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God looks with approval on tradition that reflects Him. There are traditions among men, and there are traditions under God. As the wants of God prevail over the wants of man, so tradition under God similarly prevails.
To be sure, what is tradition? It’s more than just a song in an old Broadway show ‘Fiddler on the Roof’! The theological definition of tradition generally is an ordinance of the oral law, or a doctrine, not specifically mentioned in the Bible but held to derive from what God gave to Moses and what Lord Jesus and his Apostles taught the people. The definition of tradition as applied to man is the passing of customs or beliefs from generation to generation.
“Beliefs” in the context of tradition as applied to man should be accepted with caution. There are many among man who would assert, ‘I believe this is what God means,’ and be totally wrong. The only people who truly know what God means, if anybody could know, would be those who reflect what the Bible tells us He means. In that respect, Lord Jesus and his disciples are the purveyors of what God means, in the things said in the Bible.
Where would a tradition under God originate? In Leviticus 19:32 the Lord says, “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.” Who would have a gray head but someone who has lived long enough to see their hair turn gray? And who would be an old man but someone who did not live their life doing foolish things. If you’re aware of what is going on in some big cities, you’d know of many young men who died young because they acted in a foolish manner, killing eachother. People who became old were able to largely avoid the pitfalls and temptations that could ruin a person. Perhaps God had predestined those who became old. It can make one think of Jeremiah 29:11 in which the Lord says “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope,” tempered by Romans 8:28 which says “And we know that FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Well then...there are devotees of the Lord among those old men you see on the street or coming out of houses of worship. But the Bible implies that there are others, some old men included, who may have departed from God and His teachings through Jesus along the way or are just pawns that God inserted among the rest of us to test ourselves as to how much we know good from evil and how much we abide by what’s good. Colossians 2:8 says to “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.” Along with that, 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says to “test everything; hold fast what is good.”
Lord Jesus’ confrontations with the Pharisees in terms of tradition are well-known. One such incident is described in Matthew 15:1-9. There, the Pharisees approach Jesus, asking him in Verse 2, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” Although Jesus doesn’t answer the question directly, he counters them in Verses 3-6, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.” To drive the point home, he quotes Isaiah 29:13 which says, “And the Lord said: ‘Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men...” In short, the Pharisees, having yoked themselves to traditions which drew them away from God, wanted others to follow them in their Godless traditions.
As God-loving people, it is better that we always beware of, and avoid, traditions which are based on men and not on God.
To be sure, what is tradition? It’s more than just a song in an old Broadway show ‘Fiddler on the Roof’! The theological definition of tradition generally is an ordinance of the oral law, or a doctrine, not specifically mentioned in the Bible but held to derive from what God gave to Moses and what Lord Jesus and his Apostles taught the people. The definition of tradition as applied to man is the passing of customs or beliefs from generation to generation.
“Beliefs” in the context of tradition as applied to man should be accepted with caution. There are many among man who would assert, ‘I believe this is what God means,’ and be totally wrong. The only people who truly know what God means, if anybody could know, would be those who reflect what the Bible tells us He means. In that respect, Lord Jesus and his disciples are the purveyors of what God means, in the things said in the Bible.
Where would a tradition under God originate? In Leviticus 19:32 the Lord says, “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.” Who would have a gray head but someone who has lived long enough to see their hair turn gray? And who would be an old man but someone who did not live their life doing foolish things. If you’re aware of what is going on in some big cities, you’d know of many young men who died young because they acted in a foolish manner, killing eachother. People who became old were able to largely avoid the pitfalls and temptations that could ruin a person. Perhaps God had predestined those who became old. It can make one think of Jeremiah 29:11 in which the Lord says “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope,” tempered by Romans 8:28 which says “And we know that FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Well then...there are devotees of the Lord among those old men you see on the street or coming out of houses of worship. But the Bible implies that there are others, some old men included, who may have departed from God and His teachings through Jesus along the way or are just pawns that God inserted among the rest of us to test ourselves as to how much we know good from evil and how much we abide by what’s good. Colossians 2:8 says to “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.” Along with that, 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says to “test everything; hold fast what is good.”
Lord Jesus’ confrontations with the Pharisees in terms of tradition are well-known. One such incident is described in Matthew 15:1-9. There, the Pharisees approach Jesus, asking him in Verse 2, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” Although Jesus doesn’t answer the question directly, he counters them in Verses 3-6, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.” To drive the point home, he quotes Isaiah 29:13 which says, “And the Lord said: ‘Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men...” In short, the Pharisees, having yoked themselves to traditions which drew them away from God, wanted others to follow them in their Godless traditions.
As God-loving people, it is better that we always beware of, and avoid, traditions which are based on men and not on God.
