Jesus Warned About The Dangers Of Traditions

In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! Thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. (Mark 7:7-9,13 ESV)

This passage is one of the more severe rebukes Jesus ever delivered. Notice his rebuke isn’t because they don’t worship; instead, he says they worship in vain. And it’s significant that this rebuke was triggered by the seemingly innocent tradition of washing hands. But Jesus said when we hold to the tradition of men, we leave the commandment of God. The word leave comes from the same root word as divorce. Which means, we are separating ourselves from God’s truth in order to embrace our traditions. And by separating ourselves from God’s truth, we are forfeiting His true purposes for us.

Most churches today hold fast to many traditions that are not supported by scripture. These traditions are often viewed as sacred, followed religiously, and fiercely defended. These traditions may not have the appearance of something evil, yet because they have displaced God’s commandments, they stand in opposition to God’s purposes being fulfilled in His people.

In addition to leaving the commandment of God, Jesus went on to warn them that holding to man’s traditions caused them to reject the commandment of God and to void the word of God. Jesus’ concern was not so much the traditions themselves, but the word of God that was cancelled out because of their traditions. Some may view what I’m sharing as an attack on the church, but the opposite is true. My desire is to help the church see the danger of traditions.

Here are some traditions that are commonly followed today, and the truth of God that they have displaced. (The footnotes below have links to more information on these topics)

Pastors leading churches have replaced the Biblical call for elders to make disciples by ministering among the people. (see link #1)
Hierarchical church leadership detracts from the leadership of Jesus as the head of the church. (see link #2)
Highly structured church meetings, where a select few minister to an audience, leave little room for the one-another-ministry that the body of Christ is designed for and called to. (see link #3)
The belief that all ministry must be authorized and overseen by church authorities has greatly diminished believers being personally attentive to Jesus as head of the body and allowing him to utilize them in any way he desires. (see link #4)
Tithing to a church has replaced caring financially for believers in need. (see link #5)
Going to hear a Sunday sermon has replaced the responsibility of the body of Christ to minister the word of God. (see link #6)
Attending a weekly church service has replaced the day-to-day gatherings of God’s people. (see link #7)
People relate more to being members of their specific church than they do as functioning members of the body of Christ. (see link #8)

Most of these traditions have been followed for centuries. And because of this long-standing familiarity, many believers can’t conceive that there is anything wrong with these things or that the Bible actually presents a very different way for the church to function. But longevity does not make something right. The Bible, the word of God, determines what is right and what is wrong, what is from God and what is from man. A relatively simple Bible study is sufficient to expose most of these traditions for what they are.

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The institutional church is so deeply entrenched in its traditions that I don’t think man is capable of making any significant change. But Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matt 16:18), and He will do just that. And the church Jesus builds will be His church, following God’s commandments, and holding to God’s word instead of man’s traditions. But this monumental change will not come easy. According to Jesus, things will get worse before they get better. He warned that a time of intense, worldwide persecution will cause many to fall away. Yet through this dark time, God will do a powerful work, and His church will emerge to fulfill His purposes on the earth. (see link #9)

Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:14-17 ESV).

Believers need to wake up to the danger of holding to their traditions and begin embracing the truth of God’s word.

Footnotes:

Link #1 – Does The Bible Endorse Pastors Leading The Church?

https://testeverything.blog/2023/07/12/where-are-pastors-in-the-bible/

Link #2 – Call No One Pastor

https://testeverything.blog/2019/01/09/call-no-one-pastor/

Links #3 – God’s Ingenious Plan For Ministry

https://testeverything.blog/2018/02/05/the-genius-of-body-ministry/

Open Gatherings Are Now Closed

https://testeverything.blog/2022/07/12/open-church-is-now-closed-the-management/

Links #4 – Sent By God (part 1) – the Bruce Olson story

https://testeverything.blog/2021/07/17/sent-by-god-the-bruce-olson-story/