1 Corinthians 11:1-19 KJV
1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.
17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

One of the ugliest things in the religious world of faith today is those that come in to argue about legalism of culture and proper ediquette. Long hair short hair and bald men. Men in some areas would die if they had to cut their long hair. Others have short hair and can not stand the thought of loosing all their hair one day in baldness. And then you have those with hair and those without that can not help it because of health issues, and others whether male or female whose hair growth is so quick that to keep even facial hair short would take a razor even during one's own break. You know men that walk around with a five oclock shadow on their face. If I had any pet peeves it be my own dislike of something. However Paul main discourse on dress usually had to do with modesty, and not hair length. I think the hair length may of been over dramatized, but issue of some that understood not that hair length had no value in relationship to faith. I seen where woman have kept their long hair because of scripture and even cutting the long hair to just a small amount of long hair and keeping the rest short tucking the long hair into a tiny bun. Keeping it in honor of faith and religious tradition. Those type of things has never made to much sense to me, but it if reminds you to keep your purity in life, please do so. Because what is valuable custom to one has no value to another.

Some churches you never walk in without a suit and tie and others more relaxed. Yet it is the bullying of you must wear this and do that to be saved, is the type of bullying that churches struggle with. It is not of God and it cause argument among people who know not that it is a culture issue and not a church issue. People have the right to believe, whatever they want, forcing anyone to believe just like you has never been God's desire on anyone. Every person that every left the church because of disagreement hopefully did it because legalism was controlling the church, or discord of the enemy. To often disagreement can be solved with how does it effect faith and growth in the church. Does it really matter to God.

Church world that is controlled by the popular vote is going to land up with mayhem and chaos eventually. And church with an elder board they only listen too, is going to end up with some type of legalism running the church, because elder seldom understand the ways of the younger generation or social change. What can a church do to stop legalism, by have committees of praying people to make decision by people over the age of 18 and christian believers. Solves the whole problem. You don't want a church with decision making decision as young believers unless they the only ones that can do it. It better for people to learn the ways of God first and the ways of Christ first, then allow them on a board and teach them to weigh the decisions by scripture and by society of the local body of believers. Weighing scripturally first, and then if it needs to be weighed by social customs of the church. If nothing that going to effect first Bible beliefs and then social issues leave it alone. If it against faith in God kick it out and if it against social customs ask if it a needs changing in order to keep the spreading of the Gospel from being hendered. Will these changes help the church in general.

Paul speaks of the hair length as more of metaphor of culture issues. After all Nazarites in Jewish custom had long hair and were often men as well as women. The duty to serve God and live by the law. Live by faith not by sight. Not by laws that no one fully obeys, no the laws were to help us understand sin against others in the world and what the human laws allowed.

Next time you trying to win argument about woman needing to have long hair for whatever reason and short hari for men for whatever reason looks to culture and then ask why is my hair length long or short, is because belief, health or some other reason. Paul trying to show how simple division in the church could be as ridiculous as hair length. That long hair covered a woman's nakedness. It covered and protected her purity. Paul is he talking by his own likes and not scripture? There were times of men shaving all their hair off including eye brows in scripture Old Testament for purity reason. Paul is talking about customs that enter the church and is declare holy or unholy without cause. These customs cause bullying forcing people to do some things because everyone else did them and not basing on faith. Faith is not based on what you wear but if you believe in God. Culture of clothing is about a culture. What might mean something to one person does not mean something to someone else. A stranger among you dressing or wearing different hair length may be doing so for some other custom. Beware not to offend people culturally in the church or bully them into be like everyone else.

Dear Heavenly Father, help those caught in legalism for whatever reason, that they see that legalism has nothing to do with faith, while others things have everything to do with faith. In Jesus precious name Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Numbers 6:1-8 KJV
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:
3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.
4 All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.
5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
6 All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.
7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.
8 All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.