True Beauty

True Beauty

1 Peter 3:1-4

True beauty grows from the inside out.

True beauty submits to God-given authority.(1-2)

True beauty refuses to accept external, worldly definitions of beauty. (3)

True beauty embraces the inner beauty of the heart. (4)

For the Next Lesson – Beauty and the Bible.

1. Warm-up: What does our American culture believe about manhood and womanhood? In our culture, what makes a woman beautiful?
2. Read Genesis 1:27 and 2:18. Who came up with the idea of manhood and womanhood, masculinity and femininity? What purposes or role did God have in mind for the first woman? Should these verses influence the way we see womanhood and beauty today? How so?
3. Read 1 Peter 3:3. While these verses are specifically speaking to wives, they also apply to women in general. The word “adorning” is referencing the focus of a woman’s beauty. What should not be the focus of a woman’s beauty? Why is it tempting for a woman to define her beauty by outward appearances? What can help women resist this temptation?
4. Read 1 Peter 3:4. What should be the focus of a woman’s beauty? Take some time to list and define each characteristic of a biblical view of beauty from this verse (there are at least four). Who gets to define true beauty? Why is this important to recognize? Do you agree?
5. So what. In your own words, how would you define true beauty in God’s eyes? How can a woman cultivate this beauty? How can a woman find the balance of dressing and presenting herself in a feminine way, while keeping her focus on the inward beauty of the heart? Whether a man or a woman, how can you help women around you focus on true, inward, unfading, godly beauty?