Ron Halbrook, 3505 Horse Run Ct., Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6954

HOLINESS VS. HARMFUL FADS (1 PET. 1:13-21)

Intro.
1. Read 1 Pet. 1:13-21 God’s people holy (set apart unto God)-guiding principle of Christian life

2. Fads, fashions, fancies come & go in every generation-Christians must distinguish harmless & harmful lest we mar our holiness

3. Today: questions about long hair on men, short hair on women, tattoos, earrings on men, nose-rings, body piercing, etc.

4. God’s Word guides & guards our holiness (Ps. 119:105)

I. Guard Against Things Which Mar Our Holiness
A. 1 Thess. 5:21-22 Learn to Test All Things, Recognize Every Form of Evil

B. Things Declared Evil by God (Gal. 5:19-21)

C. Things Which Associate Us With Evil (1 Cor. 10:27-29; 11:4-6)

D. Things Which Cause Others to Stumble in Matters of Liberty (Rom.
14:13-14)

E. Fads & Fashions Can Involve Any or All of These Things

II. Guarding Against Things Which Associate Us With Evil

A. Long & Short Hair

1. Attitudes & actions associated with certain dress & hair styles (1 Cor. 11:4-6)

a. Unveiled woman at Corinth: prostitutes, idolaters, immodest, rebellious

b. India, Arabian countries today

c. No inherent sin in collar of priest, veil of nun-association with particular religion-what message, influence if I wore such a collar, my wife such a veil?

2. Long hair on man, short hair on woman (1 Cor. 11:14-15)

a. Confusion of sexual identity (Deut. 22:5; Rom. 1:26-27)

b. Man wear skirt of Scottish culture vs. ordinary woman’s skirt-cross dress, transgender dress, confuse sexual identity

c. Symbol of rebellion, associated with drug culture, immorality

d. Skin head for men & women-associated with hate groups

B. Harmful Body Appearance

1. Some articles & markings have difference meanings at different times & places:

a. Gen. 24:22, 30, 47 Abraham’s servant gave earring (nose-ring) to daughter of Bethuel as gift

b. Gen. 35:4 Idolatry associated with earrings (charm, amulet)

c. Ex. 32:2 Aaron asks men & woman for earrings to make golden calf

d. Lev. 19:1-2, 26-28 Idolatry associated with hair style, cutting & marking the body

e. Deut. 14:1-2 Idolatry associated with hair style

f. Deut. 22:11 No garments of mixed materials-God’s people distinguished from others

g. Judg. 8:24-27 Gideon used men’s earrings (nose-rings) to make ephod

h. Isa. 3:21 Prosperous women wore nose-rings

i. Ezek 16:12 God dressed (blessed) Jerusalem-this nose-ring hung from head, no piercing

2. Homosexuals used earring as badge of identity in U.S.
1980’s-other men saw message of rebellion against morality & adopted it as badge of rebellion

a. If interview all males who wear earrings, much larger percentage homos & rebels than general population-the association continues

3. Tatoos & body Piercing often send message of rebellion & moral confusion

a. Study conducted Adolescent Medicine Division, Dept. of Pediatrics, Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, CA, published in Pediatrics, June 2002, pp. 1021-27: “The results show that the presence of tattoos and body piercings in adolescents is associated with greater risk-taking behaviors of those adolescents in the areas of gateway drug use, hard drug use, sexual activity, suicide, and disordered eating behaviors.
In particular, young adolescents with tattoos and body piercings are at greater risk for suicide and cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use.
Violence is found to a greater degree in males with tattoos and females with body piercings.  Finally, abuse of hard drugs such as cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, and Ecstasy increases as the number of body piercings increases.  The presence of tattoos and body piercings in adolescents does not necessarily indicate risk-taking behavior in particular individuals, however, the presence of such should alert parents, teachers, and health care providers of the possibility of greater health risk in adolescents with tattoos and/or body piercings, and appropriate care should be implemented.”

b. Such associations mar the holiness of Christians!

III. Respect the Body, Do Not Mutilate It

A. Body Piercing Goes Beyond Cosmetics to Mutilation of Body

1. Body created by God as instrument of service to Him (Gen.
1:26-28; 2:7; Eccl. 12:13-14)

2. In both ancient and modern times, heathen peoples have cut, gashed, carved, pierced, mangled, castrated, tattooed, branded, and mutilated the body in various ways in order to show extreme grief for the dead, to appease the gods, to provide marks identifying themselves as belonging to a god, or to decorate the body by distorting its natural design.  Doctors will tell you there are several health risks involved in body piercing, as with any similar mutilation practice.  God forbad His people to engage in such practices which identified them with idolatry and impurity, not to mention the pain and risk of disease involved.

3. Our bodies devoted to serve & glorify God (Rom. 12:1; Tit.
2:11-14)

4. Though body piercing is not specifically mentioned in the New Testament, we need to ask whether it is consistent with the principle of respect for the body as an instrument of service to God, a principle taught throughout the Bible.  When the body is used for self-indulgence and carnality, man descends into the darkness of emptiness of soul, depression, and self-destruction.  Western culture is gradually descending and degenerating into a culture of death by rejecting God and the spiritual values of the Bible and by embracing abortion on demand, euthanasia, infanticide, assisted suicide, and entertainment glorifying violence.  This mentality is gradually producing a generation fascinated with pain, the sensation of inflicting pain on others, and the desire to experience self-inflicted pain.  Mutilating the body is just one sign of this downward cultural spiral.  This culture of death is undermining our respect for the body as an instrument of service to God, just as ancient idolatry did.

IV. Questions Help Assess Harmless & Harmful Fads

A. Will this practice increase and enhance our influence for Christ in the world and in the church, or will it hurt and weaken our influence for Christ?  Matt. 5:13-16.

B. People younger than ourselves who look up to us will be influenced.
Do we want to recommend to them that this is a wholesome and helpful
practice?   1 Tim. 4:12.

C.  If we saw the strongest Christian we know with his tongue, eyelids, navel, or knuckles pierced, would our respect for him grow or be diminished?
In other words, would we think he was glorifying God or worshiping the
world?   1 Cor. 6:20.

D. From what we know about the teaching, life, and example of Christ,
would he do this and encourage his disciples to do it?   1 Pet. 2:21.

E. Where did we get the idea of doing this:  from worldly people or from
the most godly people we know?   Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Pet. 3:18.

F. If we do this, will it make us feel closer to and more comfortable
with people in the world or people in the church?   Ps. 1; Ps. 119:63; Prov.
13:20; 1 Cor. 15:33.

Invitation: Acts 2:38; 8:22
To see good Bible study material, go to:
http://www.HebronChurchOfChrist.com
http://www.biblework.com
http://www.truthmagazine.com