Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Tradition(s) of Men

 The word "tradition" comes from two Latin words: "trans,"       

      (over), and "dare," (to give) and means a giving over, a       
      delivery; thus, "instruction by word of mouth; an oral         
      transmission of information, beliefs, or customs from ancestors
      to posterity without written records." (Webster)
   B. When great reformers like Martin Luther began to challenge the  
      Catholic Church for Scriptural authority on many of its        
      practices, a council was convened in 1546, in which was        
      declared that Tradition should be regarded as divine authority 
      on equal basis with the Scripture.
      1. The Catholic Dictionary on pages 41-42 says, "It is an
         article of faith from a decree of the Vatican Council that
         Tradition is a source of theological teaching distinct from
         Scripture, and that it is infallible. It is therefore to be
         received with the same internal assent of Scripture, for it 
         is the word of God."
      2. The Catholic Catechism for Adults on page 11 says, "Do
         you have to believe in Tradition? Yes, because it is the    
         Word of God and has equal authority with the Bible."
         a. Thus, every Catholic today is duty-bound to accept
            tradition as equal authority with the Bible. 
   C. What is truly sad is that many of the "Traditions" which were
      introduced by the Catholic Church are still believed and       
      practiced by Protestantism today.

I. THE SCRIPTURES VERSUS HUMAN TRADITIONS.
   A. The word "tradition" (Gr. paradosis) is found thirteen times in
      the Greek New Testament, but only three times does it carry a
      favorable connotation. In all of the other passages it incurs  
      the disfavor of Christ and the apostles.
      1. In the three passages where the term is used favorably it is
         plainly evident that the writer was talking about something
         which he and other inspired individuals had taught. 1 Cor.
         11:2; 2 Thess. 2:15; 3:6
         a. It is evident that Paul is not talking about human
            traditions which have been handed down by word of
            mouth.
      2. There was a time when Paul was very strict in following the
         traditions of the fathers. Gal. 1:13-14
         a. If he had not been so strict in following these          
            traditions, he, like others, would have accepted Jesus as
            the Christ.
         b. When he learned the truth, he denounced these
            traditions and turned to the Lord.
         c. Paul stressed his own authority. Gal. 1:15-17, 11-12
         d. He warned in the strongest possible language against
            any traditions that men might add. Gal. 1:8-9; Col. 2:8

II. JESUS VERSUS HUMAN TRADITIONS. We can learn much from the life   
   and teaching of our Lord about how we should view human           
   traditions.
   A. JESUS DISREGARDED THE HUMAN TRADITIONS OF HIS DAY.
      1. Plucking heads of grain on the Sabbath. Matt. 12:1-8
         a. According to human tradition this was a kind of reaping,
            or work, and thus was a violation of the law.
         b. Jesus answered their objection by calling their attention
            to four principles:
            (1) By what David did. Vs. 3-4 The Sabbath law did
                not keep one from satisfying his hunger, especially
                in an emergency.
            (2) By what the priest did. Vs. 5 The Sabbath was the
                busiest day of the week for the priest. The apostles
                were preforming a greater service than the priests.
            (3) By His own Lordship. Vs. 6,8 Since He was God,
                he had a right to do anything He wanted on the
                Sabbath.
            (4) By what Hosea said. Vs. 7 God's law of mercy to
                those in service to Him would allow them to so act
                on the Sabbath.
         c. Notice that Jesus totally disregarded the traditions
            which had grown up about the law of God.
            (1) Thus, if Jesus were here on earth today, He would
                keep the written law but would totally disregard the
                traditions which have been handed down from one
                generation to another.
      2. Healing on the Sabbath. Mark 3:1-5; Luke 13:10-17
         a. Again, according to their traditions healing was a type
            of work and was therefore wrong to do on the Sabbath.
            (1) It seems strange that they never stopped to think
                that miraculous healing was of such unusual nature
                that anyone who had that power could use it
                anytime he wanted.
         b. Jesus showed that the Sabbath was not violated when
            one pulled a sheep out of a pit, or lead an ox or donkey
            to the watering.
            (1) Since man was of much more value than animals,
                He could do this work for them on the Sabbath.
         c. Notice, again, that Jesus totally disregarded the
            traditions which the Jews had added to the law.
      3. Eating with unwashed hands. Mark 7:1-5
         a. The tradition of the elders said that a person must wash
            his hands before he eats or he would become defiled.
            They meant in a spiritual sense; thus, it was sinful     
            before God.
         b. Jesus showed that their tradition was false. Mark 7:14-23
   B. CONSIDER THE MANNER IN WHICH JESUS EXPOSED HUMAN TRADITIONS.
      1. "God said...but you say..." Matt. 15:4-5; Mark 7:10-11
         a. In this way Jesus drew a clear, sharp contrast between
            the teaching of God with the teaching of man.
         b. In this case the human tradition was not merely an
            addition to the written word, but was a substitution for
            what was written.
      2. Sometimes people today become offended when a gospel
         preacher contrasts their doctrines and practices with the
         Bible. 
         a. The same result occurred back then. Matt. 15:12-14
      3. Let's follow the steps of Jesus in exposing certain         
         traditions of men today.
         a. God - Gal. 5:6; Acts 10:35; James 2:24. Man - "One is
            saved by faith only."
         b. God - Mark 16:16; 1 Pet. 3:21. Man - "One is saved and
            then he needs to be baptized."
         c. God - 1 John 3:4; James 1:13-15; Ezek. 18:20. Man -
            "Babies need to be baptized because they are born in
            sin." Since babies do not inherit sin from their parents,
            and since they cannot commit sin, it follows that babies
            are not sinners.
      4. Are we not Christ-like when we point out these
         contradictions between God and man? Eph. 5:13; Jude 3
   C. JESUS STRONGLY CONDEMNED HUMAN TRADITIONS.
      1. Makes void the Word of God. Matt. 15:6; Mark 7:13
         a. Their human traditions furnished a way for the child to
            avoid the responsibility of honoring his parents. Mark
            7:10-13
         b. In this way the human tradition makes void or useless
            the word of God. It keeps the word of God from
            accomplishing its purpose in the life of the individual.
         c. One can illustrate in many ways how human traditions
            do this to the Word of God today.
            (1) For example, the Word of God describes baptism as
                a burial and resurrection from water. Rom. 6:4
            (2) However, human tradition says that sprinkling or
                pouring of water will do just as good, thus making
                void or useless the Word of God.
      2. Rejects the commandments of God. Mark 7:9
         a. This is a stronger term than the phrase, "to make void."
            (1) This pictures one flatly rejecting the commandment
                of God in order to keep his tradition.
            (2) The Word of God teaches one to be buried and
                raised in baptism, but human tradition teaches him
                to be pleased with sprinkling.
            (3) The one who is sprinkled rejects that which God
                demands.
      3. Makes our worship vain. Matt. 15:9; Mark 7:7
         a. Thus, Jesus taught that one renders a vain (empty,
            worthless) worship when he follows the traditions of
            men.
            (1) God will not allow His law to be mixed and
                contaminated with human traditions.
            (2) Following the traditions and doctrines of men will
                condemn us. There are many warnings against them
                in the N.T. Col. 2:18-22
      4. Makes us hypocrites before God. Matt. 15:7-9; Mark 7:6-7
         a. It is a hypocritical service because if we truly wanted  
            to honor God, we would do exactly as He commanded, not
            as man taught.

