Splitting Hairs

The words we use are very important--especially when we aim to hold forth biblical truth of God's word.  Assured of its authenticity and accuracy, we ought to handle the Scripture with respect and humility.  It is beneficial to carefully consider scripture like a person who uses a fine-toothed comb, ensuring a scalp is free of lice.  The word of God is purer than a sanitised, stainless-steel comb because His words cannot be defiled or corrupted.  When God's word passes through our lives it reveals all manner of impurities and sins God desires to purify us from.

As we learn to rightly divide God's word in study and have fellowship with other Christians, it is important to avoid splitting hairs.  Frankly, I don't have personal experience with hair that can grow long enough to take damage or have split ends as I keep it short.  I was fascinated to observe hair can indeed split, and from what I have read there is a myriad of factors that result in having split ends--which is universally seen as a bad thing.  For those who agree with this assessment, I cannot imagine them going through the tedious process of splitting them individually by hand--pulling out a magnifying glass to see clearly to slice through the end of the hair as if something grand has been accomplished.  Somehow, this sort of approach can be adopted by Christians as they study the Bible, making distinctions and marking divisions that are more a hindrance than a help.  Obsession over fine details or differences can cause a shift from being spiritually discerning to recklessly damaging.

The smallest letters and markings of divinely-inspired scripture all have great importance, and God extends grace towards Christians to be united concerning major doctrines about the triune Godhead, the deity of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, and the Gospel--while providing allowances for different points of emphasis and practices.  God gives us time to learn, grow and mature through many seasons of life, refining us along with our theology.  There are doctrines that are set in stone that cannot shift because God does not change, but there are also controversial ones that lead to an array of convictions, opinions or leanings.  When we dig into controversial interpretations and argue about them, trying to prove people wrong or badger them to agree with our convictions, this is hair-splitting territory we ought to avoid out of love for God and others.

Paul described one who could be called a hair-splitter in 1 Timothy 6:3-6:  "If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, ⁴ he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, ⁵ useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. ⁶ Now godliness with contentment is great gain."  Ironic, isn't it, that we could take the wholesome words of Jesus Christ and refuse to consent with them while wrangling over them?  Paul observed people who were puffed up with knowledge and yet knew nothing of what was important--of Christ and doctrines that agree with godliness.  Rather than taking a stand for Christ and contending for the faith once delivered to the saints, these hair-splitters argued and debated over words they had not received into their hearts--and had yet to transform their lives.

On the subject of God's faithfulness and how God cannot deny Himself, Paul urged Timothy and all believers in 2 Timothy 2:14-16:  "Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. ¹⁵ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. ¹⁶ But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness."  We are called to rightly divide the word of truth without splitting hairs and doing damage to God's word, our Christian witness and other people by idle babblings.  We ought to ask ourselves about some of the questions people obsess over, "What does it profit?  Have people been unnecessarily disoriented or shipwrecked by these arguments?"  As sure as we should flee youthful lusts, we should avoid foolish questions and debates that cause strife (2 Timothy 2:23).  Instead of splitting hairs in pride, we ought to humble ourselves to submit to doctrine that accords with godliness.