And so, by your own tradition, you nullify the direct commandment of God. Matthew 15:6 (NLT)

This verse records Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees for allowing men to donate money or land to the synagogue that otherwise would have been used to support their aged parents, thus relieving them of their duty to provide for them. God is not impressed when we dodge a clear command to honor our parents under the pretext of being generous in a religious way. I remember counseling a young man who ducked into a denominational church wearing a hat. His hair was a mess, and he was embarrassed to remove his hat. The gate keeper of the church asked him to leave if he would not remove his hat. That young man was seeking after God, but the roadblock of a religious tradition barred the door. Sure, if he had been more mature, he would have swallowed his pride and uncovered his head. However, he was not that mature, and neither was the gate keeper. It ended poorly because tradition triumphed over mercy and love. When I spoke to this young man, another stumbling block had been erected in his life. Hopefully he forgave that man and moved on. Sometimes traditions of men keep us locked in bondage.

Nowhere is the deviousness of the human intellect so clearly seen as in our religious traditions that we think are expressions of devotion to God, but which defeat the clear intent of His Word.

Every group has traditions, even those who profess to be free from such things. Non-tradition can easily become a defining tradition. When Luther distanced himself from the Roman Catholic Church, he was careful to try to retain everything that he deemed was not a contradiction to Scripture. Others were more iconoclastic and rooted out anything they considered was not clearly found in the Bible. Hence, Lutherans have a more formal liturgical type of worship service somewhat reminiscent of Catholic tradition, while some more radical groups did such things as banning musical instruments from worship services, since the New Testament nowhere mentions them. The question we must ask ourselves is: “Which philosophy is correct, retention or iconoclasm?”

To answer this question requires that we step back and examine our presuppositions. The Protestant Reformation protested flagrant abuses and errors found in the Catholic Church at that time. Luther found much good in the church but could not abide certain things. Thus, he posted his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg to launch a religious and political upheaval. He was careful to not “throw out the baby with the bath water”, so to speak. Others did not have his love and appreciation for the Roman church. They hated it and found it rotten to the core. Their version of the Reformation was much more an overthrow of the entire system. Centuries later, it is interesting that the church polity and style we follow more resembles the radical reformers than the Lutherans.

The Catholic Church adopted a theology that gives as much weight to church tradition, including ex cathedra pronouncements by the Pope, as it gives to the Holy Scripture. Evangelical Protestant tradition insists on sola scriptura, meaning the Bible is our only infallible source for doctrine and practice. As children of the Reformation, sola scriptura is an established doctrine. Things break down a little right off the bat, however, because not everyone interprets the Bible the same way. Different Protestant groups have established their own church traditions based on their interpretations of the Bible. Hence, some groups rally around what is called “Reformed” doctrine, based on John Calvin’s teachings. One group may make its stand on the proper mode of water baptism, which divided the Baptists and Methodists during the great early camp revivals in our nation. Other groups believe resolutely in the present-day baptism in the Holy Spirit and the operation of the spiritual gifts, while still other groups declare that these things are no longer in operation and are “of the devil”. Depending on the group to which you belong, you will think the other group has man-made religious traditions that nullify God’s Word. Christians have been fighting each other for centuries over doctrinal disputes. What is a person to do?

Some people get confused and rattled by all this wrangling. They wonder how anyone can determine what is right, or if there is a “right” side to the argument.

Jesus came to set us free from men’s traditions that conflict with the Word of God.

The core of God’s Word can be summed up in two commandments – love God and love your neighbor. (Matthew 22:36-40)

God has given us unity with our spiritual brothers and sisters based on our being children of the same Father, servants of the same Lord, and indwelled by the same Holy Spirit. Whether or not our doctrine is perfect does not affect any of these core unities.

Even if we dispute the meaning of certain scriptures, we are to maintain a unity of heart and Spirit.

Some doctrinal differences are so great, however, that they must be resisted vigorously.

Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. 4  I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Jude 1:3-4 (NLT) 

Deciding what doctrines are pernicious is the responsibility of church leaders who are guardians of the truth.

Anything that detracts from God’s glory, Jesus’ lordship, or the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives, leads us to disobey God’s clear commands, or promotes immorality cannot be from God and must be heartily resisted because of their destructiveness.

The truths enunciated in the early church creeds are a good starting point for identifying what is essential.

However, if we allow a non-essential doctrinal tradition to separate us from our brethren, it is wrong. Honest God-fearing Christians see things quite differently.

If we hold to our own interpretations and traditions with a high regard and show respect for those held by others, and we refuse to allow our hearts to be divided from other groups because of these things, it shows that we have been redeemed from the power of tradition. Doctrine divides, but God’s love and the Holy Spirit unite us.

I believe God has made His Word deliberately ambiguous in certain areas to test our hearts. I do not suggest biblical truth is relative or malleable, but I do believe our ability to grasp the enormity and complexity of God’s truth is limited by our imperfect human minds. To make the human intellect the measure of what is true is gross arrogance. To insist that our group is the only group that really “gets it” is an expression of an ugly form of pride. To hold to one’s own convictions with magnanimity of heart towards those who disagree is an expression of spiritual maturity. Let’s use the following maxim as our guide.

IN ESSENTIALS UNITY, IN NON-ESSENTIALS LIBERTY, IN ALL THINGS CHARITY

Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently. Romans 14:1 (MSG)

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion

• Can you name a man-made tradition that you or your church holds that is not clearly in Scripture.
• Can you name any areas in which you have observed a man-made tradition lead someone to disobey clear biblical teaching?
• If we find ourselves in a dispute over a particular doctrinal point of view, such as the rapture, what is the best way to handle it?