Don't let tradition get in the way of the Bible

We let learned religious tradition pry us away from the will of GOD. We all know examples of this. We get all caught up in the moment of running a modern church and get involved in superficial argument over the color of the carpet and the songs that will be played, and neglect one of GOD fundamental instructions.

(Matthew 22:39 (Whole Chapter)
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.)

If we were loving our neighbor as ourself, we would let them have the cream carpet when the rose color was clearly better. We would let them use the drum set even though it's not what we grew up with and enjoyed. If we stopped and remembered to LOVE, those fights wouldn't occur. Personally, I don't care for a lot of the modern conventional forms of praise. I prefer tried and true hymns. However, I can't let me own "stick in the muddedness" rob others as a blessing. Afterall, these people are praising GOD....perhaps I should be trying to emulate them instead of sitting back and removing myself from the service.

Romans 8:28:

²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The above verse is often used to dismiss people who pray for things that we've learned, through tradition, NOT to ask for when praying. It's all working together for good, so why pray to get out of your dead end job or fix your marriage? Why don't you have faith in GOD, huh? The Kenneth Copeland critics use his ministry of seeking blessing as some kind of selfish act because you're NOT supposed to ask for things to be enjoyed.

Why would Jesus tell you to pray and ask for anything if it didn't matter if you did it or not?

Jesus talked about this in Matthew Chapter 15. They had practiced through the years that if someone was going to give something to GOD but wound up not giving it, you couldn't use it anymore. Not even, as Jesus pointed out, if it could help out your own parents. Jesus said that people let this tradition get in the way of following the 10 commandments in this particular instance. They weren't honoring their father and mother if they refused to use this gift (once intended for GOD but never given) to help out their parents.

This all goes back to the fundamental rule that should govern bible doctrine....the Bible needs to be the final authority. If it's not in the Bible, then you need to examine it before just treating it as the holy word of GOD in all instances.

Part of that chapter is posted below.

Matthew 15

¹Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

²Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

³But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

⁴For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

⁵But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

⁶And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

⁷Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

⁸This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

⁹But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

¹⁰And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

¹¹Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

¹²Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

¹³But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

¹⁴Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

¹⁵Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.

¹⁶And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

¹⁷Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

¹⁸But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

¹⁹For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

²⁰These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.