Men with long hair and women with short hair in church

The scripture I am referring to is found in 1 Cor 11
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

Whenever I see a man with long hair or a woman with short hair professing to be Christian, I wonder if they never read these verses.

I used to wear long hair in my post-hippie days. It was almost compulsive in the late 70ies. When I got saved I soon understood that men were to wear short hair.
Does not even nature tell us and scripture reiterate the same?
I do not even believe that Jesus had long hair, because he would not contradict his own words. Jesus was a Nazerene but not a Nazirite, because he drank wine and instated the Lord's Supper.

I know a couple of brothers who wear long hair, usually they are into music or motorcycles or the like. You may argue that some of the puritans and Wesley or Whitfield wore long hair. They were wrong in this little area dispite all the wonderful works that the Lord did through them.

Likewise, there are women in church that show masculine traits and wear their hair short.

Then there is an even greater number of women, that reveal too much of their body feature in church, short skirts and pants, bare shoulders and the like.

We dare say the "W" word - worldliness for fear to be branded with the "L" word - legalism. I am fully aware that you can keep the Lord's commandments out of legalism while being suspicious about others, but that does not exempt us from Pauls admonition in 1 Cor 11.

I am not even talking about head covering, we have covered this subject several time here at length.

We have shyed away for teaching in churches about real manhood and womenhood. Paul Washer is a noteworthy exception, he stands up for what is right and true in this respect.

You may think, what does this guy bother about these tiny minor comandmends that are only mentioned once in the bible?
I think they revealt a lot about us. Even small commandmends in the bible are there for us to keep.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:19
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Do we believe this to be true?

We live in a day and age where church folk in general has a low view of scripture, and bringing this up surely will get you into trouble in many churches.

I know that the Lord is gracious and this topic is not one of the weightier ones we had discussed here, nevertheless, the bible addresses these issues and who are we to dismiss them?

We are so afraid of upsetting our culture and loose wordly minded Christians in our fellowship that we rather keep silent about this.
I know many Christians who were raised in strict and legalistic churches who do not ever want to go back there and would dismiss any attempt to raise the topic.

I believe the Lord would send us his blessing and many would experiece a liberation to be men and women of God if we would dare to teach true man- and womenhood, including external expression of masculinity and femininity.

Where did Jesus say anything about hair length?

By inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the words of Paul in Corinthians.

"If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God." 1 Cor. 11:16

In other words, when someone posts this thread and a debate starts, it doesn't matter because the church has no such customs. Let each be persuaded in his own mind and dont defile the conscience of others based on your arbitrary customs.

We have to be very attentive to context.

@ESchaible: can you please explain what your understanding of "no such custom is"?

What Jesus said in Matthew 5:19 is true: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

But then later Jesus said in Matt 22 is truth as well. 35-40: And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, "’YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

Narrowpath, if we break "ONE OF THESE COMMANDMENTS” and teach men to break them also, we shall be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. Could it be as simple as that?

I truly believe when the Holy Spirit enters a person, He will lead them into all truth and we do not need to make laws out of long or short hair, headcovering/or not. I don't think enough pastors/churches allow the Holy Spirit time to change a person.

God bless,
Lisa

"I truly believe when the Holy Spirit enters a person, He will lead them into all truth and we do not need to make laws out of long or short hair, headcovering/or not. I don't think enough pastors/churches allow the Holy Spirit time to change a person.”

Long hair on men, short hair on women is not an issue to divide the Church over. In the early 70’s during the Jesus Revolution, most of the young men that were getting saved had long hair. It is amazing that when we don’t look down on people because of their tattoos and ear rings and run them out of the church, the Holy Spirit changes the heart, and for the most part everything that is not proper on the outside changes also.

I agree, that people who come to the church from all walks of lives and background may not dot every i an and cross every t. The come as they are, and we should welcome them as they come.

Dress codes and hair cuts are but minor things, but that does not mean that they can be cut out with Jehoiakims pen knive.

