“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” [1]
Traditions are essential to civilisation. Societies are built around traditions which most of those living within that society take for granted, until they don’t. Anyone within a society grows up with the traditions of that society. They assume that everyone throughout the entire world acts just as they act. They grow comfortable with the familiar traditions that are characteristic of that society, and they find the traditions of other cultures quaint or even offensive. As is true of every society throughout history, our comfort with the traditions of contemporary culture is in great measure because the traditions we encounter in our daily lives are familiar. They seem normal to us because it is what we have known. We don’t even question our traditions!
Most Canadians are familiar with a fat elf dressed in red that is said to circumnavigate the globe on Christmas Eve. We know this elf has a full white beard and a large tummy. We have this tradition in no small measure because we have read or heard the poem, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Of course, this poem, published on December 23, 1823, was the genesis for what has become today a tradition within western culture. And if we were to have difficulty visualising that jolly elf, we have Coca Cola ads that depict how we are to imagine Santa Claus. The thought of a welcomed invader coming into our houses through the chimney has become a tradition. And even if you aren’t particularly enamoured of that particular tradition, you are certainly familiar with it. You can’t avoid the tradition!
As Canadians, we know that tradition dictates we must have turkey and cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving; and assuredly it cannot truly be Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie and whipped cream. All the depictions of the Thanksgiving feast that we imagine to have been observed by the Pilgrim forefathers assures us that these particular ingredients were present for that first feast, even if the reality was that their feast consisted primarily of venison, corn and squash. Tradition dictates that turkey and dressing, topped off with pumpkin pie is mandatory today. Anything less cannot really be Thanksgiving!
And every Canadian knows about the Easter bunny. I imagine each of us has at some point during our childhood raced about the house or rushed about outdoors looking for coloured eggs on Easter morning. It is another tradition that marks our calendars.
Other traditions that mark us as Canadians include St. Jean Baptiste Day in Quebec, St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Montreal, and the Calgary Stampede. Among food traditions, it is essential to include poutine and beaver tails, which are decidedly Canadian. The Jiggs Dinner is uniquely Canadian. One should not overlook Bannock, saskatoon berries, Nanaimo bars, Montreal smoked meat, maple syrup, and ketchup chips as part of Canadian culture. Though we may not see it as often as in earlier days, milk in bags is uniquely Canadian. Traditions and cultural norms mark us as Canadian.
Cottage culture in almost every province, or camping on Victoria Day and during the Labour Day weekend are distinctly Canadian traditions. Trips to the cottage mark the beginning of summer and the end of summer. In keeping with our rugged character, we Canadians want to get away to nature.
Our lives are guided by traditions far more widely than mere holiday traditions. One thinks of removing our shoes upon entering a house, or queuing up to board a bus, of valuing our space by resenting anyone crowding too close. This latter is a tradition that is challenged in anyplace where there are large numbers of recent immigrants, though the Canadian ideal is prevailing thus far. Traditions are important, so important that there are few fields in life that are not guided in greater or lesser measure by our traditions.
At the outset, then, let’s admit that traditions can be a source of strength within a society. This is true if the tradition in question is righteous and holy, and it is especially true if the tradition establishes stability or cohesiveness among those holding to that tradition. However, if the tradition that binds a person cannot be said to be righteous and holy, that tradition can halt all spiritual progress, stifle initiative, and ensure ruin.
Let’s also admit that God can never be known through philosophical reasoning. God acts logically, but mere logic will never lead one to know God. Faith is rational, but rational thought by itself is incapable of discovering God. Because God is infinite, because He is not like us, it is impossible for us to know God if He does not reveal Himself. There is in the Letter to Hebrew Christians a most insightful statement concerning this matter. The writer of that letter instructs readers, “Without faith it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” [HEBREWS 11:6].
