THE TRADITION DILEMMA BY STEVE FINNELL
Contemporary believers in Jesus Christ are sometimes caught in the bog of man-made tradition, just as were the scribes and the Pharisees.
Matthew 15:1-9 Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus...9 ' But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men'."
Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees were transgressing the commandments God for the sake of their own traditions. Do believers do that today?
SOME TRADITIONS OF MEN
1.Some men say that Jesus is just one of many ways to salvation.
The dilemma being that Jesus does not concur with this teaching of men.
Acts 4:10-12 ....by the name of Jesus Christ...12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."
2. Some say that men are saved by believing in Jesus, alone.
The problem is Jesus disagrees with this doctrine of men.
Mark 16:16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved......
MORE TRADITIONS OF MEN
1. Men are saved by grace alone
2. God selected a few men to be saved and all others will burn in hell.
3. Water baptism is not essential for the forgiveness of sins.
4. Believing in God is a work and it is not essential for salvation.
5. God forces a predetermined few to have faith so that they may be saved.
6. Repentance is not essential for salvation. (Repentance means to make the commitment to turn from sin and turn toward God.)
7. Water baptism is a work of the Law, or a good work, or some work not known and is therefore not essential in order to have sins forgiven.
8. Men are saved the minute they believe in Jesus.
9. Once men are saved they can never be lost.
10. Men can pray to or through the Virgin Mary and other dead saints in order to have their requests granted by God the Father.
11. God will save all mankind.
12. Men are saved by faith only.
13. The Bible is not the only place men can find God's commands for mankind.
14. Extra-Biblical sources such as catechisms, creed books, new so-called revelations from God, writings by the early church fathers, Bible commentaries, and other books written by men are infallible sources for God's truth.
15. Infants can be baptized before they believe in Jesus.
16. Men share the first man, Adam's, sin and are therefore guilty of original sin.
17. Men teach that priests have the authority to forgive sins.
18. Men do not believe that only God can forgive the sins that are committed against Him.
19. Some teach, and believe that Christians can continue in their sinful lifestyle and still enter the kingdom of God.
20. Some teach that a loving God will not send those who reject Jesus as the Christ, into a lake of fire.
Mark 7:7-8 'But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.' 8 NEGLECTING THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, YOU HOLD TO THE TRADITIONS OF MEN."
Teaching for doctrine the traditions of men can present a dilemma, a problem, a predicament, a quandary, a difficult situation, a perilous quagmire.
THERE IS AN ESCAPE FROM THE DOCTRINES OF MEN. IT IS REPENTANCE. True repentance only occurs when pride is replaced, with trusting Jesus for the truth. BELIEVING THAT THE BIBLE AND THE BIBLE ALONE IS GOD'S WORD.
ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT THINGS FOR MEN TO SAY, IS, I WAS WRONG!
I agree that the Bible is God's word but the Bible nowhere states that the 'Bible Alone' is God's word. In 2 Thes. 2:15 we read St. Paul urging the Thessalonians to "stand firm and hold fast to the traditions you were taught either by an oral statement or by letter of ours."
ReplyDeleteSo one could argue that the 'Bible Alone' doctrine is a teaching of men,since the Bible does not teach this. Does this make sense?
In fact, we know historically that Christians did not have a defined canon of Scripture until the fourth century. Yet they relied upon the teaching of the Apostles that were handed down to them.