1 Corinthians
11:14-15
14 Does not the very nature
of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her
glory?
In
this passage of scripture, Paul does not mean “nature” in the sense of “the
natural world” or “Mother Nature.”
Obviously, Paul cannot mean that since in the world of animals all males
do not have short hair and all females do not have long hair. All we need to do is to look at the male lion,
a common biblical animal, with a bushy mane and female lion with no mane at all.
Moreover, there is evidence that for
first-century men to have long hair was considered a sign of effeminacy [characteristics
of being a woman]
and perhaps even homosexuality—something that Paul in Romans 1 considers
contrary to nature. When Paul says by
“nature” he means how naturally it was for folks of his culture to associate
long hair with femininity and short hair with masculinity. Cross-gender behavior was not uncommon in the
first century.
Paul
claims that the long hair of a woman “is her glory.” The way Paul is using the word “glory” in this
text refers to the beauty of women’s long hair.
Paul understood, as most of us do, that Long hair can make a woman look
attractive and beautiful and is identified as one of her important feminine
qualities. This fact is even true
today. All we need do is look at the
attention and the money that women invest in their hair.
However,
men who want to take on the feminine qualities of a woman, whether by wearing
long hair, long braids or ornamented hair decorations are to be naturally
considered effeminate, thus discredited as a man [shameful].
When
it is so important for a male to have long dreadlocks or stylishly long hair
hanging on his shoulder or down his back as if he where a female, he is taking
on the characteristic of a female and thus has dishonored himself as a male.
Regardless
of the cultural, social or personal reasons for a man wearing long hair, it is
not a trait that the apostles approve of for born-again men.
As
for whether this practice will condemn you to hell, I cannot say. But is it that important to you that you
would risk your eternal soul on a hair style?
The
question that we should all ask ourselves is, “Do I want to meet the standards
of God’s holiness or the stylish trends of the world?”
Do
you have a heart for God or a heart for the things of the World?
REPENT!
