The Outward Appearance of God’s People: Does it Matter?

[Bold Believer]

Some of the best Christians I've ever known have tats and long hair, wear jeans, and have piercings. They also showed me incredible love, patience, acceptance, and a clear message of the Gospel when I was going through a very dark valley in my life. It's because of them I'm a Christian today.

I've also known Christan men with black shiny suits, skinny neckties, and their hair high and tight, who crossed the street to avoid me when I was at my worst.

The reverse is true, of course: I've known Christians who dressed like the devil and acted like it too, just as one of the sweetest Christian brothers I've ever met always wore a suit wherever he went, and the glory of God was on his face and in his actions.

All that to say, may God be blessed no matter how we dress .... as He alone knows our hearts.

There's no doubt John that you're right. The question though isn't 'Did they look that way', but 'SHOULD they look that way.' Again, common sense should prevail. WE should affect the culture, IT should not be affecting us. I live in 2012, not AD 33, so I should dress accordingly. The whole long hair on men, tats and piercings on people and such comes primarily from paganism. My ancestors in Scotland umpteen hundred years ago worshipped pagan gods and probably looked that way, but I'm not there anymore. And yes, men in colonial times had longer hair, but it was kept in a neat queue (ponytail, ala Mel Gibson in the Patriot).

Even up to the Civil War, men had somewhat longer hair (I give you General Custer for example), but shorter hair soon came into acceptance. I guess as long as you don't look like a slob, hair length is a preference, but the tattoos and piercings is most definitely a pagan resurgence and one Believers should avoid.

[enoob57]

Some of the best Christians I've ever known have tats and long hair, wear jeans, and have piercings. They also showed me incredible love, patience, acceptance, and a clear message of the Gospel when I was going through a very dark valley in my life. It's because of them I'm a Christian today.

I've also known Christan men with black shiny suits, skinny neckties, and their hair high and tight, who crossed the street to avoid me when I was at my worst.

The reverse is true, of course: I've known Christians who dressed like the devil and acted like it too, just as one of the sweetest Christian brothers I've ever met always wore a suit wherever he went, and the glory of God was on his face and in his actions.

All that to say, may God be blessed no matter how we dress .... as He alone knows our hearts.

There's no doubt John that you're right. The question though isn't 'Did they look that way', but 'SHOULD they look that way.' Again, common sense should prevail. WE should affect the culture, IT should not be affecting us. I live in 2012, not AD 33, so I should dress accordingly. The whole long hair on men, tats and piercings on people and such comes primarily from paganism. My ancestors in Scotland umpteen hundred years ago worshipped pagan gods and probably looked that way, but I'm not there anymore. And yes, men in colonial times had longer hair, but it was kept in a neat queue (ponytail, ala Mel Gibson in the Patriot).

Even up to the Civil War, men had somewhat longer hair (I give you General Custer for example), but shorter hair soon came into acceptance. I guess as long as you don't look like a slob, hair length is a preference, but the tattoos and piercings is most definitely a pagan resurgence and one Believers should avoid.

Our Lord has said He doesn't not look on the outward appearance but on the heart 1 Sam 16:7 and knowing this- that we cannot see as God sees He has wonderfully designed a way around our inabilities by faith {in knowing this} we come to the resolve that we have no else place to look but to Him... As we keep our focus upon Him ... meanwhile the fruit of who they are, these outward appearing people, become evident by time in the season of bearing out the reality of themselves... hence the understanding

2 Co 5:7-8

7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

NKJV

and the excellence in the wisdom of this is we no longer trust our corporeal assurances but with our spirit in the vehicle of faith empowered by His most excellent Word we are being transported into His Kingdom.... Love, Steven

[Bold Believer]

It's not God whom we're trying to impress though Steven, it's the people of the world who need to know about Christ. No one is going to listen to someone they can't stand to be around for one reason or another. Looking like a psychopath, a mad prophet, or a wild-eyed cultist doesn't help the cause, nor does smelling like the south-facing end of a northbound goat, nor having bad breath.

[enoob57]

It's not God whom we're trying to impress though Steven, it's the people of the world who need to know about Christ. No one is going to listen to someone they can't stand to be around for one reason or another. Looking like a psychopath, a mad prophet, or a wild-eyed cultist doesn't help the cause, nor does smelling like the south-facing end of a northbound goat, nor having bad breath.

Perhaps you missed the point of the post.... Love, Steven

[Bold Believer]

No Steven, I grasp the post exactly. The problem here is you're not understanding that it's not just believer to believer here. Believer to believer, I am responsible to love my brothers and sisters regardless of their failings. It's the UNBELIEVER who has no mandate to love US. Unbelievers judge by their senses. Stinky, sloppy, people won't do much to give out the Good News.

