Wow! The feedback on To Pierce or Not to Pierce was great! Y'all are so awesome :) Thanks for giving me your opinions. It's helping me make my decision.
There was one particular comment I want to address specifically. One person wisely suggested that I turn to Bible for the answer (always the best place to start). A few verses this person suggested:
Leviticus 19:28
"Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD."
Deuteronomy 14:1
"You are the children of the LORD your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead."
Genesis 35
"And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."
Lots of information there! I have trouble knowing where to start XD
First, I'd like to point out a pattern in the verses (well, one of them): They come primarily from the Old Testament. Why is that? Well, it's because back then, there were TONS of rules to follow to make Christians "clean". It's unbelievable! If you read those early books of the Bible, it's staggering to see the lists of rules the Israelites were expected to follow. You might even say it was impossible. Why would God give people so many rules that were so difficult to follow?
I think one of the biggest reasons is simply because it's impossible. God wanted the Israelites to realize how impossible it was to be perfect, how much they needed God and his forgiveness.
For years and years and YEARS it went on like that. People tried to follow all the rules (even the ones about clipping your beard, braiding your hair, and piercing your ears) all the time. Then something cool happened:
Jesus came.
Jesus wiped away all the rules but two:
Love God.
Love your neighbors.
(If you follow those two commandments, the other Ten Commandments kind of naturally follow anyway.)
This is one reason why Jesus made people so angry.
WHAT??? This trouble-maker says we don't have to wash our hands before every meal. HOW DARE HE?
Etc.
See, when Jesus came, HE was the perfect sacrifice! By dying for our sins, he took away the burden of trying to be perfect. We don't have to follow all the Old Testament rules to be good Christians. Jesus took care of that burden for us :) It's all good.
There is one verse from the New Testament:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."
I really like this verse. But I don't think it means that piercing your ears is wrong. Piercing ears does not dishonor God. It's simple a fun way to show your personality. To show who you are, how God made you, a way to express yourself! We should always honor God with our bodies, but I see that as more what you physically do. Honor God by opening the door for people. Honor God by not reacting in sudden violence. Honor God by using your hands for His glory. Things like that :)
The Bible is the best place to look for answers. It's our instruction manual, our map for life, God speaking to us! But it's also really important to make sure you understand all the details behind the text.
~Kendra
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6 comments:
Nice post
Jake
I agree with you, except for one point. Jesus was summing up the Ten Commandments, not wiping them out.
However, on the whole, I agree with you about the ear-piercing. I don't like it just because it's not very practical (for me). With a two year old brother who loves to grab ears...ouch.
Excellent post :)
I'm glad I could be of some assistance, though I would like to add one last bit:
You say Jesus erased all the laws but two. But yet He Himself said:
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." -Matthew 5:17-18
Now I know what I say can come across as legalism--I hear that often. And you are right; it is impossible to follow the law, and Jesus did make possible the removal of sin. But even under the new covenant, it is not possible to gain salvation through any amount of adherence. And yet many believe that one must obey the rules IN ORDER to love God, when rather one loves God and as a result does what He says.
Basically, my underlying belief here is that when God made man He called it very good. I don't believe rules lead to God or God to rules, but that as a bride preparing for her husband-to-be, we ought to try to please Him.
Be Blessed
~Araken~
Yeah, I don't think the bible says not to pierce your ears. Maybe don't let your beauty be all you care about or use it to manipulate or anything like that. But do whatever you want. If you wear them too... flashy-like... don't cuse I kinda have something against that. Make sure it reflects you and you're the reason you're wearing earrings, not anyone else. They can be cute and awesome and the coolest thing ever but I had this one girl cuse she has no idea how to wear them and keeps wearing them the wrong way (like with the wrong motive). I can tell cuse they're not her. I don't claim to know her but I know that her earrings aren't her. I think it'd be cool to get my left ear pierced sometime. One of the main reasons is cuse it used to be a custom in the old testament to have your ear pierced if you were a slave or something. And I'm a slave to Jesus! I would probably get some people to think weird things about me but hey, my relationship is with GOD not them =P Anyways, sorry about rambling and being late and stuff. Jesus loves you! =)
Awesome, Tunafish. I agree, and I absolutely LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE your idea about piercing your ear. Love it. :D
~Kendra
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