WHO MOVED THE LINE?

THIS IS NOT MEANT TO OFFEND ANYONE OR TO CHANGE ANY ONE’S THINKING OR WAY OF LIVING. NOR WAS IT WRITTEN WITH ANYONE IN PARTICULAR IN MIND. THESE ARE MY OBSERVATIONS OVER THE YEARS AS I SEEK TO BECOME MORE CHRISTLIKE IN MY LIFE AND CHARACTER.

I have set quietly on the sidelines over the years while those who would condemn did so loudly. I did not want to offend anyone with my way of thinking, while many have not minded offending me with their declarations. I have not tried to offer a defense because I did not want to argue the fine points of such a controversial philosophy. I trust in your relationship with God and I trust that the God who saved you is able to keep you until the day of redemption. I only ask for the same trust and respect in return.

The arguments for holiness always amaze me. First of all, “We are to be holy for He is holy.” Trying to define God with a list is impossible. Holiness is who God is; it is the very character of God. Holiness is a state of being, not a list of rules. Because God is holy and I want to be like God, there are some outward things I will not do. They include what I constantly feed my mind; the things I watch, read and listen to, what I think about and what I speak. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight Oh Lord.” I judge the clothing I wear and my appearance as holy by my motives in wearing a garment and does it affect someone else in a manner that would pull them away from God. If I am wearing something that would be deemed suggestive or to attract the opposite sex, it is not holy, if my appearance would cause someone to have impure thoughts about me, it is not holy. If I am obsessed with costly array, gold, a big car, fancy house and accumulating ‘things” so as to show how successful I am or to have something better than my neighbor and never give to the poor, I am not holy. If I constantly stand in judgment against those who do not follow my convictions, I am not holy. “The kingdom of Heaven is not meat or drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Like the Pharisees, we can become so intent on defining the law of God that we forget the character of God which is love and He is holy.

The line that has been drawn and keeping the old paths has been mentioned. I ask who drew the line, God or man. As far as changing the line, who decides, God or man? I have witnessed hemlines change over the years. In the early years of Pentecost, the hemlines touched the floor, necklines touched the chin and sleeve length touched the wrists, who moved the line? In the 60’s Pentecostal hemlines barely covered the knee, the 70’s found them back to the floor, and a return to mid-calf in the 80’s; who moved the line. I have seen turtlenecks, round necks, v-necks, buttoned shirts, and unbuttoned shirts; who moved the line? According to the weather, sleeves may cover your hands, touch your wrist, lie between your elbow and wrist or shoulder and elbow, or may barely cover your armpit; who moved the line? My mom told me that red shoes were once preached against because only prostitutes wore them, but now it’s okay because it doesn’t have the same meaning; who drew and then moved the line? Adult men have always had facial hair because that is the way God created them. In the early days of Pentecost, it was acceptable for a man to have a beard, then beards were added to the “banned list”, now we see many that are semi-shaven; who moved the line. Relatively speaking, our outward “holiness” does not measure up to that of the Amish or the cult in Texas; who moved the line? The lines have been drawn and moved many times over the years and God continues to cry, “You just don’t get it; Be holy for I am Holy.”

I have no problem with the different things people do in their efforts to please God, as long as the doctrine is that of the Apostles. Even among those who would define holiness as standards, there are differences and disagreements. Some wear approved jewelry, situational clothing and attend select “worldly” amusements while others stand on the sidelines and condemn the so-called “Liberal” Pentecostals. I have never witnessed anyone being saved by standards, but they have been the downfall of many; not because they didn’t “live them” but because it contributed to a judgmental, prideful character which is NOT holy.

If you feel God is calling you to be more separate than someone else in your outward appearance, by all means obey the calling of God, but be consistent. We can start with the hair. If you don’t cut it or color it, then don’t perm it so that it gets shorter by breaking off. We use the scripture about changing the color of one’s hair to preach against dying it but will use chemicals to change the texture from straight to curly with a perm every 3 months. By the way the same scripture that says we can’t change our hair color, says we can’t add an inch to our stature, so are high heels a sin too? Also, if hair is a woman’s glory and should be long, why is so much time spent on elaborate hair styles to make hair look short? As a side note, the woman you regard as Jezebel because she has chosen to apply makeup, pray for her as you drive to your next tanning appointment or apply that special lotion that will make you glow. Perhaps God will help you empathize with her lack of self-confidence in her natural beauty.

