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“THE TRADITION OF MEN”
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As “Ambassadors,” we are to have put on the whole armor of God. Then after having on God’s armor and the
sword of the Holy Spirit, we find ourselves separated from this world and its pleasures. We are finding its not
easy to be scattered and standing alone, as the prophets and apostles did, once they were girted with God’s truth!
We have been given the job of being Ambassadors for our Lord of lord’s. “Now then we are ambassadors for
Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be you reconciled to God” (2 Cor
5: 20). Christ’s ambassadors become such by virtue of prior attachment to our Lord and to His cause.
Ambassadors are distinguished for their fidelity, their zeal, their personal understanding of and experience
with God’s great truths. They are diligence in study and pray about their job. We should have the understanding
that there is no greater dignity or honor than that of being an ambassador for Christ and His kingdom to come.
With that job comes responsibility and active work! Not sitting on a fence and vegetating, like we read
the foolish virgins and the Laodicean’s did. They were lukewarm, being nether hot or cold. We need to be hot
on representing God’s kingdom, by being active for teaching God’s inspired divine word, and not be engaged
in teaching the traditions of men. Tradition means – customs and practices from the past that are passed on
as accepted standards of behavior for the present. The handing down of opinions. Stories from father and mother
to son’s and daughter’s, by oral communication. Statement’s so handed down.
We find a tradition God did institute for the fathers to teach their children in Deuteronomy 6:6-7. “And
these words which I command you this day, shall be in your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your
children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lay
down, and when you rise up." This tradition sounds like a 24 hour a day job, meaning- all the time.
The word tradition as such, is not found in the Old Testament. It is found 13 times in the New Testament
and 3 times it refers to apostolic teaching, that which had been delivered by the apostles. Paul said, “Now I
praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances [traditions], as I delivered them
to you” (1 Cor 11:2).
During our Lord, Jesus Christ traveling about preaching and teaching, He often ran afoul of religious
leaders over the matter of keeping man’s traditions. Some we are familiar with– Plucking heads of grain on
the Sabbath, Matt 12:1-8; Healing on the Sabbath, Matt 12: 9-14; Eating with unwashed hands, Matt 15:1-9, to
name a few!
Christ describes the danger of mans traditions at length. He speaks of how keeping them can make void the very
commands of God and how keeping them can make our worshiping vain before Him.
Corner churches also have their traditions. Churches of God individually have their own traditions as
well. And there are family traditions that stand out from other families traditions. But all religious traditions
should be based only on the “Word of God.”
The Apostle Paul was inspired to warn us in 1 Cor 11, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. Now I
praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to
you”(1 Cor 11:1-2). In other words, “do not add to or take away from God’s word”
Many traditions are floating around in society and find there way into the Churches of God. That is why
we need to keep a proper focus on traditions, and to their source, before determining which traditions we fight
to keep, and which we can let go.
There are three sources of traditions. One, is worldly tradition; Two, flawed religious tradition and Three,
scriptural traditions. Each of these have an influence in our lives, some for good and some for bad. When we
observe a traditional practice we need make sure we know the origin of that tradition, before dismissing or
accepting it.
In the New Testament Paul warns the Colossian church and us to, “Beware lest any man spoil you through
philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
For in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:8-9). Paul is saying, do not let the ruts and
pitfalls of the world grab you and drag you away from God’s calling.
Knowing, history repeats it’s self, we need to always keep in-tune to it. The history of the Israelites,
reminds us of how they many times picked up the traditions of the worldly people around them, finding their
selves worshiping idols and foreign gods, made of wood, and stone along with the sun, moon and stars.
Paul in Rom 12 alleges, to not let the world change us from following the pattern of our Lord’s ways.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be you
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God” (Rom 12:1-2). That will of God is putting on the new man, putting on a Christ like attitude and
character.
Some traditions are OK as long as they do not interfere with our spiritual growth and our serving one
another. But too often some designate their spiritual life as separate from their worldly life. They have a church
life, a work life, and a family life, and they are all different. But God clearly expects all steps of our life to be
Christ like and must be labeled to the worldly as a Christian life– terms most in the world understand!
Today we find many who call themselves Christians or Christ like are still following the tradition of men.
For example: the Holy days were instituted by God in Lev 23, and they were steps designed to teach the pathway
to salvation into the kingdom of God.
