Most of us have a set of beliefs and practices inherited from parents or taught in childhood. Many of us have accepted these uncritically ‘en bloc’. Every culture depends upon the transmission of past into present, whether the repetition is by word of mouth or by practice. This ‘handing-down’ of beliefs and practices from generation to generation is called ‘tradition’.
The Apostle Peter wrote to the early believers reminding them that they had been redeemed from “the vain manner of life handed down from your fathers” (1 Peter 1:18 RV.). Through the prophet Jeremiah, God warned Israel that — because they had forsaken His law and had not obeyed His voice “but have walked after the stubbornness of their own heart, and after the Baalim, which their fathers taught them” — He would “scatter them also among the nations” (Jer. 9:13- 1 6).
Every religious group, from the mammoth Roman Catholic Church to the single autonomous congregation, has its own man-made doctrinal system which distinguishes it from others. Even within the family there are seldom as many as two persons who hold precisely the same detailed set of beliefs. Each individual has his or her own private tradition.
Jesus recognised the importance of the tradition He had inherited. … He entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (Luke 4:16). By doing this Jesus affirmed three of the four basic institutions of Judaism:
- the Sabbath
- the Synagogue
- the Scriptures
The fourth — the Law — he affirmed on another occasion: “Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matt. 5:17).
By What Authority?
After the cleansing of the temple and the cursing of the fig ree the chief priests, scribes and elders asked Jesus: “By what authority doest Thou these things? and who gave Thee this authority?” (Matt. 21:23).
The same question was asked of the apostles Peter and. John after the lame man had been healed at the door of the temple, and Peter had addressed the people in Solomon’s Porch. Peter and John were taken into custody by the “rulers and elders and scribes” and when they had set them in the midst they inquired, “By what power, or in what name have ye done this?” (Acts 4:7).
By what authority do we believe what we believe, and teach what we teach?
Is it just a matter of opinion; of one man’s ‘conviction against another’s? Is Scripture our sole authority or may Scripture be supplemented by the authority of tradition? If it is Scripture that is ‘handed-down’ then Scripture is tradition. But each generation has also interpreted the faith and has handed down both the faith (Scripture) and their interpretation (tradition).
What is the relation between Scripture and tradition? Jesus affirmed that authority is not in tradition but in Scripture. The Pharisees had added to The Scriptures a mass of tradition. The Sadducees had detracted from the authority of Scripture by their superficial interpretations. Both practices are equally wrong and dangerous.
Authority can depend only on some power higher than itself. If Scripture is the Word of God, then it cannot depend on anything else, for God is the highest authority.
There are some texts in Scripture that testify that the Bible is God’s Word. The Roman Catholic Church says — “Even though these texts from Scripture are exceedingly clear, they cannot possibly be our main proof that the Bible is the inspired Word of God”. . “The Scriptures needed a guarantee of authenticity. The church alone could give that guarantee; without the church it cannot exist.” (F. J. Ripley, “Catholic Theology for Laymen”, pp.41, 45).
This is to say that God cannot guarantee His own Word; only the church can. This surely is to put the creature above the creator.
It was satan who originated the original lie that God, speaking in His Word, needs an interpreter to explain what He means. (Gen. 2:17; 3:14.)
How can we know, the true meaning of the doctrines taught in the Bible? A Roman Catholic catechism answers — “We can know the true meaning . . . from the Catholic Church which has been authorised by Jesus Christ to explain His doctrines, and which is preserved from error in its teachings by the special assistance of the Holy Ghost”. (quoted by Williamson — “The Westminster Confession of Faith”, p.13.)
Thus, like satan in the beginning, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that God has not made clear what He means, and so, above the Word of God must stand the authoritative interpretation of the Church.
Rome is not alone in this attitude. There are other sects which insist that the statements of men be accepted without reservation as the true interpretation of what God means in His Word. These false religions would have us trust in the word of man rather than in the Word of God. What they are saying is, “God cannot speak clearly. Listen to me and I will tell you what He is saying”.
For Jesus the Law was binding. It had been given to Israel by God. But Jesus rejected the traditions which had been added to the Law. Josephus writes:
“The Pharisees had delivered to the people a great many observances by succession from their fathers, which are not written in the Law of Moses; and for that reason it is that the Sadducees reject them, and say that we are to esteem those observances to be obligatory which are in the written word, but are not to observe what are derived from the tradition of our forefathers” (Antiquities xiii. 10.6);
Within the Law itself, Jesus regarded the spirit as more important than the letter, and some matters more important than others.
“Woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, judgement, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone.” (Matt. 23:23).
