BEAUTY
Beauty is an expression of God's nature. The universe and nature radiate an overwhelming grace that can hardly be put into words. With the help of the various sense organs that God has given us humans, we are able to enjoy the sight and sound, as well as the scent and taste of His creation. Even in us humans, who are made in God's image, the glorious beauty and diversity that God has created is expressed. In the Holy Scriptures themselves, there are only a few places that explicitly speak of the beauty of humankind. Only a few individuals are mentioned by name;among them, King Saul, the first king of Israel;his successor King David;his son Absalom;and several women, including Job's daughters. God created mankind flawless. But through sin and separation from his Creator, mankind lost the glory God had given him. His ungodly existence left visible traces in both nature and human life. Sin has not only corrupted us morally but has also increasingly disfigured us physically....
People who live without God often think and judge superficially. Many of them are primarily fixated on external appearances. A person's appearance often seems more important than their personality. For some, physical beauty is the highest ideal to strive for. When judging who or what is considered "beautiful," certain ideals serve as standards. These are often set by the fashion industry, with trends changing from time to time. What's "in" today can be "out" tomorrow. As is so often the case, the sole concern is financial profit. Nevertheless, from childhood onward, fashion and advertising shape the self-image and sense of beauty of many people, especially women. They are often reduced to an object of desire....
Especially during puberty, many adolescents develop a growing desire to conform to a certain beauty ideal. This puts enormous pressure on young people. In order to fit in and be noticed by others, they consciously or unconsciously try to conform. Others who don't live up to the propagated ideal perceive themselves as ugly or unattractive. Their persistent feelings of inferiority often lead to depression and other psychological problems. Some withdraw from public life altogether.
People use a variety of means to attract attention: these include makeup, jewelry, flashy clothing, tattoos, and piercings. Many people use various cosmetic products, many of which contain harmful ingredients that can promote the development of diseases such as cancer. Some people undergo surgical alterations solely to be more attractive. Such operations are usually very expensive and carry health risks. At the same time, the artificial procedure often destroys people's natural beauty. Some are barely recognizable as human beings afterwards, looking like plastic dolls. To please their partner or friends, many spend their entire lives hiding behind a facade. But behind this lies an inner longing to be seen and accepted.
Attractive people often define themselves by their appearance. Many of them tend toward vanity, which is a form of pride and makes people arrogant. Instead of giving glory to God, beautiful people often want to be the center of attention in order to be desired and admired by others. Through their excessive self-love, they make themselves into an idol for themselves and others. Idolatry, in turn, is a sin. Beautiful people are often favored in society—both in private and professional contexts—while less attractive people are more often excluded or disadvantaged through no fault of their own. Some hope for sympathy, others for greater business success. For most people—especially young men—it's often only about sex. The advertising industry also exploits the charms radiated by beautiful people to make their products more attractive and attract customers. How good or useful the advertised product actually is often irrelevant....
In the Bible, we find very little information about Jesus's outward appearance. Unlike many famous people in history, it wasn't his looks, his wealth, or his professional success that made Jesus stand out in public. It was above all his humble character, which was free of any kind of pride. Added to this is his unconditional loyalty to God, his Father, and his selfless love for all people, which culminated in his vicarious death on the cross. These are the qualities that make the Son of God a role model for all people. For God is pleased with these things. Outward beauty, on the other hand, neither makes us humans more esteemed in God's sight, nor does it bring us closer to God. For God does not judge us according to worldly standards, but looks solely at our hearts.
The Bible encourages us not to let our self-esteem be determined by human ideals, but to accept ourselves as God created us; especially since beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. At the same time, we should remember that external beauty is fleeting, while inner beauty, which springs from a pure heart, is eternal. The more we focus on what is important to God, the more external appearances fade into the background. This, in turn, makes us free and independent of the opinions of others. This also gives us contentment, which has a noticeable effect on our environment and our health. In the Bible, women are not praised for their beauty, but solely for their hard work, decency, and honor, as well as for their humble and godly conduct, through which they honor God. A man after God's own heart, on the other hand, is distinguished neither by physical strength, nor by an athletic physique, nor by creative sayings, but by prudence and self-control, reliability and a sense of responsibility, as well as by his love, faithfulness, and care for his wife.
God wants us, too, not to judge our fellow human beings by their external appearance. Since God makes no distinction between people based on their appearance, we should not favor or discriminate against anyone because of their outward appearance. Even with regard to ourselves, appearance should not be the focus. A believer should not attract attention through expensive jewelry, special clothing, colorful body paint, elaborate hairstyles, and the like, but rather through good works that benefit others. This applies to both women and men. Instead of striving for fleeting beauty, God wants us to think about how we can serve our fellow human beings in love. Instead of focusing on ourselves, we should always strive to draw people's attention to our Creator and give Him glory in everything. If we make God great and ourselves small, God will reward us. If, on the other hand, we put ourselves first, God will humble us...
Furthermore, the Holy Scriptures say that in the resurrection, redeemed people will receive a new body of imperishable beauty, in which no blemish will remain. Nature, too, will be forever freed from its transience.
So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm; restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. (...) She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. (...) She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks. (...) She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. (...) She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed;her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
For God does not show favoritism.
I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.