And yet, somehow so many of us feel torn between Jesus and Hefner. Wanting to be all that we can be for Him—women purified by our Eternal Bridegroom—and yet…maybe…perhaps…even sexy?

Can women today be both sexy and spiritual? Can we style our hair, paint our nails, apply makeup to our face, work on our physique, wear perfume, dress pretty, and be lovely enough for our own TV show, without…well…being a turn on? Can we—today’s Christian woman—do all this without dividing the house? Scattering the seed? Bearing bad fruit?

The Girl Inside

The problem, as I see it, is that so many young girls today think that men like Hefner can “save them.” Give them a “posh life” vs. an eternal one. Take them to swank parties, plush restaurants, and jet set to anywhere their little hearts desire.

But Jesus … Our Heavenly Bridegroom and First Love calls us to something even greater, and in that he calls us to be set apart. Not of the world. Yet, in the world. In the end, it all comes down to being beautiful on the inside and not just on the outside. What good is pretty clothes or styled hair when that which condemns comes from within?

Peter wrote: Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, 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. (1 Peter 3: 3,4)

Does Peter say that it is wrong to be beautiful on the outside or even to work toward that end? No. But that beauty will fade away (Proverbs 31:30) and we are only left with what’s inside. Christ himself. (ref: John 15)

So Can We?