Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Feb. 19, 2026
Update	: Feb. 19, 2026
Parts	: 02

Synopsis:



Continuing our discussion from part one, while you are free to agree or disagree with my personal position, those are some of the reasons why I personally do NOT believe that the Apostle Paul established some kind of new Church rule or law -- as if he even had the authority to do so -- whereby all new Gentile converts had to sport short hair in order to be admitted to the Church. Sadly, as we learned earlier in this same article, without any Scriptural precedent or backing to do so whatsoever, certain modern legalistic Christians are in fact trying to foist this practice on the Body of Christ. In other words, my friends, as far as I am concerned, their attempt is a modern, man-made doctrine formulated by rigid legalists, and nothing more.

In fact, recently, I came across a particular online meme where the meme's creator actually claimed that for men to sport short hair is Jewish law. Furthermore, while I wrote "Longhairs and Weirdy Beardies vs. the Legalists" thirteen years ago in 2013, it was upon viewing the aforementioned meme that I was motivated to write this current article. It is a good thing that I have too, because this article does offer new and interesting information which is not found in the aforementioned article, while that series contains info which is not found in this article. Thus, contrary to the false claim which is made in that person's meme, all I can say is sorry, but no, short hair on men is NOT mandated by the Mosaic Law, as I have now clearly proven.

As we have now seen, implementing such a short hair mandate would have been both foolish and rather unproductive, and it would have had the opposite effect of what the Apostle Paul and the other Apostles desired, which was winning more souls to Jesus Christ. Furthermore, I find it troubling that the ONLY Bible verses which such Christian legalists can point to in their endeavors to justify their wayward position is in 1 Corinthians 11:14-15. Not only that, by what appears to be an act of deliberate omission -- meaning that they do NOT mention verse 16 -- they are purposely twisting the meaning of what Paul actually wrote. This reminds me of what Apostle Peter wrote regarding Paul's writings, and how there were certain novice Christians who distorted -- or wrested -- the meaning of Paul's words. Consider the following two verses:

"And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."


By the way, while in 1 Corinthians 11:14-15 the Apostle Paul claims that men having long hair is contrary to nature, I've often wondered why he would even say such a thing. I can only conclude that, apparently, he never saw a male lion with its long, flowing mane, which was created by God himself. Are we to believe that God went against nature as well? Hardly, my friends! So a male lion with its long mane contradicts what Paul wrote in those two verses. Lest anyone should get the wrong impression, while I disagree with Paul regarding this one particular issue, as I mentioned in part one, for years now, I have had great respect for Paul's writings. The depth of his understanding of the fulfillment of all the Messianic prophecies which are found in the Old Testament is amazing, not to mention his dissertations regarding law versus grace.

As I point out in my three-part companion series entitled "Longhairs and Weirdy Beardies vs. the Legalists", there are a number of specific examples to be found in the Scriptures where Israelite men in fact had long hair and/or long beards. I encourage all of you legalists to please read that series for proof, and to STOP promoting your narrow-minded legalism, and STOP condemning Christians who don't see things your way, which is NOT even Scripture-based anyway.

As I warn in my companion article entitled "Beware of the Pauline Extremists", we all need to be very careful, because those people are treating the Apostle Paul's writings as if they are the absolute law which must be observed and adhered to by all modern Christian Believers, and that is simply NOT so. In certain instances, Paul was simply expressing his own PERSONAL OPINION -- as in the case of hair length -- and yet those Christians use certain verses as a weapon to bludgeon their fellow Christian brethren into doctrinal submission. In my opinion, they are hung up on the letter of the Law -- similar to the unbelieving Jews -- and they seem to forget that the Apostle Paul likewise wrote the following verse:

"Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."


Upon reflecting further on the fact that Paul concluded his comments by writing "we have no such custom", and while at the same time considering how well-versed Paul was in the Old Testament Scriptures, I was reminded of something that the Lord said to the Prophet Samuel when he visited Jesse's house while looking for the individual who God has selected to succeed stubborn Saul as the next king of Israel. While Samuel was considering the possibility of David's brother Eliab being a candidate for the royal position, God spoke the following words to Samuel:

"But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."


So I am wondering. Is it possible that the Apostle Paul also considered this verse when he arrived at the conclusion that while he personally preferred Gentile Christian converts to sport short hair, he was not going to impose such a mandate on them? In other words, in his accumulated wisdom, did Paul realize that the spiritual state of their hearts was so much more important than their physical appearance? Thus, he put aside his personal preference and wrote instead "we have no such custom." I am likewise reminded of what Paul wrote in Romans 14, and something that Jesus said in the Gospel of John. Consider the following two Bible verses:

"Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth."


"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."