TRADITIONS AS A SOURCE OF STABILITY — Many, even many seated in the pews of our churches, take pride in their iconoclasm. A surprising number of our fellow Christians aren’t all that enamoured with traditions. They grumble, wondering why holidays are even necessary. Christmas is a bother—you can hear people on either side of the issue complaining that it is too secular or that it there is just too much religion in Christmas. Easter witnesses similar disparagement registered against the faithful. Pick a holiday, and you can find those who are aggravated because of that holiday. Patriotic holidays can be a special target as arguments are marshalled for and against displays of patriotism.
Hold on a minute! Holidays are a form of traditions within society, and traditions are a vital part of life. In fact, traditions can be a source of great good within a given culture. I will acknowledge that we should never feel compelled to hold to civic traditions for the sake of holding traditions, but we should know what to revere and why something is worthy of being revered. When we have made this distinction, those traditions that are held simply because they are held, can be discarded. This is true within the Faith as it is generally true within contemporary society.
Interestingly enough, though many professing saints are iconoclasts when it comes to cultural traditions, they are less iconoclastic concerning ecclesiastical traditions. I’ll be among the first to acknowledge that some of the traditions that are dearly loved within the framework of the churches of our day are hoary with age. Some of these traditions have gained acceptance as legitimate if for no other reason than they have been with us for such a long time. Many of these traditions have received the blessing of ecclesiastical leaders who argue that their long acceptance makes them authentic.
Throughout the letters Paul wrote that are included in the New Testament will be found examples of traditions that are good and commendable among the churches. For instance, we witness Paul affirming the Corinthians, “I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you” [1 CORINTHIANS 11:2]. Reading that letter, we witness two particular traditions that had been delivered to the Corinthian Christians—baptism and the Lord’s Table. These traditions are to be maintained as they were delivered. They are not to be altered to suit our modern sensibilities.
Reading the Letter Paul wrote, it is apparent that he speaks of what we call ordinances as traditions. Elsewhere, Paul has spoken of baptism as a means of testifying to personal faith concerning Christ and His saving work. In this eleventh chapter of the First Corinthian Letter, he will speak of the Lord’s Table, referring to it as a tradition. The form of worship that we know as the Communion Meal is identified as a tradition. The instruction concerning the Lord’s Table is provided in part to enable us to recognise how we are to worship the Risen Saviour.
We don’t have particular difficulty in understanding that baptism is an ordinance. Some communions wish to make baptism a “sacrament,” an act that adds grace to the one on whom the act is performed, or even contributing to the salvation of that individual receiving the act. Of course, attempting to make this transformation from ordinance to sacrament ensures that this tradition becomes more than an act of testimony—in this change from what is given in the Word to what the act becomes, the act of baptism becomes necessary as a means of salvation. In effect, water becomes the saviour while Christ is a mere adjunct to what a priest or preacher does.
In ROMANS 6:3-11, which is arguably the most complete statement of what baptism is meant to be included in the Word of God, the Apostle has written, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
From this, we observe that baptism is a testimony of our faith. We confess that we believe Jesus died, was buried, and was raised from the dead. Simultaneously, as we are dipped under the water and then raised up out of the water, we confess that we count our old nature as dead and buried, and that we have been raised to a new life with Christ. Then, we look forward to what lies ahead for the redeemed individual, confessing our faith that though we may pass through the chilly waters of death, we believe with a perfect faith that we shall be raised from the dead at the return of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thus, our baptism is a testimony of our faith. The act speaks of what Christ has done for us and the transformation that has taken place in our life. At the same time, we confess our faith in what lies ahead. This tradition is the standard presented in the Word.
Other “traditions” commended by the Apostle include such individual and community expressions as godliness, thrift and productive labour, generosity, and cultivating a welcoming attitude. These are not ordinances, but rather characteristics that mark the community life of the people of God. These are traditions that would be expected wherever the people of God have united in community.
Godliness is expressed through how we live. The manner in which we conduct ourselves reveals a great deal about who we are. We are not saved by how we live, but because we are twice-born, we will reveal our salvation through how we live. In the Ephesian Encyclical, Paul has instructed we who follow Christ, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” [EPHESIANS 4:1-3].
Later, in that same missive, we read, “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” [EPHESIANS 4:17-27].