Concl.
   A. There are many traditions found in Christianity today that are 
      not in harmony with the Word of God.
   B. Here is a quote from the brotherhood paper, Gospel Minutes,
      Vol. 45, No. 13, June 7, 1996)
      1. "Dear brother Clem: So many in the church are wanting
         change these days that some don't know what to believe.
         What do you see in the Bible about lighting candles during
         the Lord's Supper to 'get us in the mood'? Or clapping while
         we sing...?"
      2. Haven't these people learned anything from the Lord? Any
         disciple of Jesus would have no problem dealing with such.
   C. Let us hold to the written Word of God and reject all the
      traditions and doctrines of men.

Chart #1
JESUS DISREGARDED HUMAN TRADITIONS
   Plucking heads of grain on the Sabbath. Matt. 12:1-8
   Healing on the Sabbath. Mark 3:1-5; Luke 13:10-17
   Eating with unwashed hands. Mark 7:1-5

Chart #2
THE MANNER IN WHICH JESUS EXPOSED HUMAN TRADITIONS
   "God says...but you say..." Matt. 15:4-5; Mark 5:10-11
   People become offended. Matt. 15:12-14

Chart #3
GOD SAYS
   Gal. 5:6; Acts 10:35; James 2:24
MAN SAYS
   "One is saved by faith only."

GOD SAYS
   Mark 16:16; 1 Pet. 3:21
MAN SAYS
   "One is saved and then he needs to be baptized."

GOD SAYS
   1 John 3:4; James 1:13-15; Ezek. 18:20
MAN SAYS
   "Babies need to be baptized because they are born in sin."  

Chart #4
JESUS STRONGLY CONDEMNED HUMAN TRADITIONS
   Makes void the Word of God. Matt. 15:6; Mark 7:13
   Rejects the command of God. Mark 7:9
   Makes our worship vain. Matt. 15:9
   Makes us hypocrites before God. Matt. 15:7-9



Genesis 2:3

In the Christian era, the Sabbath has been a point of controversy since at least the fourth century AD, when the Roman Catholic Church assumed the authority to change the day of worship from the seventh day to the first. In the years that followed, thousands of seventh-day Sabbath-keepers were imprisoned or killed for obeying the fourth commandment.

When the Protestant Reformation took place centuries later, those opposed to the abuses and venality of the Catholic Church broke away in an attempt to set things straight. However, they continued to teach a number of corrupted doctrines, including the change to the Sabbath. Today, the vast majority of professing Christians hold the first day as the proper day of worship, even though the Bible is clear and consistent that only the seventh day was blessed, sanctified, and made holy (Genesis 2:3Exodus 20:11).

Catholic theologians are unashamed of the change that their church made, readily admitting that if one goes by the Bible alone, the seventh day is still the Sabbath. For them, the matter comes down to church leadership having the authority to modify such things. Protestants, on the other hand, are unwilling to concede Papal authority. Instead, they justify Sunday-worship—a tradition of men—by saying they are honoring the day on which Christ rose from the dead.

Does this tradition have merit? It is certainly a widespread assumption, one that seems plausible on the surface and to which few give a second thought. Even so, there is no biblical record, implication, or hint of Godremoving the sanctification and holiness given to the seventh day and transferring it to another day.

