In 1 Timothy 2.9, Paul wrote that Christians should not adorn themselves with gold or pearls or costly array.

How does this verse apply to believers living in our modern Western culture?

And what exactly qualifies as costly array?

Dr. David K. Bernard responds by examining what the Bible says about Christians,

jewelry, and expensive clothes. Welcome to Apostolic Life in the 21st Century, a podcast dedicated

to helping modern day believers live out the teachings of the first century church.

This podcast is part of a teaching ministry of Dr. David K. Bernard. Dr. Bernard is

dedicated his life to studying the Bible and helping believers apply its message to their daily

lives. In apostolic life in the 21st century, Dr. Bernard answers your questions about what the

Bible teaches and how those teachings apply to everyday life.

Thank you for joining us for this episode.

The United Pentecostal Church International has a position paper titled Holiness, and that paper includes a section with the heading holiness and jewelry.

So it states the following. I'll read it to you.

The scriptures teach us that the wearing of ornamental jewelry and expensive showy clothing is not

in harmony with the Christian lifestyle. Paul wrote, in like manner also, that women adorned

themselves in modest apparel with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with brooded hair or gold or pearls

or costly array. That's obviously 1 Timothy 2.9. So the question I have is, how do we make

sense of this verse? Because some of these words, at least from the King James version, are not ones that

we use a lot today. How do we make sense of this and apply it to modern life? And as part of your answer,

could you address this idea of costly array that Paul mentions? And I'll say many of our audience

members who are listening to this podcast, they may be familiar with the well-known Instagram account

preachers and sneakers. And the person who is responsible for that account likes to single out

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