| Christian Life and Doctrine | October 1968 |
The Bible Versus Tradition
JESUS was very outspoken in condemning the “tradition of the elder” as set forth by the scribes and the Pharisees of his day. He was asked by them why his disciples transgressed these traditions, and his reply was, in part, “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?” (Matt. 15:2,3) Thus Jesus indicates that the traditions of men are often contrary to the commandment, or Word of God.
Webster’s Dictionary gives as one definition of tradition, “The oral transmission of information, beliefs, customs, etc., from ancestors to posterity without written memorials.” This is in sharp contrast to the written Word of God. In the Scriptures the word “tradition” translates the Greek word paradosis, which, according to Prof. Strong means “transmission, that is (concretely) a precept; specifically the Jewish traditionary law.”
The “Jewish traditionary law” was that mass of interpretations and adjustment which began to be formulated by the elders of Israel at an early date, and which was transmitted orally and added to from generation to generation. So far as we know there were no written versions of these traditions in Jesus’ day. It was in the second century that these oral tradition began to be put into written form. Out of these written versions of tradition there finally developed the Jewish Talmud. However, not all Israelites shard the views of the scribes and Pharisees with respect to tradition. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote,
“What I would now explain is this, that the Pharisees have delivered to the people a great many observances by succession from their fathers, which are not written in the laws of Moses; and for that reason it is that the Sadducees reject them, and say that we are to esteem those observances to be obligatory which are in the written word, but are not to observe what are derived from the tradition of our forefathers.”—Antiquities XIII, 10, 6
Controversy Continues
The controversy as to the relative value of the written Word of God and the tradition of men which began in ancient times and was highlighted by Jesus’ firm stand against tradition, has continued right down to our time. One of the crucial issues now confronting the Roman Catholic Church is whether or not their traditions should be given equal authority among their people as is given to the written Word of God—perhaps even setting aside the Word of God.
In the days of the Early Church the Apostle Paul found it necessary to resist the influence of tradition. He wrote, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Col. 2:8) The traditions which wrought the greatest evil in the Early Church were probably those related to false notions concerning the place the Jewish Law should occupy in the beliefs and practices of Christians.
The Apostle Peter wrote, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers.” (I Pet. 1:18) Here Peter emphasizes that the brethren had not been redeemed by silver and gold from their foolish conduct enjoined upon them by the traditions received from their fathers, but by the precious blood of Christ.—I Pet. 1:19
In Galatians 1:14 Paul speaks of his former zeal for the traditions of his fathers. We quote, “And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.” Now, Paul was just as zealous for the Gospel of Christ as he had previously been for tradition.
As we have noted, the word “tradition” simply implies the passing along of ideas to others by word of mouth. The word in itself does not contain any sinister meaning. Thus Paul uses it in reference to his own teachings of the Gospel. We quote, “So then, brethren, stand firm, and retain the instructions [Diaglott word for word, and King James Version, ‘traditions’] you were taught, whether by our word or letter.” (II Thess. 2:15, Diaglott) Here Paul uses the Greek word translated “traditions” as applying to his own inspired teachings which he had passed on to the brethren by word of mouth and by letter. But since Paul spoke and wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, his teachings were a part of God’s message to his people, and not the opinions of men.
Paul also used the word “tradition” in a good sense in II Thessalonians 3:6, which reads, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received from us.” Here again the “tradition” Paul refers to is his own teachings, and therefore inspired by God’s Holy Spirit.
Human Traditions
The traditions condemned by Jesus and the apostles were of purely human origin—those philosophies, whether pertaining to the Law or to the Gospel of Christ, which have developed through the centuries and finally are accepted by many as of equal importance to the Word of God. As the word implies, these traditions have usually started as opinions which were passed along to others orally—sometimes through many generations—and finally are given dignity and a semblance of authority by being published in written form.
But human tradition, unsupported by the teachings of the Bible, no matter how old or how venerable or seemingly reasonable, should be given no authority by the dedicated child of God. The Lord’s true people will give heed to the instructions of his Word, which states, “To the law and to, the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”—Isa. 8:20
Thoroughly Furnished
The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, saying, “All Scripture, divinely inspired, is indeed profitable for Teachings for Conviction, for Correction, for that Discipline which is in Righteousness; so that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly fitted for Every good Work.” (II Tim. 3:16,17 Diaglott) Here the Apostle Paul clearly emphasizes that the Lord’s people need not look outside the Word of God for authoritative instructions in order to be acceptable servants to the Lord.
