Is physical appearance something Christians should care about?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

God created humans in His own image, making us reflective of His beauty. While we should care about our physical appearance, it should not be our highest focus. The story of David’s anointing as king reminds us that God places more value on the state of our hearts than the appearance of our bodies. The New Testament echoes this by saying that we are not to focus all our attention on physical adornments and expensive clothes. While these things are not necessarily bad to spend time and energy on, they should be secondary to developing godly character. The world places great emphasis on physical appearance, but Christians are called not to conform to world but to be transformed into a new mind, one centered on God.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• At the beginning of time on earth, God created man and woman is His own image, placing a value on each person, regardless of physical appearance (Genesis 1:27).
• When Samuel was guided by God to anoint David as the next king of Israel, he thought he would be choosing one of David’s brothers. God reminded Samuel that David was chosen, not because of his appearance, but the strength of his character and his heart for God (1 Samuel 16:7).
• In the passage known for illustrating a wife of noble character, it states that charm is deceptive and beauty temporary, but a fear of the Lord is praiseworthy and admirable (Proverbs 31:30).
• God creates each of us in His image, and what He creates is good. This gives each person a value including, but beyond, their physical appearance (Psalm 139:14).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• What the world focuses on and places importance on are often not the things believers should hold as priorities. We are to be transformed into thinking more like God, with His goals and priorities, and thinking less like the world (Romans 12:2).
• If we do things with our body, those things should be aimed at glorifying God (1 Corinthians 6:20).
• We are God’s special workmanship, made to do good works that reach others, rather than to be focused only on how we look outwardly (Ephesians 2:10).
• Anything that comes before God in our lives can be considered an idol, which is something we are to leave behind as we pursue growth in Christ (Colossians 3:5).
• Outward adornments should not be how we characterize ourselves, but rather, we should be known for our godly character and attitudes that reflect Him (1 Timothy 2:8–10).
• Too high of a priority on physical appearance can, at times, come from a place of pride, wanting to look better than others or cause others to envy our appearance. Pride is something God strongly opposes; rather, He expects humility (1 Peter 5:5).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The Bible is full of indications that God cares about our appearance. He made each of us to look just as we do, and we reflect His own beauty. The Bible doesn't say how we reflect His beauty, but it is reasonable to think that our appearance has something to do with that. Since God cares about our appearance, we ought to as well. As we care about physical appearance, it should not be all we focus on. We should focus more on why we care about our physical appearance than how we actually look. For example, if we keep fit and trim because we want to glorify God in our bodies, we have a good reason for doing so. We take care of our physical bodies—brushing our teeth and getting hair cuts, wearing nice clothes, eating healthy, exercising—because we are made in God’s image and are temples of the Holy Spirit. We take seriously the call to be a good steward of everything God has given us, including our bodies; taking care of our physical bodies is not always about appearance. But if we keep fit and trim because we want to impress others with how in shape we are, our reason is pride, which the Bible condemns in many places.

The world places quite a bit of emphasis on physical appearance, but Christians should "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of [our] mind[s], that by testing [we] may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2). We should not reject caring about our physical appearance just because the world cares, but we should be changed inside, so we can tell what the will of God is.

Our reason for paying attention to how we look should be to please God, not other people, and our character of glorifying God should always take priority over outward appearance.

UNDERSTAND

• God created us in His own image, giving us value beyond appearance.
• Though physical appearance can be important, it should not be our highest priority.
• We should be known more for our faith than our outward appearance.

REFLECT

• How do your daily choices about your appearance reflect your desire to honor God, rather than impress others?
• How have you allowed cultural standards of beauty to shape your self-worth more than God’s truth about your value?
• How can you shift your focus toward cultivating godly character while still caring for your body as God’s creation?

ENGAGE

• How does understanding that we are made in God’s image influence the way we view and care for our physical appearance?
• What are some practical ways we can resist the world’s pressure to prioritize outward beauty over inner godliness?
• How can believers encourage a healthy, God-honoring perspective on appearance without neglecting the importance of inner transformation?