Inherent within the assertion that the Sabbath has changed is the idea that the Creator Himself is changeable—that His standard of righteousness changes over time, and He is not serious about what He says. Yet, James 1:17 reminds us that with God "there is no variation or shadow of turning." He does not change—His fundamental character and approach to things are constant. Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, today, and forever," and the next verse says, "Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings" (ESV). God's changelessness is a major defense we have against false teaching. Thus, any doctrine that involves God backtracking on what He said—such as changing the Sabbath command—should be seen for what it truly is: an affront to His perfect, constant nature.

The Sabbath is neither a minor detail nor an obsolete ritual. It was the capstone of the creation week and is a creation of its own (Genesis 2:1-3). Humanity, created on the sixth day, is the pinnacle of God's physical creation, yet He created one more thing—the Sabbath—because physical man is incomplete. The physical creation is complete, yet there is a spiritual creation still taking place. God is creating mankind in His spiritual image (Genesis 1:26), and He has set apart—sanctified—the seventh day of each week to allow us to further this creation through fellowship with Him without being distracted by ordinary labors and pursuits. This does not mean we cannot fellowship with Him at other times—we can and should! But in setting aside the seventh day and making it holy, He has ensured that there will always be a space of time—a recurring memorial—to return our focus to the spiritual work God is doing.

The second curse revolves around the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12). Exodus 21:17 mandates death for any person cursing either of his parents. It is noteworthy that disobedience to parents is usually not secret, but overt, often blatant. The word here, though, is not “disobey” but “dishonor.” Dishonor can be a disguised response to parents. The hypocrite can feign honor to parents, all the while secretly loathing them.

Along this line, Mark 7:1-13, where hypocrisy is a significant theme, becomes instructive. Some scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem traveled north to ask Christ why His disciples do not follow the oral tradition. They are referring to the halakha, which Peter, addressing the apostles at the Jerusalem Council years later, calls “a yoke . . . that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear” (Acts 15:10).

In His response to the Pharisees, Jesus calls His inquisitors hypocrites, honoring God with their lips while their hearts are far from Him. They worship God in vain, He avers, since they have abandoned “the commandment of God [holding in its place] the tradition of men” (Mark 7:8). The sin of the Jewish leadership is hidden—not obvious to the populous, which frequently considered the Pharisees and scribes to be pious. Nevertheless, their sin remains one of grave consequence. Christ concludes in verse 13: “Thus [you make] void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.”

Significant here is the fact that Christ cites the fifth commandment as His example in this discussion (verses 10-12), namely, the tradition that a man is released from the obligation of caring for his aged parents if he dedicates the funds to the Temple. Christ says that doing so is hypocritical and tantamount to dishonoring parents and to violating God's law.


Colossians 2:13-14

In Colossians 2, Paul warns the churches at Colossae and Laodicea against any philosophy or system of beliefs—specifically mentioning “the tradition of men”—that detracts from Christ's sovereign position and role under the Father (verses 4, 8-9). He points out that the brethren there were already “complete in Him” (verse 10). This does not mean that they had already achieved spiritual perfection or that their salvation was assured, but that they had no need of anything supplementary to what was already available in Christ.

This foundational principle answers a suggested fulfillment of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). That is, some Bible students hold that the Day of Atonement cannot be fulfilled until Satan (the alleged antitype of the azazel goat on whose head sins were laid; Leviticus 16:21) is bound (Revelation 20:1-3). However, if these Colossians were still awaiting Satan's binding before their sins were completely removed from view, how could the apostle write that they were already “complete” in Christ? On the contrary, those who come under Christ's blood are not awaiting the final resolution of their transgressions when Satan is bound; their previous sins have alreadybeen completely taken care of.

Paul continues:

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)

Notice the definitive wording. There is no hint here—or anywhere else—that God's people are awaiting Satan's binding so their sins can finally be expiated. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and those wages have already been paid in full. Therefore, we are alive in Christ now, and not waiting for an imagined final payment on the debt when Satan is bound.

The phrase “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements” in Colossians 2:14 is often misinterpreted as meaning that God's law has been done away, yet in the Greek sentence structure, it is parallel with “having forgiven you all trespasses.” The “handwriting of requirements” is the written record of violations against God's ordinances. Paul says that this “handwriting”—the record of sins, not the laws—was expunged, reiterating that our sins have been forgiven. Other translations say He “erased,” “blotted out,” or “destroyed” it. The record is completely obliterated, in God's reckoning.

Verse 14 says that Christ has “taken it out of the way.” Strong's Concordance states that the Greek word for “taken,” airo, means “to lift up; by implication, to take up or away; . . . by Hebraism to expiate sin.” It means the same as the Hebrew word used for “bearing” in Leviticus 16:22nasa' (Strong's #5375).

In addition, airo is in the perfect tense, indicating action completed in the past. The live goat lifts up, carries, and takes away the sins placed on its head by the high priest (Leviticus 16:21-22). In Colossians, Christ is declared to have lifted up, taken away, and expiated the record that was against us—an exact match to what is said about the goat of departure.


2 Thessalonians 2:15

Tradition is broader than some admit. A note from a study Bible contains a bit of useful information regarding this word:

Traditions refers to more than customs. In view here is the totality of the apostolic doctrine as it was given to them—all of the teachings, not just what we would think of being the foundational teachings that appear in Hebrews the sixth chapter or things directly pertaining to the great goal in life that gives us the vision of being born in the kingdom of God.