Touching again on history and comparing it to now, we have found early on, people worship heavenly
bodies like the sun, crescent moon, and stars! The same sun, crescent moon and stars, the Jewish Hebrew
calendar keepers worship today.
Was God happy with Judaism’s set apart holidays? For the answer to that question turn to the book of
Isaiah. Isaiah is an amazing book, it’s filled with the power and passion of God. In it He declares, “Remember
the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the
end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand,
and I will do all My pleasure” (Isa 46:9-10). The entire copy of the book of Isaiah was found in the dead sea
scrolls, it is for that reason we need to listen closely to what is written there in.
Now notice what God inspired Isaiah in the 8th century to say about Judaism’s calendar. “Bring no more
vain oblations; incense is an abomination to Me, the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot
away with, it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moon [ your crescent moon] and your appointed
Feasts [ your appointed postponed feast ], My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary to bear them”
(Isaiah 1:13-14). That correction should have stopped Judaism’s oral Hebrew calendar teaching, but we know
it did not stop there, it is still being practiced today! And our Lord still condemns it today, like He does all the
rest of the Jewish traditions.
Examples of Judaism’s traditions: the 7th or last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, cannot be on a Sabbath
so they can beat the willows! Where is that found in God’s word? Men have to wear skull caps! They keep
Passover on the 15th not the 14th of Abib. Which God’s tells them and us to keep on the 14th day of the first
month. The Jews keep a kosher kitchen– two sets of dishes – one for dairy products and one for meat products!
That makes cheese burgers off limits! If you are ultra orthodox Jew, you can’t drive a car on the Sabbath, you
have to wear a long black coat, black hat and have a long beard which they call this garbs! And the men and boys
are required to have long curls by the side of their face. Moses would not recognize them today!
The Catholics have their traditions– they cross them selves before sitting down for services. The Pope
wears a miter, it represents him being swallowed up by a fish, like Jonah and the whale story! Judaism and
Catholics, both have a thing about lighting candles and wearing robes.
Christ condemned these traditions and ordinances. Look what He said to those practicing Judaism. In
Matthew 23:13-16, He speaks to them directly, “But woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites! For you
shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you them that are
entering to go in.” He again calls them hypocrites, vs.14, “Woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites!
Vs.16, Woe unto you, you blind guides.” And in Matt 23:19, Christ calls them, “fools and blind.” We read these
comments from Jesus Christ own lips, yet we hear many who are called say we need to get back to our Jewish
roots! Judaism is not the religion of the Bible or what Moses taught!
Jesus Christ continues to look them in the eye and said, “You blind guides, you serpents, you generation
of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?” (Matt 23:24). You can read on to verse 33 and find Christ
had, had it from these Jewish collection of traditions brought down by their fore-fathers from Babylon. They
believed their ways to be equal to God’s divine written laws and ways.
We are surrounded today with scattered groups and Churches of God keeping and practicing the Pharisees
traditions. And there are corner church’s keeping the Sunday tradition instead of God’s seventh day Sabbath!
Most of these churches observe the traditional keeping of Easter = Halloween = Valentine day = Christmas, ect,
ect, ect, all pagan in traditions! These churches don’t miss passing a offering basket around every week!
One church of God takes up offerings on Passover; another one collect offerings on the new moon day;
others take up seven Holy Day offering a year; while others follow what the Bible teaches in Deut 16:16.
Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the
Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear
before the Lord empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God
which He has given you” (Deut 16:16 -17).
It is clear we are commanded to take up a offering 3 times in a year, not seven times in a year. One on
the first day of Unleavened Bread, another on Pentecost and the last commanded one is on the first day of the
Feast of Tabernacles. Only one time on each of those Holy Days. They all represent gathering in of a harvest–
leading us to see them as picturing three separate resurrection times as well.
Many Churches of God traditionally teach it is OK to buy and sale on all of God’s Sabbath days and it
is OK to eat out at restaurants on God’s Sabbath’s and annual Holy Days. Or its OK to buy gas and oil for your
car on God’s weekly Sabbath days and on His annual Sabbath days. Nowhere in the scriptures does it say God
approves of us doing those things on the day we are told to rest. Their excuse is: these things are an ox in the
ditch; I did not prepare any food; or get gas ahead of time!