Scripture V. Tradition
The practice of the devout Jews was to wash hands before meals. This was originally an act of consecration, not of cleanliness. In time, the principle involved in thanking God for food and fellowship became a ceremonial cleansing. “For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands diligently, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders” (Mark 7:3). The disciples of Jesus protested this new interpretation by ignoring the requirement.
In answer to the question of the Pharisees and Scribes, “Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread”, Jesus answered and said unto them, “why do ye also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” (Matt. 15:2, 3).
The issue was not a question of hygiene but of ceremonial purification. The vanity of the Pharisees’ worship was that it was external. It was of the lips and not of the heart. ” This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men”. (Mark 7:6,7).
A Jewish tradition had grown up that things designated as ‘Corban’ were not available for any other use. Hence money pronounced Vorban’ was not available for the support of parents in old age. The clear Scripture command was “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Mark 7:9-13).
Jesus drew a sharp distinction between Scripture and tradition. He contrasts:
- the “precepts of men” (v.7) and “the traditions of men” (v.8), with “the commandment of God” (vv. 8,9).
- “Moses said” (v.10), with “ye say” (v.11); What ‘ye say’ (v.11) is ‘your tradition’ (v.9), whereas what ‘Moses said’ is ‘the commandment of God’ (vv. 8,9) and ‘the word of God’ (v.13). “Full well do ye reject thecommandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:9).
Traditions that are not in conflict with Scripture (like washing hands and vessels) are permissible if they are optional. Traditions which are in conflict with Scripture (like the Corban vow) must be rejected.
The only ‘tradition’ which Scripture recognises is Scripture. For tradition is what is handed down and God’s purpose is that His Word, His unique revelation given to prophets – and apostles, should be transmitted from generation to generation.
Paul, who said, “I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you” (1 Cor. 11: 23), wrote to Timothy, “the things which thou hast heard from me … the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also”. (2 Tim. 2:2). From the Lord to Paul, from Paul to Timothy, from Timothy to faithful men, and from them to others also. This is the true apostolic succession; it is the transmission of apostolic doctrine.
“Stand fast and hold the tradition (Scripture) which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle” (2 Thess. 2:15).
The life, teaching and work of Christ is the criterion by which Paul determines the Truth of God.
“As therefore ye received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and budded up in Him, and stablished in your faith . . . take heed lest there be anyone that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men . . . and not after Christ” (Col. 2:6-8).
Scripture is God’s way of fixing tradition, and making it trustworthy regardless of time. The reformers in the 16th century took their stand firmly on Scripture. “Holy Scripture contains all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an’ article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation.”
Scripture indicates that God regards His Word as clear enough for all to understand:
- All believers are commanded to search the Scriptures, e.g. ” … from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus”.”All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for-doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:15, 16).The Bereans “received the WOrd with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).
“This is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work” (2 Tim. 3:17 LB.). Equipped forany good work — NOT equipped to argue — and dispute about meanings thc words may have other than what God plainly says, meantime denying the very love of God in the contention and disfellowship which reveals the childish attitude of — ‘If you won’t play with my marbles, I won’t play in your yard’. There is far too much ‘good work’ to be done to waste precious time in this fashion.
- Scriptures are addressed either to all men or to all believers, e.g.”and the times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent …” (Acts 17:30).”To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints” (Rom. 1:7).”These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and thatbelieving ye might have life through His name” (John 20:31).
- The Scriptures are affirmed to be clearly expressed and easily understood, e.g.”Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psa. 119:105).”The entrance of Thy word giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple” (Psa. 119:130).
- Scripture is its own interpreter. This does not mean that there are not “some things hard to be understood” (2 Pet. 3:16), but difficult passages are clarified by the parallel passages which speak more clearly.- No human interpreter needs to come between the Scriptures and those who read them. This does not mean that we cannot be helped to a deeper understanding of God’s Truth by /others whose knowledge of the Word (not a knowledge of other books about the Word) is greater than ours.
We must distinguish between God’s Truth and human concepts, and choose Truth over tradition. Our guide for living is the word of God, not the word of man.
The traditions attacked by Jesus were frustrating mens’ efforts to serve God and defeat- ing God’s purpose to serve men. The non-biblical tradition is usually based on nothing more than an arrogant expression of opinion by a domineering individual. Only as our mind is freed from non-biblical voices can we be free to hear and respond to the word of God within the revealed and written Truth.
We may listen courteously to the opinions of men and consider them, but nothing they say can be accepted if it contradicts the revelation of Scripture as recorded by inspired writers and sanctioned by Christ himself.
