Pastor and bestselling author John Piper recently addressed how Christians should view their body image without falling into a state of dishonor when it comes to obsession with one’s own outward appearance.
In an episode of the podcast “Ask Pastor John,” posted to the Desiring God website last Thursday, an unnamed listener asked whether it was “sinful to enjoy how I look as I continue this healthy routine.”
“I know it’s good to be healthy, as it gives me more energy and makes me feel better day-by-day, but I don’t want to fall back into obsession or dishonor God with my focus,” the listener noted.
“I understand He should be first in all things, including my fitness. But if I notice my body changing, is that wrong? And if so, how can I turn away from that?”
Piper, chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church for over 30 years, encouraged listeners to reject statements like, “I enjoy how I look,” or “Is it OK to notice how I look?” when talking about one’s own appearance.
“Even though both of those sentences might be totally innocent in general, that way of talking is going to go hand in hand with a perception — maybe not a reality, but a perception — that this person is a little excessively concerned about personal appearance, even if that’s not true,” Piper said.
Piper said individuals should be present in life “as a person” who is “interested in others,” rather than “present as an appearance.”
“Let’s be more concerned about the health and beauty and attractiveness of our personhood than of our body. That’s the overwhelming emphasis of the Bible,” he continued.
“Let’s seek to dress and act and speak in public in a way that puts no stumbling block in another person’s way concerning Christ or the Gospel or the church and that would imply immodesty should be avoided.”
Physical appearance, according to Piper, should not be made to “stand out,” whether such a fashion choice is “stylish or frumpy,” as how someone acts should be the “main effect of our presence” instead of “the way we look.”
When it comes to women’s beauty, Piper concluded that “women regularly comment on each other’s appearance far more than men do,” quoting Proverbs 11:22, which reads “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.”
“In other words, a woman’s beauty is good, and it should go hand in hand with discretion and wisdom and modesty and the beauty of character and heart and faith,” said Piper.
“If that’s who you are, or [you’re] the corresponding man, be thankful. Do your exercises, eat right, dress simply, and then forget about yourself in the service of others for Jesus’s sake.”