Moving on to jewelry; I agree that as in everything, some pile on the jewelry to excess. It may be in poor taste, but is the mere wearing of jewelry a sin? If jewelry is a sin, then there should never be an occasion when it is appropriate. Earrings, necklaces and bracelets are condemned, but watches and wedding rings are accepted. Again, I ask for consistency! Watches and wedding rings are justified as “necessary” but are they? In the world we live in, we are surrounded by time-telling devices in our homes, automobiles, and even our cell phones, so do we really need to wear a watch around our wrist? And what about those bracelet watches? Is it okay to wear a bracelet as long as it includes the face of a watch? I do not need a wedding ring to remind me of my vows or identify my marital status and what if our culture provided for nose rings as a marital symbol, would that be acceptable? I say if jewelry is a sin, then leave off your beautiful pins, bracelet watches, wedding rings, birthstones, anniversary or other rings, shoe buckles, elaborate hair bows and other “hair” jewelry and silk scarves tied around your neck like a necklace. Who determined that jewelry can only be made of metal?

Speaking of apparel, modesty has to be considered, but again it speaks to motives and bringing shame to our Christian witness. The Bible says “They will know we are His disciples because we have love one to another.” Some have changed this verse in their minds to say, “They will know us because we have uncut hair and wear skirts.” Apparently, women carry the burden of Christian identity and men can just blend in to the crowd. I believe our clothing should cover our bodies and not bring undue attention and sexualize specific body parts. If your motive is to attract another person in a sexual manner, the clothing is immodest. If the clothing would cause even a Christian man to fight impure thoughts, it is immodest. This includes skin-tight tops and skirts, the length of dress and the low neck of the top, including wedding gowns. It seems that in some circles it is okay to show cleavage and skin as long as it is on your wedding day. As I said of the jewelry, if pants on women are a sin, then there is never an occasion to wear them, whether it is cold outside, you are at work, playing games, swimming, gardening or sleeping. Also, if you feel pants are a sin, why would we put them on our little girls and cause them to sin? Look at your feet, ultra-conservatives argue against open-toed shoes because they show “toe cleavage”, high heels and even the color of the shoe. The color of hose has been mandated at times, tan, white, black and gray were acceptable, but any other color or texture was deemed inappropriate leg wear. If you find this extreme and silly, how do you think God feels? As to the men, you have limited entries on your list, they include tank tops, shorts and going bare-chested. If these are sins, then stay away from the beach and don’t justify the length of the pants, perhaps long pants mean uncut; to the shoe! Also, don’t put shorts on your little boys and allow them to run around without shirts, you may be causing them to sin.

Worldly amusements and what we set before our eyes has caused much debate. Television seems to be the “universally accepted evil.” I have owned a television for years and it amuses me that those who would condemn me for owning a television can easily discuss the latest movies, hit shows and seem to know Jack Bauer intimately. They will not have a television in their home but own big screen “monitors” and DVD players. Now that we can watch most network shows directly on our I-phones and computers maybe we can get back to complying with the “manual” again. Speaking of computers, they are a fixture in most of our homes and contain the vilest information available at the click of a button. We also have satellite radio with x-rated channels available as we drive down the road. Practically every young person over the age of 10 owns a cell phone with camera and texting capabilities. We are so attached to our phones that we cannot drive, eat, shop or sit in a 2 hour church service without receiving/sending a text or checking our email account. Kids have come up with their own texting language to send messages that would hardly be parent-approved much less pass the holiness test. Now we find there is an epidemic of “sexting” or sending sexually-explicit pictures to their friends. While all of these communication devices have become accepted on our holiness list, television, the most easily controlled device, continues to be the vice that gets the most pulpit time. As in everything else lets be consistent, if television is a problem, get it out of your life but check the computer, cell phone, radio, magazines, books, videos and any other electronics in your possession. By the way don’t rail against going to a theater, if you are on your way to rent the DVD for viewing later in the privacy of your home. Don’t condemn “worldly” music, then go with the church group to Nashville, Branson, Vegas or Youtube. Don’t condemn going to the ballgame then angrily tell your “brother” where to go at the Sunday afternoon church game.

We were asked to leave an organization because Steve in good conscience could not sign a loyalty oath to an organization and it’s manual. We believe our loyalty belongs to God and His word alone. Although we believed in the salvational message recorded in the manual, there were many things listed that we did not agree with. Since we could not “teach, preach and practice” the things that the oath demanded, Steve did not justify his actions and sign the oath. Some went ahead and signed because they agreed with most of the manual, yet they pick and choose from the “holiness list” the things they “teach, preach and practice.” They have to work out this justification with God, we could not sign!

Perhaps we need to stop worrying about lists and lines and move onto true holiness. It is time to check our heart for purity, examine our motives, are they Christ-like? We need to let God transform us into His image; with His character. Oh, to be like Jesus!!!!