JOHN FROM KNOXVILLE (presumably TN):
I just read your article https://www.creationliberty.com/articles/hair.php.
I really do disagree with you. You give me many verses indeed but you also neglect essential ones.
Luke 24:25-27 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
also
Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times. 27Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. (Leviticus chapter 19:26-27)
Jesus fulfilled this law.
He also said a servant is not greater than his master.
That we would do greater works than him.
I think your article is blasphemous. Just because I am an Israelite in Christ doesn't mean I am not part of the body.
I just read your article https://www.creationliberty.com/articles/hair.php.
I really do disagree with you. You give me many verses indeed but you also neglect essential ones.Why are you writing me about this? It doesn't matter to me what you choose to do; I'm not here to tell you what to do in your life and your home; I just teach people what the Bible says, but if you want to write me, at least be honest: You disagree with the apostles and the Holy Ghost. You reject them; it's not about me. I'm not sure there is any indication in your email that you wanted to have a discussion with me on this topic (i.e. I don't think you wrote me to talk together in like-mind and fellowship,
Phil 2:2), but giving you the benefit of the doubt, I would ask that you be more direct and forthcoming in future discussion (i.e. don't hide information) so we don't mince words.
In case you don't understand what I mean, here is an example:
https://www.instagram.com/johnson_1236That's you, is it not? Assuming that is the case, now I know you're simply writing me to justify yourself, and so what I mean by being more "forthcoming" is that you should have said in your letter was this: "
I have long hair, and I want to make an argument why I should be allowed to do that, despite the fact that you proved to me the New Testament says I should not do that." That would be more honestly direct and forthcoming, and that would also make it much easier to have a conversation with you.
That being said, you can make all the excuses you want, but God knows the wickedness in your heart, and you will not escape Him:
And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
-Luke 16:15
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
-Jer 17:9
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
-Pro 28:26Justifying yourself to me won't help you because I'm not your priest. If you want essential Scriptures, then the teaching you need to read on our website is this one:
Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to HellIf you cannot read and understand that, then nothing you are saying here is going to matter at all because Jesus very clearly taught:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
-Mat 7:21-23Luke 24:25-27 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
also
Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times. 27Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. (Leviticus chapter 19:26-27)
Jesus fulfilled this law.Correct, Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets, but this shows me that you do not understand those doctrines, and you ignore Christ's apostles, which was evident to me from the start of your letter. For example, you quoted from Leviticus 19:
Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.
-Lev 19:26And yet, you ignore the commandments under the New Covenant that was given by the Holy Ghost (i.e. God Himself), because He gave us commandments against blood and against witchcraft:
For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
-Acts 15:28-29
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
-Gal 5:19-21Thus, what you are actually saying is, "
Jesus fulfilled the law and prophets, so therefore, I can do whatever I want." That is a gross misunderstanding of Scripture, and you ought to know better if you claim to be an "Israelite" because Jeremiah prophesied the Jews doing the exact same wicked deeds, and made the exact same excuses:
Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
-Jer 17:9-10That's the same excuse you are making right now.
I know the difference between someone who can copy/paste Scripture, and someone who understands it. Furthermore, I know the difference between someone who lifts himself up in the pride of his heart, versus someone who judges himself in righteous judgment.
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
-1Co 11:31
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
-2Co 13:5Unbiblical Cop-Outs: 'Don't Judge Me!'He also said a servant is not greater than his master.Exactly. Jesus would not have had long hair, and therefore, us Christians should not do so either because we are not greater than our Master. I have no idea what you believe, so I cannot say if you are a Christian. (I do not see evidence of it yet.) Wait a second... you're not following the Catholic painting of the so-called "Jesus" with the long hair, are you? Did you know that was modeled after a 14th century bishop in the Catholic Church, and that is not the Jesus Christ of Scripture?
That we would do greater works than him.So because Jesus said that, you believe you have a right to ignore the commandments of the New Testament? I don't understand what point you're trying to make here, but it's not helping your case.
Personally, I find it amazing that, on your Twitter account, you will say:
"The disciples weren't stupid guys who would ruin their lives
And then choose to die for what they knew was a lie"https://twitter.com/johnson_1236/status/1258769492466860032But then turn around and reject what the apostles taught by the Holy Spirit when it comes to justifying yourself.
I think your article is blasphemous. Just because I am an Israelite in Christ doesn't mean I am not part of the body.Please provide for me a quotation where I said: "
Israelites are not part of the body of Christ." If I said that, I will apologize, but I would like to see the quote for myself first, and the context of what I said, and if I did not say that, I hope you will apologize for your false accusation.
A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.
