By disobedience, Tradition raises a testimony and establishes practices whose message is this: The Word of God is Irrelevant. By disobedience to Christ, Tradition becomes entrenched generation after generation. And even if passages in the Word of God are read that contradict Tradition, they are quickly passed over as having nothing to do with present realities.
And so Tradition supplants Scripture, customs overrule obedience, and man-made systems replace biblical simplicity. And so the precepts of men prevail as the commandment of God is forsaken, nullified, and deprived of its authority.
But make no mistake, Christ shares no co-regency. The Word of God and Tradition are sworn enemies. No treaty or alliance can be forged between the two.
We are branded hypocrites by Christ for tolerating and practicing Tradition’s customs inherited from the Custodians of denominational Shrines. Yes, hypocrites and evil men. Mk.7:6-9,13 says: “The Pharisees and scribes asked Him, ‘Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders?’
“And He said to them, ‘Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
“‘For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men…All too well you reject the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition…thus making void the Word of God by your tradition which you have handed down.’”
Man-made Tradition crafted in Christendom’s Shrines cancels the Word of God. Any who subject themselves to it are constituted hypocrites and fools. You cannot serve Tradition and Christ. We must repent of it according to the warning of Col.2:8:
“Be careful not to allow anyone to take you captive through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to the Traditions of men and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”
Dear Listener, note it well; each one of us are responsible to not allow any to take us captive by man-made Tradition. If you are held in bondage by man-devised religious systems, you have no one to blame but yourself. You are not an unwilling victim of religious error; you have chosen it. We must repent of the evil of man-crafted Tradition.
Col.2:16-23 makes this very clear: “Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast or Sabbath days. These are only a shadow of the good things to come, but the reality is Christ!
“Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and worship of angels cheat you of your prize. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind.
“He has not held fast to the Head, from whom the whole body grows with the growth that is from God. If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world, why do you submit to regulations and rules as though you still lived in the world?
“They are based on human commandments and teachings: even though they have an appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed religion, false humility, and harsh treatment of the body. They are a wisdom with no true value; in reality they result in fleshly indulgence.”
Dear Listener, Tradition is the enemy of Christ and the corruption of all godliness. Forsake it and return to the simplicity of devotion to Christ according to His Word.
Where are sanctuaries and cathedrals to be found in the NT? Nowhere. Where are Reverends, Archbishops, GOs, President and Founders, and Presiding Senior Pastors found in the NT? Nowhere. Where are to be seen Choirs and Worship Teams in the NT? Nowhere. Where are found even once demands for tithes, offerings, firstfruits, thanksgivings, or levees in the NT? Nowhere. Where do we find the chaotic uproar of babbling in tongues all at once in the NT church? Nowhere. Where do we find any church anywhere in the NT calling down fire from heaven on supposed enemies to destroy them? Nowhere.
Answer this simple question. Where in the NT can you show your typical Sunday morning church service? Just quote one verse. Show to the world that what Christendom does each Sunday morning has even one passage to support those grand pageants.
We’re waiting. Have you found one yet? No? Hmmn. So you’re saying it’s not biblical, right? Well, agreed; it’s not biblical. So, that raises another question.
If you cannot find your Sunday morning service in the Bible, then where did it come from; what was its origin? How did it come about if not even one verse in the whole New Testament supports this monstrosity we call “church”?
It came from man-made Tradition. Its first shrine was in Babylon where Nimrod institutionalized Tradition at his tower, and it spread worldwide from there.
There Priest-craft prevailed and the custodian king reigned supreme. “Worship” was localized at the Shrine. Individual spiritual priests were no longer tolerated.
All conformed to his scheme. Punishment was meted out for any who did not comply. Money was collected for maintenance of the building and its custodian.
Stones of God’s creation were cast aside for man-made bricks of his own design. Uniformity replaced unity. And rebellion colored it all.
What can be done? What then is the way out? Simple. Forsake Tradition and no longer tolerate and practice its traditions. Simple. Embrace Christ alone as Head of His Church. Simple. “Let love of the brethren continue” -Heb.13:1.
The solution to this Babylonian departure of the professing church is to return to the simplicity of devotion to Christ and His own Pattern. The practical expression of that is contained in the variety of “One Another” passages in the Scriptures.
If we would truly practice these, all men would observe our love and know that we are the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ indeed.
The name of God would cease to be blasphemed among the nations. Jesus Himself would no longer have cause to remove our lampstand and vomit us out of His mouth.
Restoration necessitates Reformation. For if we are restored to biblical life in Christ, the old forms of Christendom’s Traditions cannot contain that new life. Any attempt will ruin both.
It is a proverb worth noting: We do not live what we learn; we learn what we live. People imitate what they observe. As long as the professing church practices man-crafted Traditions, nothing will change. Unless we actually begin to live these “one anothers,” we will abide in Babylonian bondage despite however many “correct” ideas we may have about Christ and His church.
And man-made church systems will never allow these to actually be practiced in their gatherings. In a very real and practical sense, actually doing these “one anothers” are an abomination to the Shrines’ Custodians.
The New Wine of Jesus’ New Covenant cannot be contained in the Old Wineskins of religious Tradition. One must be forsaken for the other. Lk.5:37: “Otherwise, the new wine will burst the wineskins and it will be spilled out.” True spiritual life in Christ and religious Tradition are incompatible.
But beware! The Custodians of Tradition’s Shrines will never agree to actually practice the Bible. Lk.5:39 warns: “No one, after drinking old wine wants the new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’”
Copyright Steve Phillips 2020