After a good night sleep, I was able to digest the many answers this morning a whole lot easier. I try to take in account everybody's pov.
Thank you lemon and accerak for putting things in a more proper perspective for me.
I apologize for calling hair and dress standards garbage, even though I still do not see the necessity of it to salvation in addition to the shed blood of Jesus Christ. I am of the opinion that Christ suffered so for our sakes that nothing we can do will ever compare to the love He has for us. His blood is sufficient for me.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
(
II Corinthians 12:9)
I am going to personalize this just for me.
As I read more about other people's views, it has dawned upon me that many of you never knew anything outside the boundaries of your faith and standards.
Therefore, you cannot possibly understand the way other people feel about certain issues...and probably never will. Many of you will never understand the difficulties one faces when rejecting what they have been taught all their life and entering into a new life, relearning what should have been taught all the years growing up. For some it is easy to walk away, for others not so easy. You will never know the inner struggles to reapply doctrine and reinterpret doctrine in your mind and heart. The RCC interprets much of the Bible passages with different explanations than the Apostolic movement.
Let me say right now that many of you here DO know what it feels like and I know your inner feelings and struggles you convey by your posts. Many of those posts are well thought out.
Just consider the turmoil some of you would go through if you ever felt God leading you out of what you have been taught about standards and feel the rejection of your family and friends.
I should be content to let you all who believe that church standards must be followed to be able to stand before the throne of Christ. It is, by all means what you feel you must do for your salvation.
Growing up RCC, in poverty and being disapproved of by both the RCC and the UPC, I have a completely different perspective of God because He has revealed to me who He is, not from any church doctrine or position, but from His Word itself.
You see, I have a sister who rejects me because I do not revere "Mother Mary" in the same fashion as she does. Then those who believe that standards are a part of the path to seeing Jesus also reject my pov because I do not revere standards as necessary. I believe in modesty. Some of my outerwear is quite more modest than some dresses females come to church in. I've seen everything from party dresses to short, tight leather skirts and I would wonder to myself how this is more acceptable than slacks. But that is neither here nor there for me anymore.
While it may seem trivial to all the people around me, my passion to just want to believe God without any church denominational influence, to me my struggles to stay in my belief of Christ and what He has done for me through His shed blood will take precedence over anybody else's belief. If I am not considered to be a sister in the Lord ...worthy of love by others because I do not share the same belief point by point...I will just learn to live with that.
However, I am quite adaptive to rejection by people because of personal beliefs. Occasionally, I find myself embroiled into arguments over something I do not consider to be of great issue overall.
Galatians 5:18-26
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19 Now the
works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26
Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
I realized this morning that if anything, the above emboldened will keep me from seeing Jesus more so than the hair issue or other doctrines that some believe and I do not share with them. Their not loving me is not as big an issue for me as it is if I do not love them.
I will not change other people's pov with any dissension because it only serves to strengthen their resolve to keep their pov.
What good is changing somebody's pov if it comes through dissension?
Therefore, I will do my best to ask the Lord to: Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
(
Psalms 141:3)
when referring to Apostolic standards. That is not saying I will never talk about the standard issue, but that I will try to be more respectful in my discussion when I do have conversation and not as blunt has I have been in the past.
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