There are many traditions and customs in the church that I grew up in and also in many other churches around the world today. They can become very strict and cumbersome in details and regulations. Let’s take a moment to dig into God’s Word and see how God views such traditions.
As I have stated before, I am not pointing fingers or trying to prove that any particular belief is wrong. My prayer is that you will simply open the Bible and let God reveal His heart to you and allow Him to teach you His ways. One of the greatest and most valuable steps we can take in our journey is to spend time with God. Invest time just talking to Jesus and spending time in the Bible reading about His life. My belief is that reading about His ways and understanding how He viewed different situations in His life are essential in getting a glimpse into the heart of God.
Ask yourself this question. Do you think God would rather you following a tradition that is based on a particular church or denomination, or would He rather just spend time with you and getting to reveal Himself on a personal level. God is not impressed that everyone can fast every Friday during a certain time of year simply because they are told to do so based on a tradition of a church. The sad reality is if this is the closest thing to seeking God that we do all year, then what is this time actually worth? Would it not be more meaningful to maybe spend this time every Friday to open the Word of God and spend one-on-one time alone with our Heavenly Father? Only by understanding the Word can you get a true idea of how God thinks and begin to understand what He is truly after.
A tradition is something not found in the scriptures that people keep based upon the passing down of word of mouth customs and beliefs. The English word for tradition, as used in the Bible, comes from the Greek word paradosis which means to give up or surrender. We have to be careful with such traditions as they can surrender what is truth by adding our own human inspired teachings into God’s divine Truth. If we believe that the Bible is God’s Word to His people, and He has maintained it throughout generation after generation, then why should we not trust in it completely? We should not add to nor remove from what God has ordained as Truth and worthy to be passed down.
I know some may wonder what is so wrong with such traditions of the church if they are done in remembrance of Biblical events. We have to be careful when these traditions become the focus of our attention and we lose focus on what is truly important, the Lord Himself. When we spend more time on man made traditions than seeking the true heart of God, these traditions become a distraction from what God is truly calling us to do. God just wants a personal relationship with us through Jesus Christ and a heart of obedience for Him.
Mark 7:1-15 (ESV) – Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 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.) 5 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?” 6 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;
7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 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)[ 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”
In this scripture we can see that Jesus was calling out the religious leaders for focusing more on their traditions than seeking the heart of what God truly wanted. All the time that was being spent trying to perform certain rituals and keeping traditions was a waste because the religious leaders had missed the whole point. They were quick to point fingers and judge others based on what they believed was of God, but their hearts were not truly for God. If we are not careful, these distractions can keep us from growing in our relationship to the Lord and lead us to focus more on our works. The following is another clear example from scripture of the freedom we find through the finished works of Jesus.
Colossians 2:13-23 (NLT) – You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.16 So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.17 For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. 18 Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels,[ saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, 19 and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.20 You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, 21 “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? 22 Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. 23 These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.
Notice in verse 17 that all the rules (traditions) were only shadows or references to Jesus and were not meant to become the focal point of our faith. Jesus deserves our full attention and our faith should be upon Him alone. Time spent seeking Him is what truly matters and anything that draws our attention away from that is a distraction.
As you read the scriptures, you begin to see God’s heart and how He speaks, feels, and responds throughout His Word. You will get a much clearer idea of what He truly seeks from you as you begin to better understand His ways. Ultimately He seeks your heart and obedience. Once your heart is opened more and more to Him, obedience becomes something that you naturally pursue out of a growing love for His ways. This is why we can say we are no longer bound by the law, but that His law has been written in our hearts. So I challenge you today to lay down something that may be distracting you from spending more time with the Lord. I invite you to take a few minutes just to open the Word of God for yourself and let the Holy Spirit open your heart to receive His truth in a way that you have never seen it before. Thanks for reading and keep faith.