-Pro 19:5I will wait for your response on that, but if you believe that the Hebrews are automatically part of the Kingdom of God for simply being born Jewish, then you have no understanding of the entire Bible, and if that is the case, the reason for that would be because you do not have the Holy Spirit of God for understanding:
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
-1Co 2:14
Respect brother. We share a last name. A prompt response. I wrote you not to cause contention. I thought those scriptures in light with all the ones you shared in your article. Honestly surprised to see a response, so once again respect.
That instagram is not me. I don't do social media. You did however find my twitter brother. I am seeking4wisdom. I find it kinda pernicious tho honestly. you go dig on me to try to attack my character. That aside. You can see just by my twitter some of the struggles I have had as a man so far. I am 27 years old.
I have been a student of the bible for a over a decade. I love it. I sell books for a living and I collect the precious word of God. There is not a better book on earth.
If Jesus did not cut the corner of his head or beard he would have had long hair. How do you contest this? It bothers me that so many Christians will preach against the verse following on tattoos but totally disregard the one before. Pick and choose and they teach lawlessness.
you saying "Thus, what you are actually saying is, "Jesus fulfilled the law and prophets, so therefore, I can do whatever I want." is actually the exact opposite of what I am doing. You can tell how much I adore his law when you look at my face. I felt compelled to contend for what I believe. You tell all the Christians to rebuke men with long hair. I felt from my personal decade of study and listening to the word of God I was instructed to have it.
Regardless we not here for endless debates. So I shall depart with a blessing. I expect to see you in glory, God bless and run forth to the mission. Jesus is coming soon and there is much work to be done. 1/10 of his children still don't have water.
NOTE: Over the next few hours, he kept sending me more short emails. I address this in my response to him.
The length of our hair, man or woman, is an outward physical sign of our submission to the authority over us as Christians, and if we choose to rebel against Christ's doctrines, being contentious with our brethren over such a simple issue, we are not worthy of being part of the Body of Christ.
your words. only thing I felt I didn't adequately reply to in original response after further thought. I did not make a false accusation
such an evil spirit you had. You had none of the fruits of the spirit. Third message for the trinity. You don't need to say many words.
There is a pestilence on earth! You are not salty. About to be trampled. you make me sad to believe in my god because of your insolence
Respect brother. I don't know what you mean by that.
We share a last name.I am aware. What does that have to do with anything you wrote me about?
A prompt response. I wrote you not to cause contention.Are... are you serious right now? Let me see if I understand this: You accused me of blaspheme, then turned around and attempted to convince me you were not trying to cause contention? Look, I know I have been naive in my lifetime, but I was not born again yesterday, so please spare me the pretense.
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
-Mat 15:18I do not mind being accused of something, but I want evidence of it, and if you refuse to be held accountable for the things you say, then you have come to the wrong place, and you are not judging yourself.
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
-Mat 12:36Since you did not provide me the evidence I requested in your emails, I'm going to continue on the assumption that you just decided to lie and make it up to justify yourself. I do not appreciate that, and you will have to answer for such things before God.
Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
-Ecc 5:6
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
-Pro 6:16-19I thought those scriptures in light with all the ones you shared in your article. Honestly surprised to see a response, so once again respect.Did I read that wrong? Let me type this out just to make sure: "
I thought those scriptures in light with all the ones you shared in your article." No, I read that right. That's a sentence fragment; it's not a complete thought. I don't know what you're trying to say.
That instagram is not me. I don't do social media. You did however find my twitter brother. I am seeking4wisdom. I find it kinda pernicious tho honestly. you go dig on me to try to attack my character. That aside. You can see just by my twitter some of the struggles I have had as a man so far. I am 27 years old.I have to go looking for information because you did not provide enough for me. I have no idea why you were writing me in the first place, which means I have no idea what position you're trying to defend. If you did not like the information, why not just depart and go somewhere else? There is reason you are writing me, and you did not make that clear. Also, I don't know if you're a Christian either because you did not provide any evidence of it in your email. If you would be more open than just giving me your first name, and then accusing me of blaspheme, I wouldn't have to go look so hard. If I did not have the correct person on Instagram, I apologize to you and also apologize if I made any erroneous statements, however, that being said, you do admit to having the long hair and were trying to justify yourself, so that would have been something you should have opened with.
I have been a student of the bible for a over a decade. I love it. I sell books for a living and I collect the precious word of God. There is not a better book on earth.Many false preachers have stated the same thing. That tells me nothing.
If Jesus did not cut the corner of his head or beard he would have had long hair. How do you contest this?I am unsure how to explain this to you in a way that you will not find offensive, so I'm just going to be blunt: For someone who has so many books and has been reading them for so long, I am baffled how you thought you would get away with such a fallacy.
You just said that
IF, and I repeat,
IF Jesus did not cut his hair, then he would have had long hair. I'm sure even children understand that basic concept (i.e. that hair grows), but then you asked me how I would contest that? Who would contest that hair does not grow?