Thrift and productive lives in which we provide for ourselves and our families is a tradition to be cultivated among the faithful. You may recall how in the second letter to the saints in Salonica, Paul pointed to the traditions they were taught. Early in the brief missive, the Apostle wrote, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” [2 THESSALONIANS 2:15].
While we can’t say precisely what the traditions had been delivered to the congregation of Salonica through the spoken word of the missionaries, we do have the traditions that were included in these letters we would know as First and Second Thessalonians. Paul speaks of a tradition that some may find surprising when he writes, “We command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us” [2 THESSALONIANS 3:6]. It is obvious that the tradition to which the Apostle refers is the tradition of working to provide for oneself. We see that this was very important in Paul’s view elsewhere in his letters.
In the first letter to Timothy, we are provided with an example of the Apostle’s emphasis on diligence in providing for one’s own family. Paul wrote, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” [1 TIMOTHY 5:8]. Diligence, hard work, was at least at important as purity in speech, speaking truthfully, and avoiding unrestrained anger, if the context of this teaching has any meaning at all. In other words, sloth is as wicked as lying, filling your mouth with curses, or being someone ruled by anger.
Generosity should be recognised as a tradition among the people of God. Writing in the Ephesian Encyclical, which I’ve already cited, we note that the Apostle has written, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” [EPHESIANS 4:28].
The instruction given here is an expansion of the compassion witnessed after the Spirit of God had descended at Pentecost. In ACTS 2:44-47, we read, “All who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” The generosity of the Christians was at least as important as was congregational worship.
The generosity witnessed among these earliest Christians gives a practical expression to Jesus’ teaching when He said to those who follow Him, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” [LUKE 12:32-34].
It is a tradition that the saints sought to meet together on an ongoing basis. We read of the first saints, “[Those added to the church] devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” [ACTS 2:42-47].
Day-by-day they were found in attendance together worshipping and honouring the Saviour. That this was the standard becomes evident when we read of those living near the end of that first generation of followers of the Saviour, “Let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near” [HEBREWS 10:24-25 NET BIBLE]. Christians seek to meet together on an ongoing basis in order to worship, to evangelise, to hear the teaching of the Word, to unite in prayer, to encourage one another. Their meeting was not solely a social activity—meeting together was the expression of who they were, the Body of Christ.
Speaking of the traditions that should mark us as followers of the Risen Saviour, I would be remiss if I failed to point to the openness of the faithful to receive new believers who are coming into the Faith and those of the Faith whom we meet. Those who are seeking to follow the Master should always find the meetings of the Faithful to be welcoming places. The standard we have received teaches us to accept the prayer Paul offered for believers, which pleads, “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” [ROMANS 15:5-7].
Concerning how we receive those who come to us in the Name of the Risen Saviour, we are taught, “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him” [ROMANS 14:1-3]. Out tradition is to welcome those who come seeking Christ as Lord.
Tozer tells how he once heard a Catholic priest lament the plight of another priest who had been thrown into jail in Nazi Germany. Incarcerated in prison, the priest was supposedly “forbidden to practice his religion.” Tozer states that the comment sounded oddly humorous at the time, though he could understand how a religion that lay mostly in external observances could be forbidden. He makes that point that “if true religion consisted in outward practices, then it could be destroyed by laws forbidding those practices. But if the true worshipper is one who worships God in spirit and in truth, how can laws or jails or abuses or deprivations prevent the spiritual man from worshiping?” [2] A religion that requires special clothing, or depends on special people who are somehow designated for that purpose to be practised, or the necessity of accoutrements that are specially set apart for religious purpose, is not a religion with roots in the New Testament practise. We are directed by the Spirit of God Who lives in us and lives among us.
TRADITIONS AS A SOURCE OF RUIN — “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” [COLOSSIANS 2:8]. The Apostle was an apparent admirer of military action. I don’t mean to imply that Paul advocated using force in order to advance the Faith, nor should any follower of Christ ever imagine that Christians can be militaristic in advancing the cause of Christ. All that I mean is that Paul frequently used military concepts to illustrate the dynamic of our advance in the Faith. In this verse, He is using a term that would be used of an armed forced seizing captives to gain intelligence of an enemy’s intentions during a time of war.