The writer understands that word applies to the whole revelation given through the apostles. "Traditions" reach out to include policies and practices or procedures that the Bible does not specifically speak to. The apostle has the authority to establish them while he is God's apostle.

Notice an application in I Corinthians 11:2. Corinth was a badly divided congregation, at least internally; church members there had all kinds of different ideas. In I Corinthians 1:10, the phrase about being "perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" has to do with the way we see things, with our perspective. He is saying that we should not be divided even in our perspectives. I Corinthians 11:2 reads,

Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

Ordinances is the same word that is translated "traditions" in II Thessalonians 2:15 and II Thessalonians 3:6. Here, the translators have rendered it "ordinances," as if it referred to law. However, consider the issue in I Corinthians 11: the way—the manner—in which Christians should keep the Passover, the procedures that were to be followed. He instructs them to eat at home first before coming to the service. The passage deals with what we would call church-service procedures. "Traditions" includes these matters.


Ephesians 5:21

Why is submitting so difficult? There are two basic reasons: education and attitudes. The one occurs because we all want to be free. Everyone wants to have more liberty than he has right now. Liberty is a major theme in the Bible, but we have a problem: We have been mis-educated.

Because of this mis-education, each of us puts a different spin on what it means to be free. Being free does not mean the same thing to every person because the same things are not equally important to everybody. Some people have placed their spin on freedom, because of their circumstances, as a need for more food. Other people want to be free to exercise their sexual passions with a great deal more liberty. Everybody puts a little bit different twist on what he or she would like to be free to do. Why? Peter writes,

. . . knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct [conduct going nowhere] received by tradition from your fathers. . . . (I Peter 1:18)

Tradition is that cultural way, method, or outlook that is imposed on us from birth. The influences of our culture are layered on us like an onion. What layers of culture and therefore, traditions, heaped on us?

The initial layer is impressed on us by the home, the family—or the lack thereof. It begins to set our minds about what is important in life. Then there is a slightly larger segment—the neighborhood. At first, the neighborhood does not have a great deal of influence, but once we begin to expand our lives outside of the home, mother's and dad's influence slowly begin to wane. Our peers in our neighborhood begin to impress upon us a little bit broader cultural layer because we have escaped, as it were, from the home and have now gone out into the neighborhood. We keep layering it out: The city has an impact on us, the state, the region, and then the nation.

Peter said that we have been redeemed from tradition. In the United States, this thing about tradition has become crazy. One of the buzzwords of our time is multiculturalism. We have people in the United States who want to make sure that English is not the official language of the nation because they want to hang on to another culture. It used to be that, when people immigrated to our nation, they strove to conform to the American culture and tradition. They wanted to become full-fledged Americans. So what did they have to do in order to do that? They had to submit to the customs and traditions of their new homeland.

But today there is a powerful drive to get people to do just the opposite, to hold on to the customs and traditions of their former homelands. This process is helping to tear the nation apart! We are slowly being driven toward an absolute confusion of ideas because these cultures cannot agree. We have an environment ready-made for conflict—unless someone submits.

The world is the way it is because Adam and Eve took of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which indicates knowledge from many sources. This was sort of a preview of multiculturalism—knowledge from many sources without the spiritual guidance of God. We have to get God into the picture.

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. (II Thessalonians 2:15)

God has His traditions too! On the one hand, we have the traditions that God is teaching us through His Word, through His ministers. He has traditions to which He wants His Family to conform. But we have brought traditions with us out of the world. It sets the stage for conflict! The traditions of God and the traditions that we have from the world will not mesh! When we add to this our desire to be free, it makes an interesting mess!

But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. (II Thessalonians 3:6)

The major difference is that His traditions are right and true, and they work! However, because conversion is a process, and because we do not instantly and magically know all of God's traditions, we all bring our former traditions into the church with us. Thus, the church is set up for conflict, which is a major reason why Paul wrote the book of Ephesians. It shows that for there to be unity, both Israelite and Gentile have to submit to Christ because both of their cultures and traditions are wrong!

Again, we have been mis-educated by the traditions of family, society, region, state, and nation. We carry those characteristics with us. Not every one of them is wrong, but they do set us up for conflict with God and with each other. Only the traditions of God are completely right and true and will produce the right things. When there is conflict between the traditions that we have brought in to the church and God's traditions, we have to submit to God because we are not free to do as we please. If we do as we please because we put our own particular spin on what we think liberty is, it will bring us into conflict with God—and that is not nice! It is detrimental to one's spiritual health and one's relationship with God!

The second reason we have trouble is because our attitudes are perverted.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh [notice what drives human beings: This wicked spirit is motivating the lusts of our flesh], fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. (Ephesians 2:1-3)

There is a spirit characterized by desire—lust—to have it our way. Mis-education combined with negative attitudes equals conflict. Human nature is a package of attitudes dominated by the desire to gratify the self. That is why there is so much conflict (see James 4:1-3).

Our desires—whether it is husband and wife in marriage, or in business, or in politics among nations—keep crashing into one another. Conflict will never end until everyone is keeping the traditions of God. That is why we are in the process of conversion. It is our responsibility to convert over to God's traditions so that we stop crashing into one another. We have to overcome this mis-education and this attitude to gratify the self.