There are number of Churches of God that teach the Pharisees today sit on Moses seat of authority,
but they don’t tell them that it is a civil court of law seat, they are sitting in. It is not a spiritual seat as some
leaders of churches teach.
Many church leaders read Matthew 18:18, then say they have the authority to loose and bind laws found
in God’s word! Only God has the power to loose and to bind His laws!
We need to be aware of flawed traditions! The Pharisees used the expression, “tradition of the elders”
when speaking to Jesus, about the disciples eating and not washing their hands. The Pharisees and Scribes had
a special way of washing their hands before eating any food. That special way was washing up to their elbows.
In Matthew 15, we read of God’s commandments traditions and ordinances verses mans traditions which
can also be read in Mark 7, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their
hands before they eat! Jesus replied and said to them, why do you also transgress the Commandments of God
for the sake of your tradition”? (Matt 15:2-3).
Jesus answer was challenging them on their willingness to transgress the commandments of God for their
own tradition. Jesus Christ knew there is no scriptural basis for their statement. It is found only in Judaism’s
oral tradition.
Mark’s account shows the Lord going deeper into discussion on the point. “He replied and said to them,
well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor Me with their lips, but their
hearts are far from Me. And in vain they worship Me; teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. You
have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men” (New International Version).
Our Lord strongly criticized the scribes and pharisees for the way their traditions were being enforced.
Remember Matthew 23, Christ noted that keeping the traditions had become more important than the
moral and personal effect of the teaching. There is little doubt that in the earliest period, the words and work of
our Lord was passed around by word of mouth. We see this by the crowds of people who would come out to
hear the sermons Christ gave.
These messages were well received an passed on through the apostles. Listen to what Paul warns. “As
you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk you in Him. Rooted and built up in Him, and
established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware less any man spoil
you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after
Christ” (Col 2: 6 - 8).
Paul also delivered a warning to the Thessalonian church. “Whereto He called you by our gospel, to the
obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which you
have been taught by word or our epistle” (2 Thess. 2: 14-15). Paul goes on to tell them in chapter 3 of 2 Thess
verse 6, “But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every
brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.”
Traditions can be effective expressions of faith, but only when there is real faith behind them. It is clear
from scripture Jesus told the crowd that many religious Jews who should be in the kingdom would be excluded,
because of their lack of faith, that is entrenched in their religious traditions. They could not accept Christ and
His message. We must be careful to not limit God by our mind set and lack of faith!
In the New Testament we find the term “By faith” used 37 times. In the book of Hebrews chapter 11,
it is used 16 time, when speaking about Old Testament patriots.
There are traditions of men which says that God doesn't heal any more, and there are no miracles; they
say those things ended when the Bible was completed. There are traditions of men which say that God wants
you to be poor, some even take a vow of poverty. I’ve read some corner churches are teaching this to their
congregation.
We have to be alert and examine what we will follow. The Bible tells us “to study to show ourselves
approved, a workman which need not to be ashamed.” We need always to check out where the tradition being
taught comes from. The Bereans heard the words of Paul and then they would check the scriptures to see if it
was so, and so should we. We have to examine why we do what we do, because that is our responsibility.
Doctors will tell people that certain illnesses pass down through family lines, well, that is a fact. But now
that we have been called and given God’s Holy Spirit, we have a new family line, and sickness is not a part of
our new family line because we are a part of the new covenant line of Christ’s broken body and the blood of our
Lord bore our grief and carried our sorrows to the stake He was crucified on, according to Isaiah 53: 4 - 5, and
2 Peter 2: 24). “Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten
of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isa 53:4-5).
Just what are traditions? They are simply teachings of man that have been handed down from one
generation to another by man. In the case of inspired men like the apostles, they were given in person or through
their writings. Such traditions are good and to be followed. They were eye witnesses of what is written!
In the case of oral transmissions given through a chain of uninspired men, these traditions are at best just
suspects. Our Lord, the Christ, did not hold the traditions orally transmitted through the Jews on a par with
God’s written word, and neither should we hold traditions orally transmitted through any man on par with God’s
written word! At worst, traditions of men can be vain and deadly when their observance leads one to not keep
a command of God or when they are taught as doctrine on par with God’s word.
Another area to watch for is when traditions lead to ritualism. Lets be aware of the danger, with
traditions, and make sure that our faith and practice, is based upon the written word of God, and not the
interpretations and teachings of uninspired men !!☜
James Russell