I lived a teenage life hating church because I didn’t want to look different then every one else. I wanted to be just like all the other girls and fit in. I couldn’t wear makeup, cut my hair, wear short sleeves, go to the movies, watch TV (it was called Satan’s Box), couldn’t hang around “WORLDLY” people, YOu didn’t have a prayer life unless you prayed for hours on your knees. Now 47 years old and reconciled with the Lord I realize and know deep in my heart that Jesus lives in me, with my pants, make up, short sleeves and my “wordly friends” are the ones I love and love me and those are the ones God has put in my path to be a light of who He is in me and be in there’s. What ever is a hinderance in your walk from God is what needs to be removed, and the only person who can tell you that is the Holy Spirit. (yes, my legalistic Friends, I am also HOLY SPIRIT FILLED). There are people out there who are looking for peace, joy and love in there life and if we take our focus away from these materialistic way of thinking, then we can actually allow God to help us see the need in a person and allow Him to help that person find Christ. I learned that I can’t waste my time on people who want to debate on what’s right and wrong. What your heart is clothes in is what really matters. Is it clothed in Judgement, hate, prejudice, war, lies or is it clothed in Jesus who loved even the farisees.

I have written on baptism in other sections of this Web site (see my comments on Mat. 28:18-20 in the Misinterpreted Scriptures section, for example) so I will not repeat all of that here. All I will do is make one simple statement that I believe sums up the essence of the whole debate: Jesus will not send people to hell for obeying Him.

Period.

I will hold that view to my dying breath.

Jesus said for people to be baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and people will not be sent to hell for taking him literally. He’s not a trickster who will tell people at judgment, “Oh, I didn’t *really* mean that.”

I know that my statement is bold and that it could even appear harsh to those who disagree. I ask you to forgive me for any harshness, and to understand that my boldness is not directed at you. No, my boldness is directed at those who twist the words of our Lord and Savior to the point of claiming people will go to hell for doing what He commanded.

Thank you for your concern for me and for your questions, sister. I do consider Oneness folks brothers and sisters in Christ, just like I always have. I also consider Trinitarian folks brothers and sisters in Christ :).

All of what I just said might lead a person to think that I am now a Trinitarian, or that I am anti-Oneness. The truth is that right now, as of this writing, I am neither. I confess that I simply don’t understand the nature of God. From my studies of church history I have decided that the doctrine of the Trinity is a more accurate description of God than the doctrine of Oneness, but I do not think it is a perfect description.

(Speaking of church history, the doctrine of “Oneness” [I.e. modalism or Sabellianism] was never widely held at any point in church history. Contrary to what Oneness theologians such as Dr. Bernard say, there was never any great “falling away” from modalist [Oneness] theology. The reason there was no great falling away from modalist theology is because there was nothing to fall away from!)

About baptism: I believe with all of my heart that being baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is equivalent to being baptized in the Name of Jesus. I also believe that being baptized in the Name of Jesus is equivalent to being baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It is not a “magic formula” that saves a person (if it were, then we need to be speaking in Aramaic and/or Koine Greek when we baptize people, since that’s what Jesus and the disciples spoke). No, it is not a magic formula. It is the applied blood of Christ to a person’s life.

Thank you again for your concerns. I hope I’ve answered your questions. Please feel free to write any time. God bless, and Merry Christmas!

~ Josh S.

I believe that Jesus would be saying to us not to worry about these things and that there are much bigger things to be thinking about. If you want to colour your hair - do it.

Think on 1 Samuel 16:7

“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

As long as you are right with God and he knows your heart, it won’t matter what you look like! Go on Dye your hair if you want to!

Sarah x

I think that is a weak argument for a couple of reasons.

#1 - a great majority of the Apostolic women that I know do *not* wear pajama pants, because they feel that pants ‘pertain to a man’ and so their convictions won’t allow them to wear pants at any time. So women in that situation would completely disregard your entire argument.

#2 - in all honesty, what you wear to bed, or inside the privacy of your own home is completely a separate issue than what you wear in public. Very few Apostolics hold themselves to the same standard of dress inside the privacy of their home. The ‘dress standard’ is about what you wear in public, at least in my experience.

So for the sake of having a strong argument, if I were you, I’d not rely on the ‘pajama pants’ issue. I’d stick with the other Biblical and historical facts concerning the wearing of pants for women. I felt that statement really weakened your argument.

Actseighteen.com has a good exegesis of the scriptures concerning ‘pertaining to a man’.