suit Philippians 2:5-11. That is one of the best pictures of Christ in His complete humility and submission. This is a day when an earnest, pos itive building program is needed in the church. We already have enough self-styled "demolition ex perts"; we desperately need real builders! Questions concerning styles and ethics confront us on every hand. Some of these center around ap propriate hair lengths for both men and women. Verses usually quoted are I Corinthians 11:14, 15. Long hair for a man in Paul's day was a shame, while long hair for a woman was her glory. This chapter is con cerned about the problem of order in the church. The focus centered on the place of both men and wo men. The Apostle's answer was from the standpoints of organiza tion as well as spiritual. So that the ministry could run smoothly there must be some established order (vs. 3). It is plainly specified that Christ is the Head of every man and that the man is the head of the woman. In public prayer the man's head was to be uncovered since he is made in the image and glory of Cod. The woman was to be veiled with her head covered since she is for the glory of man himself. Sub mission was shown by the cover ing on her head (vrs. 7-10). Make no mistake, Paul was convinced, as Scripture shows, that both man and woman are equal spiritually before Cod (vrs. 11,12). It is never a case of superiority or inferority in the sight of the Lord. Concerning the matter of hair lengths, we have to discern wheth er the exhortation is a strict Biblical prohibition or rather a cultural ad
justment. Either way, salvation cer tainly does not hinge on the length of hair. Conformity is not a condi tion to freedom from guilt before God. The fact is that this situation is more a request for cultural ad justment than it is a timeless Scrip tural prohibition, such as against adultery, stealing, lying, etc. First of all, Paul closes this section by appealing to custom. The Apostle points out, "But if any man seem to be contentious," that is, if he disagrees or wants to argue the point, "we have no such custom, neither the churches of Cod ." There was evidently no general practice of hair length either in sec ular society nor in the churches of the day. He reasons, "Do not create tensions! Do not trip up people by trying so hard to be different. Let your distinctiveness be in Christ, not in parading your individuality." The relative length of men's hair and women's hair discussed here is not related to masculinity and feminity. A clear distinction be tween the sexes is taught in Scrip ture, but it is not in relation to hair styles. This seems to relate primar ily to the problem, existent in some areas of that day and found in our culture, of homosexuality. The customs Paul refers to flow from the culture, not from the Christian community. Hair styles changed as much in that day as they do in ours. History is interest ing to trace on this point in such scholarly works as the Oxford Clas sical Dictionary. You might ask, "How short was short, and how long was long? What difference does it really make?" The principle is in current custom not Biblical injunction to some specific. The major purpose of our lives, as Paul Page 49
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