Question
Calvary greetings to you. I hope you and your family is doing fine. Glory be to God. Please bro what do you have to say about men wearning necklace as part of fashion is it men behaving like women 1 Cor: 6: 9 – 1-, Rom: 1: 26 – 27 ?if it is not , is it sinful? Please treat as a matter of urgency because it is becoming a controversy in the congregation where I am preaching.
Answer
Greetings from America. I hope you are well.
The answer to your question depends a great deal on the customs of the people where you live. In matters of custom, as long as the customs are not sinful in themselves, Christians are to try to fit in with people where they are in order to lead them to Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). In July and August of this year, I preached in the Samoan islands in the South Pacific Ocean. There it is customary for men to wear a wrap around skirt caled a “lava lava” and to wear a necklace often made of the seeds from certain trees. Thus, I dressed in that fashion while I was there. In Africa, I try to dress in the way the African men dress.
Also, we should strive to maintain a good reputation so our influence is also good (Proverbs 22:1; Ecclesiastes 7:1; Matthew 5:16). If where you live a necklace is considered feminine, then a man should not wear one so he will not hurt his reputation. In America it is no longer considered feminine to wear a small, decorative chain around the neck. One the other hand, a string of beads would be considered feminine. In the days of Solomon, young men characteristically wore some kind of decoration on their heads as well as chains around their necks as decorations (Proverbs 1:8-9).
One should be aware of the customs of the society where he is and, in matters of liberty, dress in such a way that he is not offensive and does not hurt his reputation.
Brotherly,
Keith Sharp
