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哥林多前书：11:13-16: 13你们自己审察，女人祷告神，不蒙着头，是合宜的吗？14你们的本性不也指示你们，男人若有长头发，便是他的羞辱吗？15但女人有长头发，乃是她的荣耀，因为这头发是给她作盖头的。16若有人想要辩驳，我们却没有这样的规矩，神的众教会也是没有的。   

男人留长发真的是他的羞辱吗？女人留短发真的是她的羞辱吗？第16节经文非常重要“我们却没有这样的规矩”。         

我们可以通过那个时代的希腊雕像来理解这些经文。男人总是留短发，女人则留长发。但那是希腊的情况，当时世界的其他地方的情况可能不用。我们通常想象耶稣留着长发，这可能是那个地区的习俗。         

对于一个人的发型、衣着、刺青、鼻环或耳洞或者任何其他风格方面的选择，我喜欢问这样一个问题：“你想通过这些表达什么？”你是否在用一种特殊的方式引起别人对你的注意？如果是这样，你在传递什么信息？你是否在试图让你看上去属于某一群人或者某个文化？如果是这样，那么这种文化是否认与你的基督教价值观一致？也许你会争辩你有选择穿什么衣服的自由。但是还记得保罗在上一章说过的话吗？凡事都可行，但不都有益处。如果你不确定该不该那样做，征求一个成熟（倒不一定年长）的基督徒朋友的意见可能是个好主意，看看他们对你的新式风格有什么意见。为什么？因为不论我们吃什么，喝什么，做什么，我们都要为荣耀神而行。  

祷告：主耶稣，请赐给我成熟的信心，同时赐予我常识方面的敏感性。使我在一切属于基督徒自由的事上，只做荣耀你和帮助邻舍的事。阿们。

 1 Corinthians 11: 13 Judge for yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Doesn’t the nature of things itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is disgraceful for him, 15 whereas if a woman has long hair, it is glorious for her? For her long hair has been given to her as a covering. 16 But if anyone is inclined to be contentious—we have no such custom, and neither do God’s churches.  (EHV)

Is long hair for men really disgraceful?  Is short hair for women really disgraceful? Verse 16 is important and it is not translated accurately in the NIV and other translations, where it says we have “no other custom.”  One letter in Greek makes the difference between “no other custom” and “no such custom,” which makes the meaning completely different.         

We can understand these verses from Greek sculptures in that time. Men always had short hair and women had long hair. But that was Greece, and it was probably different in other parts of the world. We picture Jesus with long hair, and that was likely the custom in that part of the world.         

I like to ask the question about hair style or dress or body ink or piercings or clothing or any number of other style issues: “What are you trying to say by that?” Are you trying to call attention to yourself in a particular way?  If so, what message are you sending? Are you trying to identify with a certain group of people, or a subculture within your culture?  If so, does that culture identify with your Christian values or not? You might argue that you have the freedom to dress any way you choose. Which you do. But remember what Paul said in the previous chapter? Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.  And if you aren’t sure, maybe it would be a good idea to ask a mature (not necessarily old!) Christian friend their opinion of what people will think of your new style.  Why? Because whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we want to do it to God’s glory.   

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, give me a common sense sensibility that is paired with a mature faith so that in all matters of Christian freedom I may do only that which glorifies you and is helpful to my neighbor. Amen.