Name of poster changed from “Me” to ” A Humble Servant” (the name used by this poster in some of their other comments). This change was made for the sake of clarity.

However, I must remind you that debating is strictly forbidden in the comments. Please be sure to read the special notes below the comment box before making any submissions. This will be your first and only warning.

I deleted your three comments that were directed “@ so-and-so.” Those comments did not contain any new knowledge. It seemed to me that they were simply designed to “stir the pot” (commonly called “trolling” in Internet slang). That type of behavior is strictly forbidden on this Web site. There are plenty of Web sites that will accept those types of posts, but this is not one of them.

I did leave three of your comments:

1. The comment that was written as a general response to my article. That is the type of comment that is acceptable
2. The comment you wrote directly to me. That is also acceptable
3. The comment that you wrote that requested I respond

You did ask a couple of questions and make a couple of points, so I will respond to them as you requested.

First, the idea that I or anyone else is trying to see how much I can get away with is very offensive to me. I’m not trying to squeeze into Heaven. I’m not trying to “reject the truth.” The reason that I left Oneness Pentecostalism was because I came to the conclusion that most of the theology of Oneness Pentecostalism is false. Hence, it’s not “the Truth.” My conversion was based on my determination to adhere to the Bible in the best way that I knew how. It was based on a determination to truly follow Christ and not follow dogma and tradition.

If you would like to read the testimony about my conversion then you can find it here: http://www.whyileft.org/my-story.

Second, the idea that God would kick us out of Heaven because we didn’t “do one more thing” puts good deeds on the wrong side of the equation. I say that because we are saved for good works, not because of good works. Paul writes in Ephesians:

Eph 2:8-10
(8) For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
(9) not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
(10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

The phrase “created in Christ Jesus” is referring to salvation, not to the creation of the universe. With that in mind, the meaning of this passage is very clear: We are saved for good works, not because of good works.

Good works are definitely the result of being connection to the “True Vine” (John 15:1-11), but they are not the reason we are connected to the Vine. We are connected, then the good works come.

If a person is connected to the True Vine then the natural outcome will the the “Fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16-26) and not the fruits of the flesh. When we are connected to Christ we grow spiritually in the same way that a branch would grow physically.

The statement that a person might not get into Heaven because they didn’t “do one more thing” does not fit with the biblical view of salvation. A person gets into Heaven because they are saved. Good works are the natural outgrowth of their salvation. If they don’t get into Heaven then it is because they aren’t saved, not because they didn’t do enough.

I encourage reading Galatians 5:16-26, Matthew 5-7, and Mathew 25:31-46. These passages will give a good idea of the type of behavior that is expected of a Christian. These are the good works that we are called to do. But again, doing these things does not save us. We do these things because we are saved.

Third, I am aware that some women wove gold and other jewels into their hair sometimes. That was the interpretation that I heard preached in various UPC and ALJC churches. It was considered fashionable in some parts of the world during that time period, and even later. However, it is not clear whether that is the custom that Paul is referring to in 1 Timothy 2:9-10. The sentence structure does not make it clear.

Personally I do not think that’s what Paul was referring to. That’s why I didn’t include that interpretation in my original article. But even if it was, it does not change the meaning of his command. His command was to focus on clothing ourselves in good works (1 Tim. 2:10) and not in expensive clothing and jewelry. Does this mean that jewelry is forbidden? Absolutely not. It just means that we should not make it our focus.

Finally, about tattoos. I do not think that I ever said that God abolished any of the Old Testament law. If I did ever say that then it was a typo, and if you can link to where it is then I will correct it. Christ did not abolish any law. As a matter of fact, He said:

Matthew 5:17-20
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

I firmly believe that Christ fulfilled certain portions of the Old Testament law on Calvary. It is a bit ridiculous to tell me that I need to just tear the Old Testament out of my Bible. That type of statement is called “hyperbole.” In other words it’s an exaggeration.

First, the Old Testament is not filled with the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law only takes up a small portion of the Old Testament. Most of it is filled with prophecy, history, poetry, etc.

Second, the ceremonial and judicial portions of the Mosaic Law were fulfilled at Calvary, while the moral law was not. The moral law is basically the 10 Commandments, or a person could think of it as anything that is defined as sin in the New Testament. This is what James was writing about when he referred to the “the perfect law, the law of liberty” (James 1:25). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia has an excellent write-up on it here: http://www.bible-history.com/isbe/L/LAW+IN+THE+NEW+TESTAMENT/.

I do not for a moment think that the Old Testament should just be ripped out. I don’t even think that the Mosaic Law should be ripped out. We are still bound to the moral law.

On the other hand, the judicial and ceremonial portions of the Mosaic Law no longer apply to us. These portions contain things like the foods we eat and the way we grow our beards and the making of marks on our bodies (I.e., tattoos).

Of course a person might disagree with me and say that tattoos is still part of the moral law. I don’t think it is, but everyone has a right to their opinion. Just don’t judge me for having a different opinion than you. I draw my conclusions based off of Scripture just like you do. If we’re drawing different conclusions off the same passage then one (or both!) of us is wrong. That is when we apply Romans 14 and set out to accept each other without judging each other =)

Thank you again for writing. If you would like to respond to this then I’ll allow it. But make it good, because I’m cutting this discussion off after your response. You’ll have stated your view, and I’ll have stated mine, and that will be the end of it.

In Christ,
- Josh S.

Ps. It talks about braided hair and gold, not braided hair “or” gold. Braided hair and gold go together because it was common for women to braid their hair with strands of gold. It doesn’t mean they can’t braid their hair, it means they can’t braid their hair with gold. I’m sure you just overlooked, no big deal. That explains why it is against jewelry. It spoke of what was common at the time.

A wedding band serves more of a purpose than a watch. It communicates to others, yourself and your spouse that you have made a commitment to each other in the eyes of God. “What God Hath Joined Together, Let No Man Put Asunder”. A watch merely tells you the time of day.