Answers from a perspective of biblical accuracy and internal consistency.
Truth or Traditons? - Volume 1
“Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition” Matthew 15:3
IS IT IN THE BIBLE?
Truth or Tradition? The forbidden fruit in The Garden of Eden was an apple. Noah took two of every animal into the ark. The death angel slew all the first born in the land of Egypt. Sunday is the Christian Sabbath. Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Three wise men visited Baby Jesus in the stable. Jesus stumbled under the weight of the cross. Truth or Tradition?
It is so easy for us to get caught up in tradition. Things we have heard all our lives, we often take for granted. There is much truth in the saying, “You hear a thing long enough, you will come to believe it is true.“
The scribes and Pharisees accused the disciples of Jesus of transgressing the tradition of the elders, because they were eating with “unwashen hands,“ but he charged them with rejecting the commandment of God by their tradition (Mark 7:1-13).
Since the Day of Pentecost, AD 33, almost 2,000 years ago, Christianity has undergone great changes; some beliefs and practices have been added, some taken away, and others changed, so that much belief and practice in religion today is nothing more than tradition.
Some traditions are common knowledge; some not so common. Some traditions are important; some not so important. Some traditions transgress the Word of God, and can separate man from God eternally. Things we have heard all our lives, we tend to take for granted as true, and seldom stop to examine The Scriptures to see whether they are true or not.
Folks are often surprised at what The Bible actually says, because it is different from what they have always heard. For example, which of the following are in The Bible? “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.“ Actually not one! The thought is in The Bible, but the wording is different.
In future articles in this column, we want to look at some common religious beliefs and practices, and examine what The Bible has to say about it. Then you decide for yourself what is Truth and what is Tradition.
Copyright (C) 2010 Gene H. Miller Used by permission. All rights reserved.
ghmiller@rtol.net Truth or Tradition #1