In this verse, the Apostle is advancing the view that sin may be compared to an invading horde bent on capturing and enslaving people through the depravity that characterises sin. All sin enslaves those who are ensnared by the sin. Accordingly, we should understand that Paul is expressing his concern that a Christian can unconsciously succumb to the allure of sin, thus becoming ensnared in the insidious trap that sin lays. He has just told these Colossians that God has performed a great work in freeing them from such slavery and entrapment. Listen as he opens this missive to these saints in the city of Colossae.
“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” [COLOSSIANS 1:3-14].
In the verse before us, Paul expresses his deep concern that these saints, having been freed, could possibly slip back into the slavery that once held them in thrall. So, he warns against becoming enamoured of a philosophy characterised by empty deceit. Philosophy of itself is not evil. All that philosophy means is a love of wisdom. However, when the philosophy, the pursuit of wisdom, attempts to replace the light of the Gospel, it becomes deceptive and destructive.
How will we recognise such destructive philosophy? Supposed wisdom that is based on human tradition rather than being founded on the revelation of God is the danger. The casual thinker may overlook or ignore the source of worldly wisdom, which are the elemental spirits of the world. Demonic powers do prompt the unwary to turn from the light of Christ to the supposed light of human wisdom. Rather than the light of the Risen Saviour illuminating our best thoughts, we slip into an attempt to illuminate Christ with what we suppose to be superior knowledge. The Gospel of Christ sets us free and illuminates our path. The empty philosophy ensnares us and darkens our way.
Just as tradition can be a positive force for society, so tradition can be a detriment to society. We need to distinguish between what constitutes a positive tradition and what constitutes a negative or harmful tradition, ensuring that we embrace only those traditions that honour God. Earlier, I spoke of traditions that honour God, traditions that should characterise the congregations of the Lord. In the text before us, the Apostle speaks of human tradition, of tradition that is associated with the elemental spirits of the world, that is, tradition that is not according to Christ. We are being alerted to the fact that some traditions that are unworthy of Christ can insinuate themselves into the life of the assembly of the Lord. Those who think to change the traditions delivered to the churches must be seen for who they are. They are opposed to grace, denying the Spirit of Christ, and exalting their own imagination as superior to the power of the Living God.
Paul could speak of his adherence to tradition that dishonoured the Lord. As an example of such wicked tradition, consider how the Apostle spoke of his earlier life when writing his Letter to the churches that were meeting throughout Galatia. We witness the Apostle confessing, “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers” [GALATIANS 1:14].
“The traditions of [Paul’s] fathers” which he had heartily embraced led him to kill followers of Jesus, to jail followers of The Way, to beat women and children. In short, he was vicious against this sect known as Christians. We witness something similar in the actions of the Mullahs of Iran today. These old men are apparently so frightened of women’s hair that they will jail and kill women who refuse to cower before their stupid edicts. What is especially tragic about their traditions is that many Iranian fathers and brothers are silent in the face of such foul tradition.
Saul was sincere in holding to the traditions of his father, but he was sincerely wrong both about those against whom he inveighed and in his rabid bitterness toward the Son of God. His tradition was hatred that blinded him to God’s grace. Undoubtedly, Saul was extremely religious and well-trained in the religion in which he had been raised; but religion of itself can condemn us if we are looking to honour something other than the True and Living God. We need to know God and to know what pleases Him.
But, what about the tradition of men that characterises the churches. Let me name a few of these traditions that blight the churches of this day. What about baptism as a requirement for salvation? How many religious organisations make baptism a means for salvation, or demand some other action as necessary for salvation! Or what shall we say about religious organisations that teach that participation in the Communion Meal is necessary for obtaining or for maintaining salvation! Is that not heresy? You can add to that requirements for dressing in a particular fashion, requirements that one must have an experience in which they chatter in gibberish, or requirements that they have any particular experience other than faith in the Risen Lord of Glory!