Satan is ultimately the source of both of these. We have to recognize that we are still influenced and that we pick up on his broadcasts. It makes submitting so difficult. The adversary is still working and bringing about conflict. Anywhere Satan goes, conflict erupts. He is a master at producing it.

Liberty without guidelines (like laws, principles, doctrines, policies, or even the example of another person) to which one submits (meaning we as individuals submit through self-control or self-governing) will turn into chaos because of the desire for the power to control. The desire to control is what we would call freedom—liberty. That is why there are so many horrible divorces and re-marriages. Submission, whether accepted willingly or grudgingly, is a necessity. It is better to accept it and do it grudgingly than not to do it at all.

We have to understand, then, that there is authority. It may be God, another human being, a law, a precedent, etc., but there will be an authority. It is an unavoidable fact of life. We face it all the time. Everybody lives under authority, and everybody must submit, even if it is only to the laws of nature—there is hardly a person who will not submit to the law of gravity while standing on the edge of a thousand-foot drop. It is that simple. Thus, because we step away from the cliff and not over it, we have submitted to a law. Why? Because we want to preserve our liberty, our desire to live. We know if we break that law—if we do not submit to it—it will break us to bits at the bottom of the cliff.

Notice that this subject has a broad application. Submission does not involve only relationships with God or relationships with other people. Submission occurs in almost every area of life, even in submitting to things we would call common sense or the laws of nature. Anybody who has the mind of God will be looking for every opportunity to submit because that is, paradoxically, where true freedom lies.

Recall John 8:32, where Jesus says, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Is not His implication that one shall be free only if he submits to the truth? Knowing the truth is not enough; liberty comes to those who submit to the truth. If one is standing on the edge of a thousand-foot drop, common sense and the truth of God say that one should obey the law of gravity—unless one desires to give up his freedom to live. True liberty consists of submitting to truth. It is the liberty God wants us to have.


Matthew 15:6-9

Tradition in religion is a wonderful thing when it has a firm basis in the truth of God, but it becomes a deceitful and corrupting influence when its foundations are in the shifting sands of human thought. It is especially diabolical when it masquerades as rich and sublime while actually directly contradicting God's Word! This, for instance, is the case with calling the Pope "Holy Father." What blasphemy! Jesus Himself instructs His disciples, "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven" (Matthew 23:9; emphasis ours). No matter how saintly any Pope might seem, he can nevereven in the smallest way be comparable to God the Father!

Truly, "now we see in a mirror, dimly" when it comes to the revelation of God; none of us has God's Word down perfectly. Nevertheless, there is a wide gulf between sincere seeking of God's revealed truth and blatant disregard for the plain teachings of Scripture. Keeping tradition despite God's commandment to the contrary is nothing less than idolatry—exalting human ideas and desires above God's. It is what has become known as humanism, and it is an identifying mark of false religion.

God's true church has and follows the Bible, God's Instruction Book for Christian practice, which is what religion is. It resists outside intrusions of worldly philosophies and measures all new ideas against pure, confirmed, God-breathed Word (II Peter 1:19-21). On the other side, false religions have eaten of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:9, 17; 3:1-11), mixing godly teaching with false, human self-righteousness. It is an extremely simple test but highly effective in exposing false or corrupted faiths.

Jesus says straightforwardly, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent" (John 6:29). God's efforts are engaged in getting us to believe in Jesus, sure, but believing in Jesus is far more than accepting that He died for the forgiveness of our sins—it is believing what He said for our instruction and what He lived as an example to us. It is following Him, imitating Him, obeying Him, and becoming more and more like Him every day!

So, do we really believe Him? Or, are we just treading water, ignorantly or even willfully continuing in the traditions of our parents because we are too lazy, too content, or too fearful to follow the truth? God is seeking men and women to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23), and these are the ones who really believe. Are we among them? Have we examined ourselves "as to whether [we] are in the faith" (II Corinthians 13:5)? Do we really and truly believe?


Matthew 15:3

If there is indeed a "war on Christmas," then let Rome defend it, for it was Rome that co-opted the Bacchanalia of the winter solstice and inserted the unknown birth of the Messiah. Christ-mass is wholly indefensible when one looks beyond the traditions of men and searches the Bible.

That really is the bottom line: The citizens of this nation can only disagree on how Christmas should be kept because the nearest thing to a central authority on the issue—a powerful papacy—is long gone. Should Santa Claus be included in the same scene as baby Jesus? Should gifts be exchanged? If so, how many? Where is the line between acceptable and shameful consumerism? Should mistletoe be displayed, or is that too pagan? Is a "traditional Christmas" of today more correct than a "traditional Christmas" of 1905? Or vice versa?

In the absence of clear instruction from God, such as exists for His annual holy days, the matter is entirely up to personal interpretation and the changing traditions of an ungrounded culture. Without authentic biblical roots, there is nothing to define and describe how traditions such as Christmas should be observed. Each person has a different "reason for the season." Who is to say that one interpretation of a pagan celebration is "more right" than another?

In Matthew 15:3, 6-9, our Savior speaks emphatically on the subject of honoring man's tradition over the Word of God. We humans are creatures of habit, and traditions are not inherently evil. Sin enters the picture, though, when what man wants to do, or what he has always done, is given more credence than God's instructions.

Contrary to popular Christian belief, we are not free to worship God in any way we see fit. The story of Cain and Abel teaches us that He does not accept worship that is contrary to His instructions, and the result is disastrous. God has already defined the way He would have man venerate Him: in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). But truth is certainly absent in the celebration of Christmas.

