Tradition or Scripture?  (January 3, 2016--Bulletin Article)

 

“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)

                 One of the foremost obstacles that has always stood in the way of unity among God’s people is still creating problems today; it is the same obstacle that diverted so many in Jesus’ day from the truth. That obstacle is human tradition.

                 Many today have become comfortable with the idea of tradition. They have adopted an attitude that seems charitable by saying, “We’re stuck in tradition, you’re stuck in tradition, all God’s children are stuck in tradition. You can’t escape your raising!” Because they believe this is the case, they also believe we should just accept one another and get along. However, if it is true that we are all stuck in tradition, then no one really knows the “truth”—only the tradition in which they were raised. Not only would this idea deny we can know truth, but it would also doom those raised in an unbelieving environment to a life of unbelief. If you were unfortunate enough to be born into an atheist household, your condemnation would be a foregone conclusion.

                The Bible denies this idea. According to Scripture, the power of tradition is not an excuse for continuing in convictions that are unbiblical. If it were, then the idea of repentance would have no meaning and one religion (tradition) would be as good as another. Indeed, the apostle Paul himself called us to “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith…” (2 Corinthians 13:5) Even Jesus himself once criticized the Jewish leaders by asking them, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3) We might as well ask the same question of all those who want to hold to their traditions today, even when it means disregarding God’s clear commands. For instance, there has long been a tradition that instructs those who believe the gospel of Jesus to respond to that belief by saying a “sinner’s prayer.” This prayer is not uniform. It often involves a confession of sinfulness and/or an invitation for Jesus to enter your heart and life. Whatever the content of the prayer, this response is not biblical, for Scripture has Jesus’ own command that, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mark 16:15)

                The central cause of traditional forms of religion—the reason why tradition so often takes over—is distance from the word of God. People no longer consult Scripture directly for answers and instruction but accept the words of men. It is easier to consult tradition and walk in the well-worn path of traditional teaching—to follow the herd—than it is to walk against the force of popular or family convictions. However, “we’ve always done it this way” is not an excuse for laziness in our attempt to do God’s will. Hosea spoke rightly in the passage cited above; or again, as Isaiah advised, “To the Law and the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” (Isiah 8:20)