Beware lest anyone
cheat you through philosophy
and empty deceit,
according to the
tradition of men,
according to the
basic principles
of this world,
and not
according to Christ.
Colossians 2:8
Tradition has always been a source of concern among Christians because by means of tradition many have thought that they are true Christians because the tradition(s) that they have grown up with and acquired from their parents makes them to be so. Relying upon sacraments for one's belief in God and of their faith has led the Church, particularly the Catholic Church to adopt many traditions but the seven sacraments were determined as part of the Christian faith (1439 A.D.). The Reformers saw this differently and assigned only two sacraments, the Lord's Supper, and Baptism. The Catholic Church refused that adoption as the only sacraments and assigned seven (1439 A.D.): Baptism, Confirmation or Chrismation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Following tradition as was assigned for all true Roman and Eastern Catholics to follow faithfully added to the Church those things which are not to be found in the Bible. Things such as: prayers for the dead (310), veneration of angels and dead saints (395), the Mass (394) worship of Mary at the council of Ephesus (431), the Latin language (600), the Papacy (610), the worsip of the cross and images (788), the celibacy (1078), the Rosary (1090), confession to the priests for sins (1215, the Bible forbidden (1229), the Doctrine of the Seven Sacraments (1439), the immaculate conception of Mary (1834). Cardinal Newman, in his book, “The Development of the Christian Religion,” admits that ... “Temples, incense, oil lamps, votive offerings, holy water, holidays and season of devotions, processions, blessing of fields, sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure (of priests and monks and nuns), images ... are all of pagan origin...” (Page 359).
Why bring all this to light? There are some theologians who are unable to believe that the knowledge of God is of the constitution or our nature and have added many traditions to the Church in order that a person could by means of those traditions find God. In fact, they believe and teach that only by means of a supernatural revelation can one find God and for many that revelation may be found in the various sacraments of tradition that is employed by the Eastern and Roman Catholic Church. Those theologians have ignored the exalted view of God presented in the Bible and have allowed heathenism to become part and parcel of the Christian faith. No matter how pious one is or applies to this teaching that is foreign to the Bible, they still have promoted and caused their parishioners to participate as a means to demonstrate their belief and faith in God wrongly. It must be remembered that what one believes determines their theology, and their theology determines their religion, and their religion determines their character, and their character determines how they act. One may react and offer that those of the Eastern and Roman Catholic Church are pious and good people with good morals, etc, Yes, they are that, but, are they following tradition or the Bible? God looks upon the heart, one's motives. Are they in line with Him and His Word?
All that was meant to be said in the above was that to rely upon traditions is wrong and if those paganistic traditions brought into the Church then the Church has become diluted with paganism leading people astray from the truth. There are many people within those two Churches that love the Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart and truly believe upon Him for their salvation but cannot remove themselves from those traditions so engrained in them from their infancy. Many do leave after coming to the knowledge of those traditions. But, you say, do not other Churches have traditions? Yes, some traditions are nothing more than matter of indifference, and understood properly do not become matters of faith. The Reformers held to two sacraments those that are found to be Biblical and the only those two sacraments authorized by Jesus Christ. When a person partakes of the Lord's Supper, first after praying to the Lord for forgiveness of their sins and to comes to the table with a clean heart, they do this in reverence to what Jesus Christ did for them upon the cross, He forgave their sins. Also, the baptism is a method of outward expression of one's inward faith in Jesus Christ. When a baby is baptized their sins are not forgiven by means of baptism, only that he, the baby, becomes a member of the body of Christ his visible Church. The Westminster Catechism Question 166. Unto whom is baptism to be administered? Answer: "Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, and so strangers from the covenant of promise, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him, but infants descending from parents, either both, or one of them, professing faith in Christ, and obedience to him, are in that respect within the covenant, and to be baptized." These are not traditions, and baptism is a once in a lifetime event. Salvation does not depend upon either sacrament.
This is not a blog on sacraments but on the use of traditions as a means for the knowledge of God and not within our constitution, our nature, thereby where we know that there is a God and we are without excuse of we say there is no God. More will be said in regards to tradition and the knowledge of God in the next blog. In the meantime, make the Lord Jesus Christ to be what He said He was: "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
He answered and said to them
'Why do you also
transgress the commandments
of God because
of your tradition?
Matthew 15:3
Be Of Great Faith Today
Richard L. Crumb
Why bring all this to light? There are some theologians who are unable to believe that the knowledge of God is of the constitution or our nature and have added many traditions to the Church in order that a person could by means of those traditions find God. In fact, they believe and teach that only by means of a supernatural revelation can one find God and for many that revelation may be found in the various sacraments of tradition that is employed by the Eastern and Roman Catholic Church. Those theologians have ignored the exalted view of God presented in the Bible and have allowed heathenism to become part and parcel of the Christian faith. No matter how pious one is or applies to this teaching that is foreign to the Bible, they still have promoted and caused their parishioners to participate as a means to demonstrate their belief and faith in God wrongly. It must be remembered that what one believes determines their theology, and their theology determines their religion, and their religion determines their character, and their character determines how they act. One may react and offer that those of the Eastern and Roman Catholic Church are pious and good people with good morals, etc, Yes, they are that, but, are they following tradition or the Bible? God looks upon the heart, one's motives. Are they in line with Him and His Word?
All that was meant to be said in the above was that to rely upon traditions is wrong and if those paganistic traditions brought into the Church then the Church has become diluted with paganism leading people astray from the truth. There are many people within those two Churches that love the Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart and truly believe upon Him for their salvation but cannot remove themselves from those traditions so engrained in them from their infancy. Many do leave after coming to the knowledge of those traditions. But, you say, do not other Churches have traditions? Yes, some traditions are nothing more than matter of indifference, and understood properly do not become matters of faith. The Reformers held to two sacraments those that are found to be Biblical and the only those two sacraments authorized by Jesus Christ. When a person partakes of the Lord's Supper, first after praying to the Lord for forgiveness of their sins and to comes to the table with a clean heart, they do this in reverence to what Jesus Christ did for them upon the cross, He forgave their sins. Also, the baptism is a method of outward expression of one's inward faith in Jesus Christ. When a baby is baptized their sins are not forgiven by means of baptism, only that he, the baby, becomes a member of the body of Christ his visible Church. The Westminster Catechism Question 166. Unto whom is baptism to be administered? Answer: "Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, and so strangers from the covenant of promise, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him, but infants descending from parents, either both, or one of them, professing faith in Christ, and obedience to him, are in that respect within the covenant, and to be baptized." These are not traditions, and baptism is a once in a lifetime event. Salvation does not depend upon either sacrament.
This is not a blog on sacraments but on the use of traditions as a means for the knowledge of God and not within our constitution, our nature, thereby where we know that there is a God and we are without excuse of we say there is no God. More will be said in regards to tradition and the knowledge of God in the next blog. In the meantime, make the Lord Jesus Christ to be what He said He was: "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
He answered and said to them
'Why do you also
transgress the commandments
of God because
of your tradition?
Matthew 15:3
Be Of Great Faith Today
Richard L. Crumb
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