Human tradition can become a source of great pride on the part of people who, like the Pharisees, find satisfaction in living up to-some human standard. The Pharisees tried to force upon others what God had not prescribed. They were teaching their own interpretations and inherited precepts as authoritative doctrines, and thus exalting their tradition into a position of authority on a par with the revealed commandments of God.
Most of the issues which have been made causes of differences and divisions in ecclesial disputes are matters of tradition, supposition, speculation and presumption which have no bearing on either salvation or fellowship.
Innovation
Innovation as well as tradition goes into the formation of character. Tradition is essential for the stability, growth and development of the individual and the community. Tradition helps a person find himself. We are influenced by the pattern set by others, e.g. Heb. 11. But we must also express our own individuality. Tradition often hinders the full development possible for the individual and the community. Innovation helps a person be himself and not a copy of someone else.
The Ecclesia carries on many traditions from the past; but if it is to be relevant in the present it must break forth in new ways .
“The old order changeth yielding place to new; and God fulfills Himself in many ways, lest one good custom should corrupt the world.”
— Tennyson
Every religious custom was intended originally to express a spiritual purpose. When traditional religious customs fail in their intended Purpose to express God’s Spirit, and become ends in themselves, then they must be replaced by new and living forms of expression. Jesus not only affirmed tradition; he also broke with tradition. He not only shaped his life on the witness of God in the past, but he also acted in the faith that God is at work in the present. He gave new meaning to the tradition of the past.
A tradition is kept alive only by a continual re-thinking and renewing, not by a mechanical parroting of the formulae which has been bequeathed from the past; “and be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Eph. 4:23).
There is a price to be paid whether we bear with tradition or break with tradition. Life lived solely on traditional grounds is a form Of death and eventually brings actual death to a community. The sect of the Sadducees was very traditional and exclusive, and it ceased to exist when the Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70. The Pharisees were a little more flexible and adaptable; they learned from the lessons of Jesus and Paul, and from their own teachers like Gamaliel. So the Pharisees survived the fall of Jerusalem.
There were conservatives and progressives in first century ecclesias. The Jerusalem church led by James, the brother of Jesus, was a conservative group. The progressive elements were led by Paul. The conservative faction disappeared with the fall of Jerusalem, but the innovators, under Paul, went on to change the world. The Book of Acts records the struggle between innovation and tradition.
(Editorial comment: Our opinion would differ in some respects from that expressed in this last paragraph.)
If we do not innovate, the price we pay is stagnation and decline. On the other hand, if we do introduce new elements, the price often is suffering and distress, for some they are so innovative that they drive old customs from the scene, e.g. the motor car displaced the horse and buggy, the diesel engine displaced the steam locomotive. But few today would advocate a return to the earlier customs.
The problem is to achieve a proper balance between the originality of the creative innovation and the tested experience of tradition.
The process of bearing with tradition and breaking with tradition is part of the experience of being God’s people. God is not only part of the tradition handed down from the past; He is also part of the Scriptural tradition yet to unfold in the future.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO
- We need to —
(i)Look for God’s purposes in the tradition that has come down to us;
(ii)Look for God’s will in the needs of individuals and the community in the present;
(iii) Apply the three important principles that
Jesus taught
(i)that Scripture is Divine, while tradition is human;
(ii)that Scripture is obligatory, while tradition is optional;
(iii)that Scripture is supreme, while tradition is subordinate.
The ultimate authority is in Scripture, in God speaking through Scripture. Scripture is written, fixed and always self-consistent,
- We must —
(a )distinguish clearly between tradition and Scripture. In attempting to adapt God’s Truth to the changing conditions of men, we must not compromise God’s absolute and righteous demand. — “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition” (Matt. 15:3).
(b) Subordinate tradition to Scripture. True unity will always be unity in Truth, and Truth means Biblical Truth. “Thy Word is Truth” (John 17:17). The teaching of Scripture which is written and may be read must arbitrate in every controversy and settle every dispute. “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
(c) Value tradition for what it is and not for what it is not. Ecclesiastical creeds and statements of faith are not infallible. They may be criticised and amended as the Holy Spirit causes further light to break upon us from Scripture. The only unalterable formulations of Truth are the biblical formulations themselves.
(d) Study the Scriptures with greater industry and humility, and submit our whole mind, will and life to what God has said in His Word, so that we may learn to live “according to Scripture” (Jas. 2:8) and “not to go: beyond the things that are written” (1 Cor. 4:6).
(e )Look for God’s direction as we take our place in today’s world as transmitters of God’s Truth to future generations.
Is Pentecost Happening Today? (Part 7) – Tongues Shall Cease