The debate over Christmas is probably not going to end anytime soon, and no matter the outcome of the current conflagration, Satan will be the real winner. Although the specific applications may vary, the underlying "reason for the season" is man—not God. If you want to test this, try crusading for the celebrating of God's clearly defined and described holy days. The probable result will be cessation of cultural hostilities just long enough for the warriors to chase you up an evergreen tree and set fire to it. God has already given the answers to how He is to be honored. But this season, with or without the religious veneer, is all about man's insistence on doing things his own way without regard to truth.




Monday, December 2, 2024

December 25th- it is not biblical and not Christian to lie to kids…

 In the first place, Christmas is not a Bible doctrine.  If our blessed Lord had wanted us to celebrate His birthday, He would have told us when to celebrate it and how to do it.  The apostles and the early church never celebrated Christ's birthday at any time.  The Bible tells us everything we need to know relative to our spiritual life (II Tim. 3:16)  We don't have to go outside the Bible for anything.  God's Word tells us how we're supposed to worship, how we're supposed to give money for the Lord's work, how to evangelize the lost, how to take the Lord's Supper, and everything else pertaining to the Christian life.  But not once in the Bible does God tell us to celebrate Christmas.

 
Don't you think that if God had wanted us to observe Christmas, He would have told us about it at least one place in the Bible?  God's people are supposed to be Bible people.  So the very fact that Christmas is never mentioned in the Bible is sufficient reason why we shouldn't celebrate it. 
 
No one knows the exact day when Jesus was born. The birthday of Jesus is a secret with God the Father, and God would have told us the exact day of His Son's birth if He wanted us to know it! 
 
UNSCRIPTURAL TRADITIONS
 
There are many unscriptural traditions that have cluttered up the story of the birth of our wonderful Savior.  For instance, many people believe that the wise men of the East and the shepherds were together in Bethlehem at the time our Lord was born.   Nothing could be farther from the truth.
 
The shepherds came to Bethlehem to see Jesus at His birth.   The wise men came to Nazareth to see Jesus when He was almost two years old.  If you will readMatthew 2:7-11carefully, you will see that the star led the wise men to Nazareth, not to the stable in Bethlehem where our Lord was born.  Verse 9 tells us that they found Jesus in "the house" where He had lived with Mary and Joseph since He was 91 days old (Luke 2:7, 21-39).  This "house" was in Nazareth, the place where Joseph and Mary lived. 
 
It all becomes very simple if you will keep in mind that the shepherds came to Bethlehem and found an infant in a manger.   The wise men were led to Nazareth and found a child living in a house. 

Herod knew that the Christ child was nearly two years old when he inquired of the wise men, and that's why he ordered all the children from two years old and under to be put to death (Matthew 2:16) 
 
So never confuse the visit of the shepherds and the visit of the wise men. They were two entirely separate and distinct events. 
 
Another thing, there is nothing said in the Bible about three wise men coming to visit Christ.  The fact is that the Bible does not give their number at all but merely states that there were wise men.  There may have been two, there may have been three, there may have been four, there may have been a dozen - we don't know.  Yet ninety-nine people out of a hundred think that there were three wise men.  That's the way tradition has it.  What does the Bible say?  It simply says that "there came WISE MEN from the East to Jerusalem saying, 'Where is He that is born King of the Jews?'" (Matthew 2: 1-2).
 
CHRIST NOT BORN IN WINTER

That brings me to the next reason why I don't celebrate Christmas, and that is because Christ was not born on December 25th.   Notice: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night (Luke 2:8)."

Now this verse tells us very plainly that the shepherds were in the fields taking care of their flocks on the night Jesus was born.  As the shepherds were watching their sheep, the message came to them of the birth of Jesus.  Now it is a well known fact that December is the rainy season in Palestine and the sheep were kept in the fold at that time of the year.  The shepherds always corralled and brought their flocks from the mountain sides and fields not later than October l5th, to protect them from the cold, rainy season that followed that date.  So the birth of Christ could not have taken place at the end of December.  Then, if you will turn to the second chapter of Luke, you will find that at the birth of Christ every woman and child was to go to be taxed at the city where they were citizens.  This could not have been in winter.  Augustus, the king of Rome, would certainly not call for such a taxing in the depth of winter.  Therefore, Christ could not have been born in December.  Actually, Christ was born some time in the first part of October.  This is deduced from the fact that His earthly ministry lasted 3 1/2 years, and He was crucified on the l4th day of Nisan which corresponds to our April.  See John 19:31;Leviticus 23:5.   If we go back 3 1/2 years to the time when Jesus was 30 years old (when He began His public ministry), we come to the month of October.  This was probably the month when our blessed Lord was born into the world.

 
Of course, the date of Jesus' birth is not too important. The important thing is that He was born and that He died for our sins. We're not worshiping a helpless infant lying in a manger, but we're worshiping a risen and exalted Christ who has all power in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18. ).
 
ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS
 
In the next place, I don't celebrate Christmas because Christmas is of heathen origin. Christmas started w i t h the Sun worshipers in the t i m e of Nimrod, the man who built the Tower of Babel.
 
