Word of the Week
April 25, 2026
Kosmeō: Making the Gospel Look Good
Not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.
Titus 2:10 NASB
We have now arrived at Paul’s letter to Titus, his pastoral protégé. As we select a key Greek word from each book of the New Testament, the choice is rather obvious.
Titus was in charge of a somewhat fractious set of churches on the island of Crete, and Paul wrote an epistle to make sure he was headed in the right direction.
As you read this brief letter, you will find a phrase right in the middle that captures the central idea of the book. The apostle employs a Greek word that provides the perfect target for a church.
The phrase appears in Titus 2:10, where Paul urges believers to “adorn the doctrine” of the faith. A close look at the Greek word for “adorn” will illuminate the theme that runs through the whole book.
In Greek, the word for “adorn” is kosmeō, [kahz-MEH-oh]. It is the source of our English word cosmetics, and it means “to arrange something in an orderly, attractive fashion.” It was sometimes used for the jewelry and hair stylings that Greek women would use to enhance their appearance.
You would adorn yourself in order to be as attractive as possible. And Paul uses that imagery to specify the key to Titus’ ministry.
The Key: Behavior that makes the gospel attractive.
All through the book of Titus, Paul focuses on two priorities: the truth of the gospel message and the transformed lifestyle that goes with it.
It’s a balance between belief and behavior.
It’s important to know the truth and to believe it; it is equally important to behave in a way that brings out the beauty of that truth.
Both emphases appear through out the book of Titus.
- In chapter 1, Paul talks about leaders. He gives the qualifications for good leaders: primarily character qualities linked to the ability to teach the truth. Then he warns against false teachers who teach false ideas and who live ungodly lives. Both belief and behavior are important.
- In chapter 2, Paul gives long lists of the character qualities for various groups in the church. He describes what we should be doing. Then in the last half of the chapter, he launches into a doctrinal discussion that explains why we should act that way. First behavior, then belief.
- In chapter 3, he begins with advice on how to behave toward the outside world, then he switches to the doctrine that motivates that behavior.
To summarize, it is vital that we hold firmly to the truth of the gospel. It is equally vital to live in a way that shows how beautiful that gospel really is.
Our lifestyle doesn’t make the gospel any better than it is, but it can make it easier or harder for people to appreciate the wonder of it.
Let’s aim to live in a way that adorns the Gospel.
Study Hint:
People are often surprised to learn that this word is connected to the Greek word kosmos, which means “world.” You have probably heard your pastor warn against “the world, the flesh and the devil.” How could this be connected to a word like “adorn”?
This week we are adding a bonus Word of the Week study from the archives that fleshes out the link between the two words. And here it is!
Word of the Week
October 23, 2021
Kosmos: What in the World?
Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. . .
1 John 2:15 (NASB)
For God so loved the world . . .
John 3:16
There was a time when many conservative Christians believed that cosmetics were connected to worldliness.
Henrietta Mears, founder of Gospel Light Publishing and a mid-20th century leader in the field of Christian education, once commented, “Why, if some church people knew I ever wore lipstick or nail polish, they wouldn’t let me inside of their churches to talk about Jesus Christ.” (Arlin Migliazzo, The Henrietta Mears Story).
Though you can still find groups who minimize cosmetics, other issues loom larger on the radar screen for most churches. You might be surprised, however, to find that there actually is a connection between cosmetics and the Greek word for “world” in the New Testament.
In Greek, the most common word for “world” is kosmos (occurs 186 times). But that’s not the earliest meaning for the word. In classical Greek and in the Greek Old Testament, it meant something arranged in an orderly, attractive manner.
You can see this most easily in the matching verb, kosmeō, which means, “to adorn, decorate, make attractive.”
- The temple was adorned with beautiful stones (Luke 21:5) and the foundations of the New Jerusalem are also adorned with all kinds of precious stones (Revelation 21:29).
- The scribes and Pharisees used to decorate the tombs of their godly ancestors (Matthew 23:29).
- Both Paul and Peter encourage women not to merely adorn themselves through jewelry, hairstyles and clothing, but with the inner beauty of a gentle, quiet spirit (1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:4-5).
- Paul applies a similar image in Titus 2:10, urging believers to live in a manner that adorns the teaching of the gospel (Titus 2:10). Like a gold necklace that enhances the beauty of your face, a godly lifestyle should enable an onlooker to appreciate the beauty of our Savior, not draw attention to ourselves.
Back to the noun kosmos. Though 1 Peter 3:3 uses it with the older meaning “adornment,” it almost always appears in the rest of the New Testament as “world.”
Kosmos is a bit of a paradox. John 3:16 says that God loved the kosmos so much that He gave His only begotten Son for it. 1 John 2:15, on the other hand, commands us not to love the kosmos. One moment it is something good, the next something bad.
What’s going on here? Let’s look at the different uses of the word.
- Kosmos can mean the created universe. Paul tells the crowd at Mars Hill about “the God who made the world and all things in it” (Acts 17:24).
- Kosmos can mean the people of the world, who are the objects of God’s love and justice, people who may experience eternal life or divine judgment (John 3:16-17).
- Kosmos is often a description of a world system opposed to God. Ephesians 2:2-3 lists the world (along with the devil and the flesh) as one of the enemies of our soul. Satan is called “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31).
We can best understand this evil version of the world by remembering the original idea of orderly arrangement. The kosmos is the total package of culture, worldview and society – a comprehensive set of interconnected attitudes, beliefs, practices and values that give people a framework for their way of life.
We sometimes think of “the world” in terms of its most blatant aberrations – addictions, debauchery, violence, and despair. Why would anyone be attracted to that?
However, “the world” is actually Satan’s alternative to the kingdom of God. It is an orderly system of life designed to be as attractive as possible so that people think they can find satisfaction without God. The details vary from one place to another, but each culture pursues its own attempts to find meaning in life in the absence of the true God.
Sometimes the world shows itself in active opposition to the gospel. At other times it merely offers to meet all our needs with no reference to the Creator.
Worldliness is more than merely a matter of cosmetics. Instead, the world system is Satan’s attempt to put a good face on rebellion against God.
Coming Up
In the little book of Philemon, there’s a fascinating character named Onesimus. He’s a runaway slave who couldn’t escape the pursuit of the Holy Spirit. Next week we will explore a Greek word that brings out the meaning of his name and the outcome of his story.
©Ezra Project 2026
One Response
I never knew that Kosmos was so closely related to cosmetics. But I did know of the Lord’s warning about the things of this world. Satan will try to mascarade the world and it’s beauty for his pleasure. It’s just another one of his schemes to distract us Christians from focusing on the Lord’s will for us.