Tradition
You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
Mark 7:8 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/mrk.7.8.ESV
Traditions aren’t necessarily wrong. The Pharisaical tradition of keeping clean was a good one. In the West there’s a tradition of celebrating Christmas, even though for most people it’s a festival of materialism.
There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with Christmas, if we take the time to worship the Baby born in Bethlehem. What really matters though is that we seek to obey the commandments of God. We are to love Him wholeheartedly, and to love others as we love ourselves.
We don’t love as we ought. We often hold on to unnecessary traditions too tightly. Thankfully, God also commands us to repent, to turn from our sins, and believe the good news of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. We’re flawed, but that’s why the gospel is so wonderful for us: that we can be forgiven and restored to a right relationship with God.
A danger is that church attendance becomes another tradition. We turn up on Sunday, only to live like the world the rest of the week. We need to be 24/7/366 days a week believers (if it’s a leap year!).
‘Lord our God, please help us not to hold tightly onto traditions, but please write Your commandments upon our hearts. May we be defined by love, and faith in You. In Christ’s name, amen’
Robert Chamberlain is a graduate of Aberystwyth University with his degree in International Politics and Conflict Resolution. He is currently a teaching assistant with CER Education. He and his family live in England, UK. You may find more about Robert at Watching Daily at Wisdom’s Gates
Image by DEEPAI
Matthew 15:3-9
New International Version
3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’[a] and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[b] 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules…
Your friend – His servant,
Isaac Otieno