I shall now quote from the Encyclopedia Americana, 1942 Edition, vol. 6, page 623, concerning its report of the origin of Christmas:

 "Christmas –  It  was according to many authorities NOT celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian Church as the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth.  A feast was established in memory of the birth of the Savior in the FOURTH Century.   In the Fifth Century the Western Church (Roman Catholic) ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman Feast of the birth of Sol.   The holly, the mistletoe, the yule log and the wassail bowl are of pre Christian times. The Christmas tree has been traced back to the Romans.  It went from Germany to Great Britain."

Any reputable encyclopedia will tell you that our modern day Christmas customs came out of paganism.  Encyclopedia Britannica has this to say: 

"Christmas (i.e., the Mass of Christ) was not among the earliest festivals of the church."

Any good encyclopedia will verify the fact that Christmas came out of paganism, that the exchanging of gifts, the making use of holly, the mistletoe and the yule log, the Christmas tree and the singing of carols, the dancing and the feasting are all of pagan origin and were all gradually grafted into the so-called "Christian" church during or after the fourth century A. D.   Tertullian and others tell how exchanging of gifts was a part of the Saturnalia celebration.   And the hymns they sang at that pagan feast were predecessors to the Christmas carols.   Says Pysher:  "Many pagan carols were adopted but were given a Christian meaning.   Carols and dancing were kept out of the festival of Christmas for many centuries."   TheEncyclopedia Americana declares:  "The holly, the mistletoe, the Yule log and the wassail bowl are relics of pre Christian times."   The historian Hislop confirms these findings: "The wassailing bowl of Christmas had its precise counterpart in the 'Drunken festival' of Babylon," says Hislop;" and many of the other observances still kept up among ourselves at Christmas came from the very same quarter. The candles, in some parts of England (and America), lighted on Christmases, and used so long as the festive season lasts, were equally lighted by the Pagans on the eve of the festival of the Babylonian god, to do honor to him . . .   The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in pagan Rome and pagan Egypt.  In Egypt that tree was the palm tree; in Rome it was the fir."  The Two Babylons, page 97.

Now, beloved, God's people are not supposed to have anything to do with pagan customs or pagan doctrine.  The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 10: 2,   "Learn not the way of the heathen."   But somehow the Christian has learned it just the same.  

 
Some will say, "We can't help it if we were born into a pagan world.  We can't help it if we were reared and steeped in pagan doctrines and customs."  Oh, yes you can!    Jesus said,  "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
 
There is only one righteous thing that you can do with these pagan holidays and that is to repudiate them and have no part in them.  The virgin birth of Christ is a blessed fact, but the Christmas celebration is a wicked and an ungodly thing.
 
CHRISTMAS A CATHOLIC HOLIDAY

Another reason why I don't celebrate Christmas is that Christmas is a Catholic holiday.  Why should I steal Christmas from the Catholics?   They got it from the pagans and I'm happy to let them keep it.   

 
Sometimes you hear the slogan, "Let's Put Christ Back Into Christmas."  Well, beloved, how can you put Christ back into something when He was never there?

Even the name "Christmas" is an abomination to the Lord.   Christmas is a combination of two words, "Christ" and "Mass."  Christ is the divine title of our Lord.   "Mass" is from the Roman Catholic sacrament of the mass.  Certainly born-again Christians shouldn't have anything to do with masses. The mass is a Roman Catholic invention.  The mass is a prayer that is read or sung for the soul of a dead person.
Every time you say "Merry Christmas," you are actually mixing the precious and holy name of Christ with a demon holiday.   The Lord tells us in no unmistakable language that we are not to mix His name with any pagan holiday or with a pagan god.  The Lord says inEzekiel 20: 39,   "Pollute not my holy name no more."
 
THE WORLD AND CHRISTMAS

The next reason why I don't celebrate Christmas is that Christmas is of the world.  We are commanded in  I John 2: 15,  "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

One fact alone proves to me that Christmas is not of God.   It is this: The world which hates Christ and His blood atonement for sin makes more fuss about Christmas than any other holiday.   Now beloved, if  December 25th were really the birthday of Jesus, don't you know that the world would have nothing to do with it?

More people get drunk at Christmas than at any other time during the year.  There's  more big parties and more selfish spending at Christmas than at any other season.    Doesn't that prove that it's of  the world and not of God?   If it were of God, the world wouldn't have anything to do with it.  The very fact that the world observes it proves that it isn't of God.

Furthermore, Jesus said,  "That which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God (Luke 16:15)."   Jesus said anything which men highly esteem is abomination to God. Well, don't people esteem Christmas more highly than almost anything else!  

The vilest sinner in town will run over you if necessary in order to celebrate Christmas.   If you have any doubts as to whether the world loves Christmas or not, just go into any big department store or dime store during the last few frantic hours of the Christmas shopping season, and see how many people run over you and what a mad house it is.  Why, they'll elbow you practically to death. 

 
A person must surely be blind it he can't see that the modern day Christmas celebration is of the world.
   
WHAT ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS TREE?

I do not celebrate Christmas because the Christmas tree is condemned by the Bible.  

"Learn not the way of the Heathen . . . For the customs of that people are vain:  for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.  They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not . . .  But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities . . . (Jeremiah 10: 2-4, 10)."