Paul again wrote to Timothy, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Tim. 2:15) To be workmen pleasing to God it is essential only that we rightly divide the Word of truth and apply its precepts in our lives as we daily walk in the narrow way of sacrifice. It is not necessary to harmonize the Word of God with traditions. Some traditions may be quite in harmony with the Word of God, but most traditions are not, and these should give us no concern in our search for the truth.
Small Beginnings
Traditions usually have small beginnings. The doctrine of the trinity is a humanly conceived tradition. There is no authority for this teaching in the Word of God. To the one who first gave thought to this erroneous doctrine it probably seemed to be a reasonable conclusion. Certainly the Bible speaks of God the Father, and it also speaks of Jesus, his beloved Son. The Bible also speaks much of the Holy Spirit of God.
Could it be, someone may have inquired, that these three are in some way the same? This philosophy was possibly passed on to others, and then to still others. Finally it was debated in church councils and accepted by the majority as fact. Many of those who fought against it, insisting that the Bible taught that there is but one God, were pacified by the suggestion that “these three are one.” This tradition has become so deeply rooted in the minds of millions that to question it makes one disobedient, in their minds, to the Word of God; and yet it is not taught in the Bible at all. Rather, this tradition makes void the teaching of the Word of God on the true nature of God, and of his beloved Son, Christ Jesus; and it makes the Holy Spirit a “ghost” instead of the holy power or influence of God, as the Bible teaches.
Many other traditions developed during the Middle Ages, and among them is the one that the end of the world means the destruction of the earth by literal fire. On the contrary, the Bible teaches that the end of the world is the’ end of Satan’s social order, and is brought about to prepare the way for the full establishment of Messiah’s kingdom, and the end of the Devil’s kingdom. Recognizing this enables us to have a much clearer understanding of the end-of-the-world prophecies than otherwise would be possible.
Then there is the “immortal soul” tradition. This began, really, when Satan said to mother Eve, “Thou shalt not surely die.” (Gen. 3:4) As this tradition developed it took the form that “there is no death.” Then the “reasonable conclusion” was reached that since actual death is not the punishment for sin, some form of conscious punishment must await those who seem to die. This idea, which seemed to be so reasonable, soon developed into the God-dishonoring doctrine of eternal torture in a fiery hell. How this tradition has indeed made void the Word of God with respect to “the wages of sin” and God’s loving provision for everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord!—Rom. 6:23; John 3:16
Infallibility
As the great falling away from the faith foretold by the Apostle Paul developed, the tendency grew to impart authority to certain outstanding leaders in the church. The bishop of Rome came in for the largest share of this authority, and in due course it seemed reasonable to his supporters to confer infallibility upon him and to regard him as the vicegerent of Christ. This tradition soon became a dogma in the Catholic Church, but it has no support whatever in the Word of God.
The only truly infallible teachings, so far as the humble Christian is concerned, are those contained in the written Word of God. And God has so overruled the matter that, as Paul declared, the Scriptures given by inspiration are sufficient to make wise unto salvation. We know that it is in the providence of God that he has seen to it that his Word of truth has come down to us in written form. It does not depend upon’ oral transmission, as was true with the beginning of all traditions. Oral testimony can be forgotten, and distorted or wrested; but not the written Word of God.
True, we do not have the original manuscripts of the Bible. We have to depend upon translations, which at times are less than perfect. But today, in the Lord’s providence, we have Greek and Hebrew concordances which enable us to check the accuracy of translations. This has proved to be a great blessing to the Lord’s people, and has resulted in a clearer and more blessed understanding of God’s great plan of salvation.
Revelation 22:18,19 contains a warning against adding to or taking away from the Word of God; and while this warning applies particularly to the Book of Revelation, without doubt God is equally concerned with respect to his entire written Word. He wants his people to be meek and humble in their approach to his Word. When he speaks he rejoices to have his people take heed to what he says and order their lives accordingly. This is one of the vital tests the Lord imposes upon all his consecrated people. They have dedicated themselves to do his will, and his will is expressed through his written Word. Are we truly following that Word, or are we in part giving heed to the precepts of men?