[AnotherSinner]

No Steven, I grasp the post exactly. The problem here is you're not understanding that it's not just believer to believer here. Believer to believer, I am responsible to love my brothers and sisters regardless of their failings. It's the UNBELIEVER who has no mandate to love US. Unbelievers judge by their senses. Stinky, sloppy, people won't do much to give out the Good News.

Amen. It is basically like a person drinking then telling someone to do as they say not as they do. Which is why it is important the image of God we cast in our lives as it can lead a person to or away from God.

[xero]

Matthew 25:40 "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Im telling you guys for your own good dont worry about appearances or the unbelievers opinions they have their reward here amd we have ours when we get home.

[JohnD]

If most guys are honest with themselves... we love/hate/love the skimpy dressers. We hate the temptation but love the feminine form. Forgive us, Lord. And when I am on my spiritual high horse I can and have preached the biblical mandate on such matters for both the luster and the lustee... and there are indeed lots of scriptures on the matter. Then there are times when I find myself struggling and just when I think I am in a safe haven... ba-wown-chica-ba-wown and it's off to my prayer closet again asking for forgiveness for looking and lusting after that dear sister in the waist high mini at Church or the plunging cleavage... etc.

Had the same problem with morning news shows... newscasterettes who used to be nothing but talking heads so when I saw them as I tuned in I thought okay safe place to watch news... then the camera backed away and this once safe newscasterette had hiked her skirt nearly to her hips and was doing a cross legged over the shoulder peak a boo shot... not only did I have to head for the prayer closet it took a long time to get out of my head.

Just being honest here.

These things people try to pretend do not matter or do not affect them do matter and do affect them... us...

But why should this be any different than anything else? We went from a Golden Rule America to a what's in it for me? generation... no one cares about their neighbor just themselves... and THAT is why we are in the messes we are in today.

[enoob57]

Some of the best Christians I've ever known have tats and long hair, wear jeans, and have piercings. They also showed me incredible love, patience, acceptance, and a clear message of the Gospel when I was going through a very dark valley in my life. It's because of them I'm a Christian today.

I've also known Christan men with black shiny suits, skinny neckties, and their hair high and tight, who crossed the street to avoid me when I was at my worst.

The reverse is true, of course: I've known Christians who dressed like the devil and acted like it too, just as one of the sweetest Christian brothers I've ever met always wore a suit wherever he went, and the glory of God was on his face and in his actions.

All that to say, may God be blessed no matter how we dress .... as He alone knows our hearts.

There's no doubt John that you're right. The question though isn't 'Did they look that way', but 'SHOULD they look that way.' Again, common sense should prevail. WE should affect the culture, IT should not be affecting us. I live in 2012, not AD 33, so I should dress accordingly. The whole long hair on men, tats and piercings on people and such comes primarily from paganism. My ancestors in Scotland umpteen hundred years ago worshipped pagan gods and probably looked that way, but I'm not there anymore. And yes, men in colonial times had longer hair, but it was kept in a neat queue (ponytail, ala Mel Gibson in the Patriot).

Even up to the Civil War, men had somewhat longer hair (I give you General Custer for example), but shorter hair soon came into acceptance. I guess as long as you don't look like a slob, hair length is a preference, but the tattoos and piercings is most definitely a pagan resurgence and one Believers should avoid.

Our Lord has said He doesn't not look on the outward appearance but on the heart 1 Sam 16:7 and knowing this- that we cannot see as God sees He has wonderfully designed a way around our inabilities by faith {in knowing this} we come to the resolve that we have no else place to look but to Him... As we keep our focus upon Him ... meanwhile the fruit of who they are, these outward appearing people, become evident by time in the season of bearing out the reality of themselves... hence the understanding

2 Co 5:7-8

7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

NKJV

and the excellence in the wisdom of this is we no longer trust our corporeal assurances but with our spirit in the vehicle of faith empowered by His most excellent Word we are being transported into His Kingdom.... Love, Steven

That is a perversion of the context. He wasn't saying that God doesn't care how we dress or if we have tattoos, etc. He was speaking of David's height, the way he was created. If God truly doesn't care about outward appearance, then it is across the board. A person could dress as slutty or immodest as they want, and God wouldn't care. They could go with no clothes, and God wouldn't care. That is absurd, and if you can't take it that far, it means that God does care about our appearance.

your funny Love, Steven