So if a Christian man does not feel condemned for choosing to wear his hair long, who are these legalistic Christians to condemn him and to say otherwise, particularly when there is no law or Bible verse which clearly demands that he wear his hair short? Thus, as Jesus said, we should NEVER judge someone by their appearance, but rather judge righteously. Of course, I already understand that by even sharing such thoughts, there are going to be some contentious, legalistic Christians who will probably come out of the closet, and who will retort with something similar to the following:

"Well, Bill, you are really opening a can of worms by saying something like that. If sporting long hair is okay in your view, why stop there? What about those weird people who like to dress up in the goth style using white makeup, bright red lips, dark rings around their eyes, etc? Or what about those odd freaks who mutilate their bodies by using ring piercings, gouging huge holes in their ears, inserting demon-like horns under their skulls, chopping off their noses, sticking pins and beads all over the place, grinding down their teeth to make them appear like fangs, wearing contact lenses so that their eyes look similar to snake eyes, etc.? Are those evil practices okay with you too? After all, as you said, it is the spiritual condition of one's heart which truly matters the most, right?"

My friends, to even take my words in that direction is quite ridiculous. As I explain in other commentaries such as in my 2024 article called "Beauty Products/Cosmetics Industry: An Exposé", I am strongly opposed to such practices, and I view them as being demon-inspired, and the product of some very sick, warped minds. Those people obviously need some serious help. Furthermore, there is a very huge difference between what those people do to their bodies, and a man who simply prefers to wear his hair long, for whatever his reasons. Of course, in describing such practices, I am referring to the children of the world. We Christians are held to a different standard, and part of that standard dictates that we avoid the appearance of evil, and that we flee from the works of darkness, as we can easily determine by this set of verses:

"Abstain from all appearance of evil."


"The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."


"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light . . . And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."


So not only are we Christians supposed to refrain from any activity which may cast a dark shadow on our faith, result in criticism, and in so doing bring reproach to the cause of Christ, but at the same time, our outward appearance should be a reflection of our inner spiritual man. This certainly prohibits us from engaging in any of the aforementioned devilish, worldly, body mutilation practices, doesn't it?

Now, of course, there are sometimes people who eventually do come to Christ AFTER they have already performed such wicked mutilations on their bodies. I have read accounts where such individuals who are serious about their newfound faith, make an effort to restore their body to its natural form as much as possible. This may include having their tattoos removed, having all of their prosthetics removed, removing the weird contact lenses, allowing their ear lobes to slowly return to their natural state, etc. This is commendable, although not always totally successful, because some bodily mutilations are simply too severe to fully reverse, sad to say.

On the other hand, if an individual comes to Jesus Christ, and THEN desires to do some of those wicked things to their body, then I would obviously have to question how serious they really are about their Christian faith. Are they still a part of the world in their hearts -- similar to how the Israelites constantly murmured and complained after being liberated from their Egyptian bondage -- or have they truly become new creatures in Christ as the following Bible verses explain, where the old lifestyle is crucified and buried, in order that the new man of the Spirit, and the new life in Jesus might shine through?:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."


"And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."


"And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:"


"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."


So, my friends, these are my personal thoughts regarding the practice of Christian men wearing their hair long. If I were to summarize my thoughts in a single sentence, it would be by saying this: We cannot criticize and condemn people for things which even the Bible itself never outright restricts in a clear and authoritative manner. Thus, you short-hair legalists really need to reconsider your misguided position.

For anyone who is wondering, in the name of transparency and honesty, I will inform you that throughout my adult life, at different times I have worn my hair rather short, while at other times I have allowed it to grow long. Depending on the weather, and how hot our summers become, there are occasions when I will even shave my head completely -- meaning totally bald -- and then allow my hair to slowly grow back over the next six months or year before I decide to cut it again. For me personally, however I choose to wear my hair, it's really no big deal, and I most certainly don't feel condemned about it. You shouldn't either, despite how those self-righteous, legalistic Christians may try to paint you. As the Apostle Paul wrote, live your faith according to your own personal convictions, and in a manner which you believe is pleasing to the Lord, and don't worry about the opinions of others.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you've found it informative and enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Are Christians Obligated to Keep the Sabbath?

Are You Flexible?

Beauty Products - Cosmetics Industry: An Exposé

Beware of the Pauline Extremists

Do You Seek the Truth or Short-Change Yourself?

Doctrinal Correction: The Proper Way to Do It

Humility in Our Understanding of God's Word

Longhairs and Weirdy Beardies vs. the Legalists

My Evolving Theology

Should Christians Engage in Doctrinal Debates?

Understanding the Bible in Context

Vespasian, Titus and the Fall of Jerusalem

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Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.