Wedding Rings

I have been giving this a lot of thought. A lot of thought.

I think what we need to do is go back to Scripture. My opinion, your opinion, is not what matters. What matters is what the Word says.

So, here is what it says:

1 Peter 3

1Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

2While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

3Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

4But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

5For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves...

Let's look at the two key verses here. Verse 3, and verse 4.

Think of it it this way, Paul was telling us that there are two options, verse three, OR verse 4.

In other words, not this: outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel...

But rather, this: But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

It is an either/or proposition. Not both, but one or the other.

The only way that this makes sense is to take it literally. If the Bible says that our adornment should not be the wearing of gold, how then do we make an exception for a wedding ring? Is it not made of gold?

Now, an argument could be made that God allowed the folks in the Old Testament to wear jewelry, and there was no negative connotation connected with it. And, that would be correct.

I do not see that as a contradiction to my view on 1 Peter 3 in any way. How? What I see in chapter 3 is God showing us a new, better way.

There were things that God allowed in the OT that we would consider sin today. We all have a good idea as to what those were. But, in the New Testament, we find those things forbidden.

So, God allowed some things in the OT, but forbids them in the NT, and this is not in any way contradictory, or hypocritical. Among these things are the wearing of jewelry.

This is not an argument of culture. It is not an argument of being looked at as weird by the society we live in. If that is the case, then we should all just assimilate now, look like, dress like, talk like, walk like everyone around us.


A ring is not an antidote to infidelity. Many people have cheated while wearing a wedding ring.

It is not an antidote to being hit on by the opposite gender. Just because you might be wearing a wedding ring will NOT keep some members of the opposite gender from seeing you as a conquest. Some actually see it as a challenge.

I do not need a ring to have an outward symbol of an inward commitment. That is foolishness. I show in many other ways that I am committed to Monica. Anyone observing us for even a few minutes, if they paid attention, would see this. And, for that matter, I have never seen anyone with a ring on and had the thought flit through my brain that, "well, they sure are committed to each other." The sad fact is that with the divorce rate as high as it is, the ring no longer means anything of the sort, if it ever did.

Now, even IF all of these were true, even if you could prevent infidelity by wearing a ring, even if you could prohibit someone hitting on you by the wearing of it, even if it makes us more acceptable in our culture, even if it would prove that we are committed to one another, that does not make it OK to violate scripture.

So, can you justify the wearing of a wedding ring using to any of these arguments? In a word, no.

Someone made an important observation to me today. In this country, as this so called "gay marriage" become more prominent, the wedding ring is going to become less and less an indicator of anything. Think that one through.

Facebook

It seems as if the newest, greatest, most exciting thing for everyone at the moment is Facebook. Every one, it seems, is now networking through FB.

I have really enjoyed it. I have reconnected with people that we met while singing that I may never have had the chance to meet again. Pretty cool.

I have been scrolling through hundreds of pictures. Litteraly. I love seeing what everyone's kids look like, who has lost weight, who has gained, who got married to who, and what everyone says in their status updates. Very interesting.

Now, to what bothers me.

It seems, if you can take the pics on FB as evidence, that there is a mass exodus from things conservative. I see people that have grown up in the CHM, people that I have gone to church with, people that I have seen at IHC, people that until VERY recently were a part of the CHM, who have very evidently left our ranks. I will not name names.

Why this? Why now? What is the catylist for this?

Why are we as a CHM losing some of our best and brightest?

Are there CHMers that still believe what we have always believed?

Here is what I have seen:

Wedding rings by the score.

Girls and guys that attend CHM churches in public in shorts.

Young and old alike in bathing suits and shorts on the beach.

More short hair for the ladies than I thought possible.

Tattoos.

People that profess, hoisting a glass.

And, there are hints of other activities that I could not, would not mentioon on this forum.

So, what is happening? Is the CHM through?

Is there anyone that believes that there are still biblical precepts that constrain us from doing these things?

Can we, should we, stem the tide?

I know that there are folks who read this blog who were once a part of the CHM, and they may take offense at what I have posted. Please believe me when I say that there is no offense intended. I am troubled by what I am seeing, and would like others input, yes, especially those from the CHM .