The problem is, if after some time they are still the same old man as they were and they say God loves me as I am I remain the same and nobody should dare to challenge me about anything.

Jesus told us also to teach them all that he comanded, whether it is his teachings or the apostles teachings.

However, at some point of time, these things still need to be taught, we cannot just leave it to the Holy Spirit for them to find out. Maybe not from day one, but we must dare to teach about biblical manhood and womenhood in due course and the Holy Spirit will confirm the word of God, as he alway does. This actually applies to all teachings.

Why do we allow Satan to infiltrate our society everywhere with his gender confusion and private part mutilation agenda and dare not to teach men and women about the matters that God set at creation? Why do we cringe so easily at these matters? It was not even at matter of discussion for most of history, everybody knew what a man and a women was, how they were to behave, what they should do and what roles they played and even how they dressed.

My unsaved grandmother born in 1899 would never dare to even wear trousers.

Following Jesus is not a tightrope walk between the 2 Ls - legalism and license. Walk in the spirit and you will neither become a legalist nor a liberal.

Pauls asks, does not nature teach us? So we have the witness of nature, of the Word, and of the Holy Spirit, how can we say, lets keep silent about it and do not unsettle new believers or carnal Christians.

Maybe we need to get back to the public reading of scripture. The late Keith Daniel preached the word by reciting it verbatim, and it was so powerful!

//My unsaved grandmother born in 1899 would never dare to even wear trousers.//

Neither would Jesus or any NT disciple.

"I truly believe when the Holy Spirit enters a person, He will lead them into all truth and we do not need to make laws out of long or short hair, headcovering/or not. I don't think enough pastors/churches allow the Holy Spirit time to change a person.”

Long hair on men, short hair on women is not an issue to divide the Church over. In the early 70’s during the Jesus Revolution, most of the young men that were getting saved had long hair. It is amazing that when we don’t look down on people because of their tattoos and ear rings and run them out of the church, the Holy Spirit changes the heart, and for the most part everything that is not proper on the outside changes also.

Narrow path,

Since you were referencing Keith Daniel, let's just post that entire section of scripture and lay this to rest, just like Paul did.

1 Corinthians 11
King James Version
11 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.

7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.

8 For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man.

9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.

11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.

12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.

13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?

14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.

18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Quote: Even small commandmends in the bible are there for us to keep.

Romans:7 5-6 For when we lived according to the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, bearing fruit for death. But now, having died to what bound us, we have been released from the law, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

Serve in the new way of the Spirit.

The scripture I am referring to is found in 1 Cor 11
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

You are taking a portion of the scripture out of context to mean something. If women should not cut their hair then Paul contradicts himself by saying "women should cut their hair if they are unwilling to cover her head!"

I cor 11:6- If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. And if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.

In verses 14 and 15, Paul is talking about how nature itself tells that men should not have long hair while women should have a long hair. In most cultures especially Eastern, long hair is an identity for women and short hair for men. Paul is stating this obvious facts and not giving a command here.

The Point Paul is trying to make here is, Long hair is an identity for women, and it is their glory (beauty) which belongs to man. Man's glory should be covered in the Church. Hence women should cover her identity of beauty (long hair) in the CHurch. Comparing it with verse 6, if women is unwilling to cover her beautiful hair then let her also cut it short!

So if we read 1 Cor 11 in context, then women with shorter hair but unwilling to cover their heads are obeying the scripture accurately!

What I find strange or even hypocritical is that before the 1960s, all Christians were used to seeing images of Jesus with long hair and nobody flinched one bit. Then with the hippies in the 60s who were fairly rebellious and anti-establishment and pro-drug and who grew long hair, suddenly long hair (on a guy) becomes super sinful. And none of those guys with long hair were trying to convince people they were females. I give all kind of love to Chuck Smith and his wife for having compassion on the hippies and leading thousands to Christ.

-Daniel

Amen Daniel!