Quote:
Originally Posted by Pressing-On
LOL! Of course, "figuratively" choke someone would be correct. Although, I have an excellent visual for those that will NOT listen. LOL!
Randy,
This teaching is just very subtle. I wish I could express it the way it is coming across. When I made the remark that our "power" was in Jesus Christ and not our hair, the person almost rolled their eyes. Her thinking is this: First, she was thinking I was not raised in the UPC, so I cannot quite possibly understand. Second, because of her obedience, her long, uncut hair gives her power with God.
Our obedience to love, modesty, submitting ourselves one to another, time in prayer, reading His Word etc., etc., brings the same results. The end result is that we must have the fruit of the spirit manifested in our lives or nothing else is going to make a hill of beans.
The problem is that they are using the word for "power - dunamis, miraculous power" from the Book of Acts and they don't realize they are doing this.
DKB simply and correctly defines that as "authority". The things we know about angels:
1. They are reapers at the end of the world - Matt 13:39
2. They are ministering spirits sent by God. Matt 8:10; Hebrews 1:14
I look at Matt 8:10 which says that children have angels. It says that the angels behold the face of God every day. That means, to me, that even if a child has an angel watching over them, they can do nothing without God's direction.
3. We understand that angels were cast out of heaven because of their rebellion. Jude 1:6; II Peter 2:4
4. That they desire to look into our salvation. I Peter 1:12
That means that, IMO, the only significance of angels in I Cor 11 is that they are looking into our salvation and seeing that we are instructed to keep divine order.
The significance of the long hair is simply gender distinction which is important to God. He makes that plain in many areas of the Bible.
Many women that I am acquainted with feel that trimming their ends is in keeping with the long hair. You don't have to do that very often and your hair looks long and very neat. It makes no sense to look like a hag in order to have long hair. But, I digress...... lol |
One thing you overlook about angels, is that they inhabit the same "realm" that demonic spirits inhabit. It can be suggested that Paul is referencing that realm in
1 Cor 11:10. LS rightly uses exousia, and defines it "freedom, liberty, authority". The word translated "because [of the angels]" is also translated "through, by, or with" in other NT passages (I used Englishman's concordance to find this, as well as fundamental Strong's definition).
LS interpretation of
1 Cor 11:10 is succinct: A woman ought to have [freedom, liberty, authority] on her head [through, by or with] the [spirit realm]...
I am not certain that his interpretation is wholly inaccurate, as I have stated before. There are a threefold objection that I have observed to LS's teaching here.
1.) Consider a woman who is "under authority" through obedience and submission... she then HAS authority in the spirit realm. And the same is true for men who are "obedient and submissive". The detractors of this position are LS statements that women have authority "because of their uncut hair". I tend to think LS is equating, from the context of
1 Cor 11, uncut hair with submission and obedience. Another objection arises when LS implies women have access to "wisdom and authority" that men cannot access. My response to this is that women inhabit a position in the kingdom of God that men cannot inhabit, and vice versa. Men are instructed in positions at the helm of leadership in the church in roles women are not commissioned to fill. However, women are commissioned specifically in other areas. Women are to be in "subjection", not "teach or usurp authority over men", "keep silence in the churches", be "chaste, keepers at home", "teach the younger ladies", etc. etc. etc. So to say that a woman has a unique position before God because of the nature of her gender is not a stretch, as do men. LS could clarify here, and it would help his case.
2.) Anectodes LS appeals to, of occult references and stories of women laying out their hair can be clearly objectionable. Primarily the first issue more than the latter. LS's reference to occult resources is unnecessary and unfortunate. However, the only time I have heard this is in the Memphis sermon from two years ago. He did not make this reference when I heard him a little over two weeks ago. The anecdotes of women laying out hair and having prayers answered, I know from one instance I am acquinted with specifically, a young man was miraculously healed. I am not totally against unprecedented acts that demonstrate or focus faith. IMO, this is akin to laying in Peter's shadows, or taking aprons or garments from Paul to people for healing. No apostle or passage in scripture instructs people to do this, they took it upon themselves. And in doing this, faith was focused and miracles ensued.
3.) The phenomenon of women laying hair out all accross the country that is spreading "virully", and the attribution of special powers directly to the fact of having uncut hair, is an effusive spread of "folk theology" that may find it's source, unintentionally, in some of LS's statements. Clarification and more thorough theological development of LS positions during his sermons would go a long way to remedying this. Also, more thorough local teaching and individual study would aid in correcting inaccuracies in individual misunderstanding....
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