Here you have a perfect description of the Christmas tree, called by God "the way of the heathen."  We are commanded not to learn that way or follow it.  It is also viewed in this passage as idolatry.  The fifth verse says that these trees cannot speak     cannot walk   must be carried.   Some people misread this to make it say there is no harm in having a Christmas tree, but that is not what it says at all.  Rather, the prophet Jeremiah tells us that it is vanity and foolishness and says "learn not the way of the heathen."   Some people will stay up all night to work on an old dead tree. They'll trim it all up, and stand off a little ways and admire their handiwork.   Some of you will sit up all night and look at that old Christmas tree.

I hope some of you preachers will get up in the middle of the night and throw that old tree out of your house and out of your church.  Well, I realize some of you will just gnash your teeth and call me "narrow minded."    Well, you can call me narrow minded it you want to, but I'm just giving you the Word of God.

 
I'd like to leave this little thought with you.   Did you know that the green tree is mentioned 14 times in the Bible, and in every instance it is linked with idolatry.   There isn't one place in the Bible where God commends the use of the evergreen in connection with true worship.
  
MERRYMAKING AND GIFTS

Perhaps the most important part of the Christmas celebration is the buying and exchanging of gifts.  Now beloved, I do not celebrate Christmas because the custom of exchanging gifts has nothing to do with the birthday of the Lord Jesus Christ.   

When people exchange gifts, they're not bringing them to Christ; they're giving them to one another. You have got to keep a list of the people who sent you presents last year and each year your list grows longer and longer, and before long you're in such a heavy debt buying Christmas presents that you've got to start saving money right after one Christmas in order to buy presents for the next Christmas.  

Beloved, I can't understand why anyone would went to be in bondage to such an expensive custom. Jesus is supposed to be the cause of Christmas, and yet people give their gifts to everybody but Jesus.

Perhaps some of you are asking,   "Didn't the Wise Men give gifts to Jesus?"   They certainly did, but they didn't give them to one another.  And their gifts were not birthday gifts because the Wise Men did not come to visit Jesus until he was nearly two years old.  The Shepherds came to visit Jesus at His birth, but the Wise Men came to see Him nearly two years later.

 
Did you know that giving gifts to a king was a common custom in the Far East?   That's the reason why the Wise Men brought gifts to Jesus    because he had been born to be King of the Jews.  But they were not birthday gifts.  So there is no connection between Christmas and the birthday of Jesus in this respect.Every time some conscientious mothers raise this question, "Don't you think we ought to give the children a good time?  They don't understand."  Let me ask you this question, mother  is it necessary to drag the holy name of our blessed Lord down to the low level of fleshly gratification and drunkenness to show the kiddies a good time?  A thousand times, No!    Let's teach our children the truth about Christmas.  God's Word says (Ephesians 6:4) to bring our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and why should we dishonor the name of Christ in such manner under the pretense of showing the children a good time?  There are 364 more days in the year during which we can give gifts to our children.
 
SANTA CLAUS

It is plain to see that there isn't a single thing connected with Christmas that is Biblical.  Let's just take Santa Claus as an example.  

The name Santa Claus is a corruption of the name Saint Nicholas who is none other than Old Nick, the Devil.   And yet thousands of parents will encourage their children to write to dear old St. Nick or dear Santa.   Now if you're a Christian, you should be ashamed of  yourself  if you lie to your children by telling them that there is a Santa Claus.  Through the year you punish your children for lying, and then you turn right around and lie yourself by telling your children that there is a Santa Claus.  Is it any wonder that when they grow up and learn the truth they begin to believe that God is a myth too?

The Bible says in Colossians 3:9"Lie not one to another."   We are commanded in Ephesians 4:25, "...to put away lying, and to speak every man truth with his neighbor."

Beloved, I say again I don't know of a single thing connected with Christmas that is Biblical. You have to go outside of the Bible to learn of the Christmas tree, Santa Claus, the holly wreath, mistletoe, yule log, and all other things that go along with the Christmas celebration.  Let's be honest before God and admit that this is a pagan holiday and a trick of the Devil.

Beloved, anyone with any sense at all ought to be able to see that Christmas is good for only one thing    to make money for the department stores and the business merchants.  Any simpleton should be able to see that Christmas makes dollars, and dollars make Christmas.  But, does it make any sense?

 
No, there's no reason why anyone has to celebrate Christmas.  It's not in the Bible.  Jesus was not born on December 25th.  And we can remember the birth of our wonderful Savior 365 days a year.
 
OBSERVING DAYS FORBIDDEN

Finally, I don't celebrate Christmas because God's Word absolutely forbids the observance of any (religious) holy days in this church dispensation.  Listen:

"Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain (Galatians 4:10-11)."

That sounds like the observance of Christmas, doesn't it?   Here the Apostle Paul absolutely forbids the observing of days, months and seasons.  To the Christian there are no special holy days.  Every day should be alike, holy unto the Lord. 

If you are truly saved, you will remember the birth, the life, the death, the burial and the resurrection of your wonderful Savior 365 days a year. Yes, I am glad to serve a real and a living Christ who lives all year round.  Let us as born-again Christians use our money this season of the year, not for foolish and unnecessary presents, but to spread the Gospel message to this lost and dying world.

Oh, Christian, I beseech you, turn from the world and its holy days, touch not the unclean thing; associate not the birth of the holy Son of God with the fables of the world and apostate Christendom.  Hear His pleading voice, "Be ye separate, O my people (II Corinthians 6:19)."


Tradition(s) of Men

  The word "tradition" comes from two Latin words: "trans,"        (over), and "dare," (to give) and mea...