3Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. 4You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.
1 Peter 3:3-4
We know Peter was addressing wives specifically in this section of his letter, instructing them on how to live. However, the instruction is applicable to all women. To be clear, Peter was not teaching that they should abstain from outward adornment, but rather that they should focus more on inner beauty. This would be the beauty of the heart. Or, as David Guzik explains: “It isn’t something you wear or primp before a mirror to have. It is something you are.” Friends, our inner beauty comes from Christ in us. After all, the presence of His Spirit produces the very fruit of the Spirit we have been exploring: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
“It isn’t something you wear or primp before a mirror to have. It is something you are.“
According to GotQuestions.org, the term gentle does not imply weakness, but rather self-restraint. If someone is told to be gentle, it implies they can choose not to be gentle. The woman has strength and expresses Christlike strength in meekness or gentleness toward her husband. Peter adds that the godly wife is not only gentle but also has a quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:4). She has a peaceful, well-ordered spirit that allows her to speak and behave in a peaceful, well-ordered way. Peter is not suggesting that low volume is necessary, but rather a character of peacefulness.
The source of our true beauty is to be Christ in us.
Friends, a gentle and quiet spirit is precious to God; this should be our utmost desire. Just as we have to care for and maintain our hair and outward appearance, we must care for our Spiritual life as well. A hairbrush, make-up, and nice, clean clothes go a long way in shaping an outward appearance, but the inner self, the heart, is best kept/maintained by asking God to adorn us with the beauty of gentleness and a quiet spirit. We can’t stop there, though; we must actively maintain a healthy relationship with God, being filled with His Spirit, spending time with Him in prayer, and walking in the light of His Word. When we are filled with His thoughts, His ways, His love, His light, and His Spirit of gentleness and peace, Then, not only will we be precious in His sight, but His gentle and quiet spirit will be evident in us, and those around us will be drawn to Him.
Reflection and Application
So what does cultivating that kind of beauty look like practically? It looks like spending more time reading God’s Word than in front of the mirror. It looks like asking God to tend to the condition of your heart the way you tend to your appearance. It looks like choosing stillness and trust in the moments when anxiety wants to take over.1
Response of Prayer
Holy Spirit, You are welcome here, that we might be women clothed with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to You and a tool that wins husbands to you and inspires others to give You glory. ~ In Jesus’ name, amen.
The More We Know
Peter instructs married women to show submission to their husbands (1 Peter 3:1). In this case, the purpose is so that even husbands who are not obedient to the Word might be won over by the purity of their wives’ attitude and behavior (1 Peter 3:2).2
- LGG, The Fruit of the Spirit, digital journal, p157 ↩︎
- Gotquestions.org ↩︎