The Noble Bereans
The Apostle Paul, although one of the inspired servants of God who was used generously in helping to provide his written Word for his people, rejoiced when he met those who insisted that even his teachings be tested as to their harmony with the inspired Scriptures already written. He indicates this in telling of his experiences with a group in a synagogue in Berea to whom he presented the Gospel. He said of these that they “were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”—Acts 17:11
In addition to searching the Scriptures for proof of what Paul preached to them, these Bereans were noble also in the fact “that they received the Word of God with all readiness of mind.” This is an important quality for all those who would be pleasing to the Heavenly Father. The disposition to turn a deaf ear to clear statements of the Word of God, and to be guided instead by human philosophy and tradition, cannot be pleasing to the Lord. Let us endeavor to be among those who “tremble” at his Word.—Isa. 66:5
Helpers
The Lord, in his providence, has provided that his people should assist each other in the understanding of the sacred and infallible Word of truth. We all have opportunities and responsibilities along this line. Some of the brethren serve as teachers, some as evangelists, and some as pastors. The Lord in his love provided a special pastor for his people in this end of the Gospel Age, for which we are duly grateful.
These helpers occupy a different relationship to the church than do the writings contained in the inspired Word of truth. These helpers are not sources of truth with respect to the divine plan, but serve merely to call attention to the glorious doctrines of present truth as they are set forth in the inspired Word. If Paul, although an inspired apostle, considered the Bereans to be noble because they made sure that what he taught them was supported by the infallible Scriptures, how much more important it is for us to make sure that what we are taught by those not inspired as was Paul is indeed supported by a “thus saith the Lord.”
Scriptural Interpretations
Speaking of the experiences of natural Israel the Apostle Paul wrote, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world [ages, Diaglott] are come.” (I Cor. 10:11) Some have taken this statement by Paul to mean that everything which happened to Israel is supposed to have a very deep significance which does not appear on the surface. Then they proceed to interpret these supposedly deep types according to whatever their fancy may indicate to be the meaning.
This is an unwarranted use of the Word of God. Paul clearly indicated what he meant by saying that the things which happened to Israel were ensamples. He explains that God dealt with all his ancient people in the same manner. Some responded to his providences in terms of faithful obedience, but others did not. He wrote:
“But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”—I Cor. 10:5-10
Then follows the explanation already quoted that “all these things happened unto them for ensamples.” God did not permit those things to happen to natural Israel in order to teach deep and intricate lessons, but as ensamples, or we might say warnings to his people of later times not to be disobedient as some of his people of old were disobedient.
Many numbers and figures are mentioned in the historical sections of the Bible. Some have assumed that these are all intended in some way to be time prophecies, and as, a result have disappointed themselves and others by their interpretations of these so-called time prophecies. This is also an improper use of the Word of God. There are indeed wonderful and beautiful time prophecies in the Bible, but the Bible itself identifies these as such, and gives us the proper key for unlocking them. How wonderful indeed is the time measurement of 1,335 “days” of Daniel 12:12; and how sweet the foretold “blessedness” that has come to the Lord’s people when the end of this time period was reached! Jesus referred to it when he said, “Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching.”—Luke 12:37
The Fundamentals
All the great fundamentals of the divine plan are clearly established in the Word of God by direct statements of Scripture. If we rightly divide the Word of truth we will discover the firm foundation upon which present truth is really established. But if, perchance, we try to harmonize these truths with opinions and traditions which are based merely on human philosophy, we will sooner or later experience disappointment, no matter how appealing the philosophy may be.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised.)” (Heb. 10:23) God is always faithful to his promises, but he takes no responsibility for the theories we may attach to his promises. We will never be disappointed when putting our faith in the promises of God, but could well be disappointed if we fail to see the difference between the promises of God and those theories and traditions which we may unwittingly associate with his promises. May the Word of God, and all the blessed features of the divine plan which are clearly revealed therein, become more and more precious to us as the days and years go by!