arbitrary with God. God’s view is, If you exist, you are beautiful to him. Our culture defines beauty and then tries to sell the product that will help make you the way they defined it! That is crazy. You can never be happy or satisfied with that kind of standard. In Genesis God said what he made was good.
Psalm 139:13-16
What does this scripture say about God’s involvement in creating us?
· God is hands on. God is actively engaged in his creation. God loves who and what he makes.
How does the psalmist respond to the idea that God created him this way?
· He responds with praise.
The world’s message of beauty is designed to create dissatisfaction with self and forms an ideal that is unattainable. Why would it be hard to praise God for creating you if you are dissatisfied with yourself?
· Because you wish you were not the person God created you to be.
· God created you with value, worth, and beauty because He chose to make you, you.
Ecclesiastes 3:11-14
How many things has God made beautiful?
· Everything
God says over and over again that he is head over heals for us! Revelation 2 even calls his church his bride who is being prepared for the great wedding day with Christ. He thinks we are beautiful. But not just on the outside. Society dwells on outward beauty because they do not realize what inward beauty can be. God thinks you are beautiful but not just because of how he made your outside. Even moreso God sees you as beautiful because of how he made you inside.
The Value of Inward Beauty
Outward beauty is not all there is to life. When we spend our time and money chasing that and not tending to our souls we have gotten our priorities out of line.
Proverbs 31:30 & 1 Samuel 16:6-7
The proverbs say there is something more lasting and substantial than outward beauty. God gave us a clearer picture of what that is when he selected David to be king. When the people selected a king they picked Saul because of his physical characteristics (he was head and shoulders above the rest). When God picked a king what was he looking at?
· The inner person—the heart, soul, and character.
People use all sorts of products to makeup the outward person. What can we do to really develop the quality of our inner self?
· Through relationship with God, trusting God, faith, Bible study, prayer…all the things that put us in touch with God and his people.
· Time invested in those things will never go to waste.
1 Peter 3:3-4
Beauty is not skin deep. As we already saw outward beauty fades. What type of beauty does Peter say never fades?
· Beauty that comes from a gentle and quiet spirit.
· God puts a great value on that.
God sees past all the outward adornment straight into our hearts.
Application:
Where have you gotten your cues of what makes you beautiful?
When you get ready for your day which gets more prep time the outside or the inside?
What does God see when he looks past all the makeup, all the nice clothes, and jewelry right into your soul?
God thinks you are beautiful through and through. God says we are valuable and that it more important than what anyone else in the whole world has to say about it.
20 Responses
This was very enlightening…I had no idea that there were so many bible verses that point to God’s idea of beauty. Thank you and keep up the good work!
Amanda
DC,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Glad this lesson was helpful to you. God bless
Matt,
Great post brother.
I often wonder if David was handsome.
I often even wonder if Jesus was attractive as the Bible says, “He had no beauty or majisty to attact us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.” Does that mean that Jesus was ugly?
He was a prime example that outward beauty is not what attracts him in others He could of been created the most habsome man on earth but he did not choose to be a distraction.
Yes it does say somewhere David was handsome also he had a son Solomon and the bible says he was also handsome but God knew David had a good heart
Preacherman,
The problem we are faced with is that different cultures say different things are beautiful. In 1000 AD they may have thought David was beautiful but that might be totally ugly today. The problem is the standard. My point is, God made us in his image and that makes us beautiful no matter what anyone else says. We have value and worth that is not determined by what any company, advertiser, or even someone we know has to say about it.
Thanks for sharing your great work with others, Matt. I am blessed by your work.
Thanks. I totally agree. And with this view, how do you guide your wife & young girls into what we can accept? Any make up, how much money on clothes, etc? The world is shouting at them. I’m looking for some godly wisdom. They do want to look beautiful. 🙂
Becky,
Maybe someone who had daughters can answer that a little better than I can. I think we have to use our common sense and also we have to be aware of what we compliment young people on. If we constantly compliment them about their looks and not about their character it should come as no surprise the kind of adults they turn out to be.
YAA Adding this to my bookmarks. Thank You
haaha me too
What do you think God’s view on the human body?
I think God is interested in us as “whole people.” We sometimes hear how much God is interested in our soul and that is part of the deal but he also made us with a body and I believe he is profoundly interested in that as well. 1 Cor 3 & 6 both tell us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We can also assume from scripture that when we are raised, we aren’t raised to be just disembodied spirits but we will have a new body just like Jesus did when he was raised from the dead. Hope that helps.
I am very much appreciating this post. I’d like to comment on how we teach our girls and ourselves as women how to present ourselves. The bible teaches us to do things with excellence. It also points out that the Proverbs 31 wife is dressed in fine clothing and it seems clear that she cares for her physical appearance as well, though this is not specifically addressed beyond her attire.
I believe we can represent God to the world through a cared for appearance but our motives for attention to our appearance must be regularly checked. As I am teaching my 3 daughters about beauty, I have encouraged experimentation and excellence in the application of makeup and physical presentation but also try to remind them that these things require balance. As I makeup my eyes, I can pray over what I see and what messages I send with those eyes. As I apply lipstick, I can pray over the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart that they be acceptable and pleasing to the lord. As I apply blusher I can pray for the wisdom and strength to smile when appropriate and avoid laughter at course jokes. Our face is certainly a reflection of the character of Christ within us and we can use it to His glory.
I don’t believe it is helpful or godly to put legalistic restraints on the dollar amount we should spend or the brand or whatever. Those restraints should come from direct communication with the Spirit of God in each individuals situation. Closeness with the Lord allows us to have wisdom in how to use our own resources for His glory.
Hope that is helpful.
thank u for this wonderful post!!!!! i looved reading about it! im 17 and its very enlightening when i can read other bible verses that proves our beauty is in god!!!
What about Psalm 50:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, / God shines forth. And Isa 60:7,9,13 & 19 … And I will beautify the house of My beauty. …And unto the Holy One of Israel; for He has beautified you. … To beautify the place of My sanctuary … And your God your beauty. What is Zion but the unique place God has chosen for His expression, in the Old Testament that was a city in Israel, now in the New Testament it is us the believers being filled with and shining forth the expression of God as the New Jerusalem. That is, without God filling us we are not beautify and there is nothing of beauty in us. But God has chosen us so He will beautify us according to His standard of what beauty is. And that standard is God Himself being expressed through man, by regeneration in our spirit, transformation in our soul and ultimately glorification of our body.
Thanks, bro! 🙂 This helps me a lot when I struggle with low self-esteem issues. You’re right, the fact that God even created us makes us beautiful!
I’m hosting a beauty pageant out reach and this post has given me more truth to share with the young ladies God is trying to reach. Thanks
i was praying the otherday and was asking what Gods view of beauty is thank you for confirming what i felt he spoke to me. i do have an issue with seeing beauty in the eyes of the world, a man once told me that lucifer being the most beautiful angel Yahweh created uses a sinfull tact to show us “beauty” in an outward view and not inward, scripture says that God searchs the heart and mind not the body. if we we to be accepted by him based purely on looks we all wold be lost.
using these verses etc for my media vs God concept on beauty project! thankyou!!