A typical objection to the headcovering

"I'm afraid I feel differently about your 'headcovering' topic," writes a friend. "There are so many instructions and commands in the Bible and especially after the New Covenant that the topic of that is about number 199 in a possible list of 200. If it were essential it would be up there with love and the many other ways we are to act if we have the Holy Spirit in us and are really His."

This objection, which is unfortunately quite typical, comes from a completely Bible-believing Christian -- except for this one passage I guess. Since when is ANY command given in the Bible NOT "essential" to a Christian?

What is it about this particular command that evokes this sort of response? Really, I don't think it's about the command at all, or any of the things people so often say about the greater importance of other commands. I think it's ONLY about what a few teachers have said that people would rather hear, and the fact that it is no longer done in church. That is, it has nothing whatever to do with the Bible or God or anything of a spiritual nature, it's all about extraneous man-determined practice.

To compare this command to commands that require deep dealing with our hearts is simply wrong. Those commands require much self-work in spiritual growth over much time, but this command is simple, external, and easy to follow: wear a hat or pull a scarf over your head when you enter church, period. It's that simple. To do so is to respect God's order of Creation, give no offense to angels, and obey what Paul actually so clearly says in that passage when all the mealymouthed rationalizing convoluted fleshly human tradition is taken out of the way.

This is not to deny that there is spiritual depth to the command that should ideally be understood, but it's not a matter that requires spiritual growth, it's more a matter of spiritual knowledge to be acquired. Unlike the commands that grow us in grace and sanctification, our obedience to this one can be effected in an instant, leaving us free to spend our conscious energies on learning to love our enemy and so on -- as well as growing in spiritual understanding of the headcovering, WHILE we're wearing it.

What does it mean to say "If it were essential it would be up there with love" etc.?
Up there in what sense? Up there in people's minds? Up there in the priorities of preaching? Up there in Biblical importance? --as judged by whom? Paul? He spent an unusual length of writing on it for it to be dismissed as trivial. Sort of like answering Paul with, Well we don't do that any more, therefore we SHOULDN'T do that any more. My point is that it's NOT "up there" or regarded as important -- in people's minds, in the priorities of preaching -- because it's been wrongly disregarded, and it SHOULD be MADE important, should be brought "up there."

How is it LOVE to teach people to think lightly of a clearcut command in the New Testament?

But really, it's not the only one.

This continues to stymie me.

But then prayer is the best way to overcome strongholds, not argument, which is one of my biggest spiritual errors.