I learned years ago that a woman wearing a dress that looks like a sack dragging the ground can be lascivious, can act seductively. A man with a beard reaching his navel can still be vile and cruel. A fine suit, or dark clothing, does not change the heart. Only the presence of the Spirit of Christ suffices for that necessary transformation. Wearing a clergy collar, or a surplice, or a cassock does not qualify the one wearing such articles as righteous or fitted for holy service. Speaking in an ecstatic language is not a qualification for a righteous life; if the heart is unchanged, however delightful the experience may have been for that person, the evidence of a changed life is not there.
Have these cultists, these heretical teachers never heard the Word of God as the Lord declares, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” [ROMANS 6:23]? Do they not believe the message of the Apostle who teaches, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” [ACTS 16:31]?
“Brother Stark, why don’t you come speak to my people.” The man inviting me was pastor of a religious organisation meeting near where I was then serving as an elder. I declined the invitation, which led the religious leader of that group to ask why I wouldn’t speak to his people.
“Well, you really don’t want me to speak to your group,” I insisted.
“Why would you say that?” he asked.
“Let me ask you for some clarification,” I stated. “How is a person saved, according to your understanding?” I asked.
“Well, they have to believe Jesus,” he responded.
“And?” I asked.
“Well, they have to be baptised in Jesus’ Name,” he offered.
“And?” I probed for further clarification.
“They have to get the gift of the Holy Ghost as evidenced by speaking in tongues,” he responded, now with considerable hesitation.
“And?” I pushed once more.
“They have to hold on to the end and not fall away,” he offered cautiously.
“And that is why you don’t want me speaking to your people,” I affirmed.
“I don’t understand,” he said in evident confusion.
“If I was to speak to your congregation, I will say to your people that one is forgiven all sin when they believe in Jesus as Master over their life. If they are never baptised, they will still be saved. And since they are saved by the grace of God through faith in Christ the Lord, they will continue being saved since He lives forever to keep them in His love. Moreover, the Spirit of Christ will take up residence in their life and He will eternally live in them from the moment they believe Jesus,” I said with conviction and confidence. “They are saved without any effort of their part and they will remain saved because the One Who saves them is very God and greater than their sin.”
That man’s response was simply to respond to me, “You are right; I don’t want you to speak to my people.”
Whenever a religious organisation teaches that baptism is necessary in order to be saved, or when a group insists that partaking of the communion meal must be observed or one cannot be saved, or when a denomination holds as a doctrinal position that some supposed ecstatic speech is required in order to be saved, that group is teaching grave error that is at variance with the Word of God. We need to be honest enough to point out that that group is heretical; they are teaching error. To suppose that because they call themselves Christian makes them part of the Faith of Christ the Lord does a grave disservice to the Word of God and to the cause of Christ the Lord. To demand auricular confession as a requirement for salvation is heresy—that is a tradition of man. Demanding anything other than receiving Christ as Master in order to be saved is heresy.
Perhaps you will recall one particular exchange between Jesus and the religious leaders of that day? As I read the passage aloud, note the concern expressed by the religious leaders and the manner in which the Master corrected their errant thinking. “When the Pharisees gathered to [Jesus], with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’ And he said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
“This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”’
You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.
“And he said to them, ‘You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, “Honor your father and your mother;” and, “Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.” But you say, “If a man tells his father or his mother, ‘Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban’” (that is, given to God)—then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do’” [MARK 7:1-13].
We must realise that the Faith of Christ the Lord is not a buffet from which we may pick and choose the commands we will obey or the teachings we will receive as incumbent upon us. Neither may we imagine that the Faith is some sort of ecclesiastical potluck to which we contribute our ideas as equal to the rich feast which the Lord has provided. The teachings of the Lord God are complete in themselves; and if we attempt to add to what He has given, we despoil everything and render His grace worthless.
