God’s Word Versus Denominational-Based Teachings &Tradition

In the book of Mark we read the words of Jesus, "’For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men--the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.’ He said to them, ‘All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban"--' (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do." (NKJ – Mark 7:8-13) In this passage, we have Jesus confronting certain Jews who are holding onto their religious traditions that were contrary to the Scriptures. He admonishes them that such actions represented an actual rejection of God’s commandments, that is, the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God. Unfortunately, we find this very behavior going on today within our Christian denominations, that is, Christians holding adamantly to certain dogma and traditions of their respective denominations, which are contrary to God’s Word. Many Christians will hold firmly and unwavering to unbiblical beliefs held by their respective denomination even when shown in the Scriptures where such denominational-based beliefs are clearly in opposition to the Bible. It is fine to associate oneself, and to identify one’s beliefs with a specific Christian denomination, but it is vitally important to understand and believe that as Christians we are made up of one body of believers, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” (I Corinthians 12:12-13) Though there may be certain sections in the Bible where we may disagree on the proper interpretation, we are all brothers and sisters in the family of God, and have one foundational belief: We are all sinners, and deserve to spend eternity apart from God - “For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,…” (NKJ: Romans 3:22-23) - “ … For the wages of sin is death,…” (NKJ: Romans 6:23) Christ died for our sins - “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,…” (NKJ: I Corinthians 15:1-4) Through Christ’s Work on the Cross, we have all been given the gift of salvation - ”but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (NKJ: Romans 6:23) - “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,…” (NKJ: Romans 3:24) - “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (NKJ: Ephesians 2:8-9) By Accepting Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior, We Will Receive the Gift of Salvation - “.that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." (NKJ: Romans 10:9-13) Though all Christian denominations share a foundational belief in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and His atoning sacrifice on the Cross, there are certain areas in the Bible that can have differing interpretations or emphasis by certain groups of Christians, thus we have the origin of our different denominations within the Christian church. Christians will look for those groups of believers where they feel a like-mindedness in their beliefs. Such fellowship, on its face, is fine. However, when Christians find themselves in a position where they are reluctant, or refuse, to challenge certain beliefs within their related denomination out of a loyalty to their denomination, even when they are presented with a biblical basis to do so, then they have placed themselves in the exact same position as those that our Lord, Jesus Christ, was admonishing when He said in the book of Mark, “‘All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.” (NKJ – Mark 7:9) They are improperly holding onto the dogma and traditions of their denomination, showing an improper loyalty to such denomination by holding their denominational beliefs/doctrines/traditions above God’s Word, which is, as per the words of Jesus, a rejection of God’s Word. As Christians we must understand that the Bible is the direct and infallible Word of God. Some people will falsely suggest that the Bible was written by men who, though having some inspiration from God, interjected their own thoughts and beliefs into their writings, which were not from God. Such a false belief waters down the power and authority of the Bible, and provides a rationale for Christians to ignore or reject certain passages of the Bible as they see fit to accommodate their desire to not fully follow after the Word of God, and to embrace other unbiblical beliefs. This is definitely contrary to the teachings of the Bible in relation to the origin of its writings contained within. For we read in the Scriptures pertaining to the source of the words contained within: - “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (NKJ – II Timothy 3:16-17) - “…knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (NKJ – II Peter 1:20-21) The Bible was written by God, through men, and is truly, in its entirety, the Word of God. We even read in the book of Luke, “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.” (NKJ – Luke 16:16-17) A “tittle” is akin to a comma or apostrophe in our English language, and, this passage is telling us, that even the most minor of details written in the Bible will prove to be true. Absolutely nothing contained within the Word of God, the Bible, is to be ignored, contradicted, or rejected, and to do so an affront to our God. Further, God’s Word does not change with time, as some would suggest, and will endure and remain unchanged for eternity as we read, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.” (NKJ: I Peter 1:22-25) Again we read in the book of Ecclesiastes, “I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.” (NKJ – Ecclesiastes 3:14) The Word of God, the Bible, is cast in heavenly stone, and will never change. Any person or religious entity, including Christian denominations, that claims they have special revelations that either add to, take from, or modify the Bible are false teachers, which we are warned of in the Bible. We are warned of the false prophets/teachers and false doctrines that will sneak into our churches, which will try to deceive us, and to bring into the general teachings false doctrines that are contrary to God’s Word: - “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.” (NKJ – II Peter 2:1-3) - “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (NKJ – Acts 20:30) - “…that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,…” (NKJ – Ephesians 4:14) - “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,…” (NKJ – I Timothy 