Chapter 7 - BINDING RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS

In their efforts to find solutions for their problem of spiritual and physical death, many people have developed their own religious systems. But this is where many have deceived themselves. They think that because they are performing religious activities in their lives they are pleasing to God. Too often, however, these religiously sincere people never stop to consider whether the religious activity of their lives is pleasing to God. They think that simply because their religious practices bring them a good feeling and a clear conscience, such practices must be acceptable to God. But the fact is that instead of finding a solution for sin, they actually sin by following after their own religious inventions that are often contrary to the will of God. They often create a religion after their own desires and not after the instructions of God’s word. They thus sin in rebellion against God’s word by following after their own religious traditions instead of looking to the Bible for direction from God.

God is serious about our doing what He has instructed us to doin His word. The Jews of Jesus’ day did precisely what millions of people are doing today. Instead of obeying the word of God, they are behaving in their religion according to the religious traditions of their fathers. Here is what Jesus said of this practice.

Mark 7:6-8

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 they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandmentsof men.' For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men ...

Jesus called their religious behavior after their religious traditions an act of hypocrisy. It was hypocrisy because they were practicing their own religious rules and rituals in order to make themselves acceptable to God. But Jesus called such vain worship. It was useless in an effort to please God. It was useless religion because they were teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

Some religious traditions are not wrong, as long as they are
recognized as tradition, and thus, not binding on the consciences of men as necessary for salvation. However, when we make traditions to be religious law, we do as Jesus said of the Jews. They were "laying aside the commandment of God in order to hold to their traditions" (Mk 7:8). This is the tragedy of the religious world today.

It seems that religious people throughout the world today are
more interested in keeping their religious traditions than in keeping the word of God. Here is what Jesus continued to say to such people.“All too well you reject the commandment of God so that you may keep your tradition” (Mk 7:9). Is this our attitude toward the word of God? Are we willing to lay aside the word of God in order to keep our religious traditions? Are we rejecting the word of God in order to keep our religious traditions?

Let’s be specific. This matter is so important that we must not
miss the point of what Jesus is saying. Religious traditions originate from our religious history. It is not wrong to do things in a traditional manner. However, when the traditional manner of doing something becomes the only way it can be done, then it becomes a religious tradition that is bound on the consciences of men. If we cause division among believers because of our religious traditions, then such
traditions have become binding law in our minds. In other words, if we think that the traditions should be kept in order to please God, then we are considering them to be law.

At this point in one’s apostasy from the word of God, the traditions start taking the place of the commandments of God. Jesus said in Mark 7 that we first start this process of apostasy from God by "teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Mk 7:7). One then continues his apostasy from God by "laying aside the commandment of God" in order to practice traditions (Mk 7:8). And finally, we reject “the commandment of God that we might keep our traditions" (Mk 7:9).

Each one of must ask ourselves if this has happened to our
faith. If it has, then it is the purpose of this book to restore the word of God in order that we are able to determine what is tradition and what is the actual word of God that we must obey. It is a serious thing to add to the will of God in a futile effort to seek God’s favor on our own terms. The reason this is serious is that one’s religion may be in vain. It may be useless. Add to this what Jesus said of those Jews who did the same in His day. They were hypocrites in their religious behavior because they rejected the commandment of God in order to keep their traditions. At the time they were obedient to their own religious traditions, but rebellious to the commandments of God. This is religious hypocrisy.

Consider also what Jesus said to some Jews who believed on Him, but their belief was so weak it would not move them to leave their traditions in order to follow Him. “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed...” (Jn 8:31). But they would not abide in His word as many today will not abide in His word. Therefore, to the same group of Jews Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.” (Jn 8:44).

In conjunction with religious traditions, some have been led
astray by their own emotions and feelings. They have subjected themselves to following emotional experiences in religion instead of the word of God. Some even claim that the Holy Spirit is leading and moving them to do things the Holy Spirit never said He would do in the first place. This is where the disciple of Jesus should be very careful.

The only way we can know what the Holy Spirit will do in our lives is to listen to what He said He would do in the Bible which He inspired to be written.

Religions that focus on human emotions and feelings, while
ignoring the Bible, are religions that lead one into self-deception. Remember, strong emotional conviction in religion is not a guarantee that one is of the truth, and thus, saved. Having a zeal for God without knowledge of God is a useless religious exercise in reference to our salvation (Rm 10:2; Gl 4:17,18). For example, Cornelius was a devout man who did many good works (At 10:1,2). However, he had to hear and obey the gospel before he could be saved (At 11:1-14). 

Simon was such a strong religious leader in the city of Samaria that everyone in the city believed him (At 8:9-11).
However, he also had to hear and obey the gospel in order to be saved (At 8:12,13). It is not good enough to be religiously committed, devoted or zealous toward God. We are not saved by works, but through obedience of God’s word. We must remember that it is not in man to direct his own steps to eternal life (Jr 10:23). Only God can do this through His written word.

The only way one can know for sure if he is doing what God
would have him do is to search the Scriptures. We must be as the Bereans. Luke wrote of them, “These were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily to see whether those things were so” (At 17:11).

We must be challenged to search the Scriptures in order to
determine if our religious practices are based on the word of God or on the will of man. We must be challenged with the following two questions. Our answers to these questions will determine whether we are willing to listen to God concerning His solution for our salvation and how we will seek to please Him in this life.

YES - NO If you discover in the Bible that you have been serving God according to human traditions and not according to the word of God, are you willing to change in order to find a solution for sin? 

YES - NO If you discover something in the Bible that contradicts your present religious behavior, are you willing to correct such in order to do what the Bible says?

SCRIPTURE READING: Mt 15:1-9 (Is 29:13); Mk 7:1-9; Rm 1:21-32

SCRIPTURE RESEARCH: Traditions: Ep 5:6; Cl 2:8,20-23; 1 Tm 6:20, Deception of traditional religions: 2 Th 2:10-12; 1 Tm 4:1-5; 2 Tm 4:3-5; 2 Jn 9,10, Seeking God: Mt 7:7,8; 11:28,29; Rv 3:20