Tozer disturbed many evangelical churches in an earlier day when he wrote, “Mankind has externalized worship in the churches of our day. Jesus put it in our heart and we have put it in side rooms. Jesus put it in our heart, but we have put it in the projection booth. The average Christian cannot practice his religion now any more than a Catholic priest can without his oil bottle and beads. If you cannot practice your worship with nothing in your hand but your Bible, you have not got victory. Nobody needs to claim succession from the apostolic church if he has to support his Christianity with a lot of gadgets, spending millions of dollars.”
Tozer continued by challenging contemporary ecclesiastical practise, averring, “Most churches and pastors are addicted to gadgets and could not run their church without being more cluttered up with a small truckload of junk than you can climb up a moonbeam. We have fixed it that way, and it is taught in Bible college.” [3]
We imagine that we cannot worship without a worship team performing for us. We imagine that we can worship only if we are singing the appropriate choruses. The preacher must wear blue jeans and a tee-shirt, striding about and talking into a lapel mic. We make the worship about the action rather than about the One we are to meet. I’ll take what Tozer said in years past a step further by noting that far too many churches and pastors are addicted to doing something, doing anything in fact, that will permit them to appear religious in the eyes of the parishioners. The things that are done by us who are pastors are in far too many instances the traditions of men and not those actions meant to honour the Lord. Tragically, pastors and parishioners have become dependent upon personal comfort, and thus we have become far too busy to invest the time to be still in order to hear the voice of the Spirit speaking through the Word which He has given. We Christians have ceased to pray prevailingly! We have lost touch with God.
We need but recall how Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” [JOHN 4:24]. Worship is inward and not external. The centre and core of the Faith of Christ the Lord lies inside the heart. Thus, righteous tradition is doing that which is given us in the Word of God.
EMBRACING GODLY TRADITIONS — “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” [COLOSSIANS 2:8]. It should be obvious that human tradition differs from godly tradition. To be certain, those religious groups that create tradition out of their own fevered imaginations will attempt to justify what they have created by claiming a biblical basis for their work. However, even a casual reading of what is written in the Word reveals the fallacy of their claims if the tradition is foreign to what is given in the Word. Thus, it is apparent that human tradition and those traditions established by the Lord are not identical—indeed, they cannot be identical.
How can we distinguish between the two concepts of human tradition when weighed against godly tradition? The Apostle presents two concepts that are obviously in opposition to one another. One of these traditions must be right; the other must be wrong. Human tradition, according to what Paul has written, is a concept that is in thrall to the elemental spirits of the world. Human tradition seeks to draw attention to the action rather than the pointing to the Son of God. In opposition to that idea is Christ Himself. Here is the key to finding whether we are honouring the Risen Lord of Glory or whether we are somehow exalting our own opinions.
In Ephesians, we are taught, “Determine what pleases the Lord, and have nothing to do with the unfruitful actions that darkness produces. Instead, expose them for what they are” [EPHESIANS 5:10-11 ISV]. What pleases the Lord is that which He has revealed to us in His Word. My best thoughts, when exalted against the mind of Christ, is ultimately seen to be wickedness. When my mind is illuminated by the brilliance of the light of Christ the Lord, I will think the thoughts of God after Him; I will seek His glory. Should I attempt to project my thoughts onto God, I deceive myself and ensure that my eyes are blinded by the ignorance that is characteristic of this dying world.
Christians, those who follow the Risen Lord of Glory, must examine the actions performed, especially when they claim those actions are meant to glorify Christ Jesus. This means that each follower of the Saviour is responsible to know what Christ has said in His Word and examine the actions they are supposed to perform to ensure that they honour the Master. Just as not every person who identifies as a Christian is a Christian, not every religious organisation that identifies as a church is a church. We Christians are responsible to know the will of the Saviour and boldly do what pleases Him. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] A. W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous (WingSpread, Camp Hill, PA 1986) 147-8
[3] Cf. A. W. Tozer, Reclaiming Christianity: A Call to Authentic Faith, James L. Snyder (ed.) (Regal, Ventura, CA 2009) 58-59