4:1-2) - “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (NKJ – I John 4:1) We are to be ever vigilant in our lives, and in our churches, to avoid such false teachers and false doctrines that have their origins not in the will of God, but in the will of man. God further warns us in His Word of the perils of following after our own heart and/or teachings of this world instead of seeking after His will for us in His Word. Concerning placing our trust in our own thoughts and desires we read in the Bible: - “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered.” (NKJ – Proverbs 28:26) - “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (NKJ – Proverbs 3:5-6) Concerning placing our trust in world-based wisdom we read in the Bible: - “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” (NKJ – Colossians 2:8) - “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness"; and again, "The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." Therefore let no one boast in men.” (NKJ – I Corinthians 3:19-21) The foundation for all of our beliefs should be grounded in the Scriptures, and if they are not, then our beliefs have no foundation, for we read in the book of Matthew, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." (NKJ – Matthew 7:24-27) Our Lord has made it so easy for us to discern His will by providing to us His written Word, of which we read in the book of Psalms, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (NKJ – Psalm 119;105) God directs us and speaks to us through His Word. We are encouraged and instructed in the Bible to study and to be students of His Word so that we can discern between true biblical doctrine and that which is false, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (KJ – II Timothy 2:15) Further, we are also encouraged to challenge the biblical teachings we receive, and to compare such teachings to the Bible. In the book of Acts we read, “Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (NKJ - Acts 17:10-11) In this passage, we have Paul commending the believers in Berea in that they listened to his teachings and received them, but they then went home and researched his teachings and compared them to what was written in the Scriptures to validate the teachings of Paul. Paul was an apostle, commissioned directly by our Lord to share and spread the Gospel. He performed many miracles in the presence of believers, and spoke with authority empowered by the Holy Spirit. Yet, instead of being insulted that these believers in the city of Berea did not just take his teachings at face-value as being true, he commended them for validating his teachings against the Scriptures. We should learn three key things from this passage: 1) We should always research any biblical teachings we receive against what is in the Bible, God’s Word. No source of teaching is above such scrutiny, no person nor religious entity. 2) We should be leery of any teacher of the Bible, that is, a person or religious entity, which takes offense when we validate their teachings against the Scripture, or when we ask questions of or challenge their teachings based on our research of the Scriptures. 3) No authority is equal to or above the Word of God. It is the foundation and source of ALL of divine knowledge and guidance. It is the sole source of God’s Word and of His will for our lives. We are to be discerners of the truth, God’s truth, and as such we should be students of His Word. For, as we have previously discussed, false teachers and false doctrines will and have crept into our churches, and we must be ever vigilant. As a final note, as Christians, we look to our Lord for guidance in our lives through prayer. How wonderful a blessing for us to be able to seek guidance from the creator of the universe. The One who created us, knows us intimately, and always knows what is best for us. It is only for us to truly seek His guidance, and to follow. However, for our prayers to be heard by God, and then for us to receive His guidance, we must be truly following after Him, and seeking after His will, and not our own. For, if we are not true seekers of His will, then our Lord will not hear our prayers, for we read in the Scriptures, “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” (NKJ – Proverbs 28:9) The “law” is a term referring to the Old Testament, but, in a broader sense, for us as Christians, it is a reference to all of Scripture, that is, the Bible. This verse tells us in no uncertain terms that when we come to our Lord for guidance, yet at the same time we are choosing to not follow His Word, then not only does God not listen to our prayers, but, even more, those prayers are an offense to Him. In these circumstances, we are being double minded before the Lord in that we are on one hand choosing to not follow, or reject, His Holy Word, yet at the same time we are coming to Him seeking His divine guidance. In other words, God refuses to hear those who refuse to hear Him. CONCLUSION As Christians, we must understand that we are all part of one body, one spiritual family, and that we all worship and were saved by the one true God. Our God has given to us His Word, the Bible, which is perfect and unchanging, and we are told and instructed by our God that all of our beliefs are to have as their foundation His Word. Though we may choose to associate ourselves with specific Christian denominations where we feel a spiritual like-mindedness, it is vitally important to our spiritual walk and growth, and, much more importantly, our relationship with our Lord, that we never place these denominations and their related traditions and beliefs above the Word of God. Such behavior, as we have read in the Scriptures, is to reject the Word of God. Further, as we have seen in the Scriptures, this willful rejection of His Word takes away the effectiveness of our prayers, and the blessings therein received from God. We are to be like the Bereans, joyfully receiving biblical teachings from others, but always comparing such teachings to the Word of God to assure their biblical foundation. Further, if we determine that any such teachings we receive are not true to the Word of God, then, no matter from where the source, we are to immediately reject such teachings as false, and to cling tightly to the truth that dwells within the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, the Word of God. God Bless