If an atheist came up to me and said, "
If God did not author the Bible, then the Bible would not be true. How do you contest this?" The word '
IF' is the deception of the statement because it makes the sentence a presupposition. The atheist's statement is based on the presupposition that God did not author Scripture, and likewise, your statement is based on the presupposition that Jesus did not cut his hair.
Of course, I have heard some really foolish arguments in my time, and before you begin to say "
Scripture does not tell us that Jesus did not cut his hair," the Bible also does not tell us that Jesus had a bowel movement either, so I guess you would presuppose that He never used a toilet bucket?
The absurdity of your statement is on the level of atheists, and all I can say is that, so far, I am still not seeing anything in your writing that is telling me that you are of Christ.
It bothers me that so many Christians will preach against the verse following on tattoos but totally disregard the one before. Pick and choose and they teach lawlessness.You just switched the topic to tattoos, and now I have no idea what argument you're making. I am not the "
so many Christians" you are referring to, so if I did not state something specifically, then attempting to use what a majority might say to accuse me of error is not a wise position to take.
You can tell how much I adore his law when you look at my face.Again, you do not judge righteous judgment. I do not look at people faces and make that judgment, and if you do, then you judge in unrighteousness. I judge a person by what doctrine they believe and teach, and what actions they take in correlation to that doctrine.
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24So when a man hears the commandments of the New Testament, denies them, and then tries to justify himself, I see a man who is either wildly rebellious against Christ and need to come to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing), or he is not of Christ in the first place and still needs to come to repentance.
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
-John 8:31You tell all the Christians to rebuke men with long hair. I felt from my personal decade of study and listening to the word of God I was instructed to have it.Exactly, you "
FELT" like it, which means you do not study the Scripture and follow it, but rather, you follow your heart (i.e. how you feel). I already gave you Scriptures that rebuke such things, but you will not hear, so am I wasting my time? It sounds like it at this point.
Regardless we not here for endless debates.It would not be endless if you simply submitted to the Word of God, but you refuse, so yes, it will be endless, and therefore, I think it's a good idea that you depart from our ministry in peace. I hope you have a great day.
So I shall depart with a blessing. I expect to see you in glory, God bless and run forth to the mission. Jesus is coming soon and there is much work to be done. 1/10 of his children still don't have water.Well, before we address your lie about departing with a blessing, let's look at the rest of these rapid-fire emails you sent me this afternoon before I had a chance to respond to your second letter, and I think this reveals much more of the truth about your wicked heart...
Two hours later, you wrote:
The length of our hair, man or woman, is an outward physical sign of our submission to the authority over us as Christians, and if we choose to rebel against Christ's doctrines, being contentious with our brethren over such a simple issue, we are not worthy of being part of the Body of Christ.
your words. only thing I felt I didn't adequately reply to in original response after further thought. I did not make a false accusationSo you still accuse me of blaspheme, but will not provide evidence for it. Four hours after that, you wrote:
such an evil spirit you had. You had none of the fruits of the spirit. Third message for the trinity. You don't need to say many words.I am now accused of having an evil spirit, which means you are now condemning me to hell. Then a few minutes later, you wrote again:
There is a pestilence on earth! You are not salty. About to be trampled. you make me sad to believe in my god because of your insolenceWith all the study of the Word of God you claim to do, I would expect that you would know how to depart peacefully with a blessing, but you lied about it, and the evidence is clear from these subsequent emails. Since you do not seem to understand how to do that, I will show you by example:
I pray the Lord Jesus Christ would bless you and your family with all your needs throughout the coming week, and I pray also that He pour out to you as much mercy and longsuffering as He has been gracious to give to me.
Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
-1Pe 3:9Again, have a great day, and I hope you depart in peace.
END OF DISCUSSION
As a final note, the reason I knew he was lying about his accusation of blaspheme is because I have never taught any such thing. I have taught that the Jews must be born again in Christ, or they will end up in hell. I have also taught that the Jews need to put away the things of the temple and look to Christ, otherwise, they are operating in idolatry because they disobey God the Father. However, I have never taught that Israelites cannot be part of the Body of Christ, so to claim I am blaspheming against God (presumably, since he did not make that clear), shows that not only does he not understand what the word 'blaspheme' means in Scripture, but it also demonstrates that he falsely accused because I never did any such thing in that teaching, or any other teaching for that matter.
Basically, if I looked on his face, as he suggested, I would not be able to see his face through his hair, so it would be hard for me to judge anything about his face except the fact that he is rebellious against the commandments of the New Testament. In short, I am accused of blaspheme and condemned to hell for having an evil spirit because I taught that he, as a man, should cut his hair. If I did not already know of the depravity of mankind by the grace and wisdom of God, I would think someone was playing a prank on me with these emails because how can we take someone like John seriously?
