Shadows, Clouds, Idolatry, Traditions, Substance and Reality - Part 3
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
In our previous message we shared some thoughts about clouds and idolatry. Now we want to share with you my understanding about the traditions of men, which are perhaps the biggest obstacle (other than self) to the maturity of us Christians. I am sure that we Christians will one day be surprised at all of the traditions of men that we have substituted for the Word of God.
The word "tradition" occurs 13 times in the New Testament and not once in the Old Testament. In addition, in 1 Corinthians 11:2, the word "ordinance" is the same Greek word translated elsewhere as "tradition." In 11 of the 13 times that "tradition" occurs in the New Testament, including all occurrences of the word by Jesus, (traditions of men or traditions of the elders), it is clearly in a negative context; i.e., to be avoided as not the truth of God.
Let us consider the remaining three times that the Greek word translated as "tradition" or "ordinances" is found in the New Testament. No one would question that Paul understood the difference between traditions of men and the word of God.
The word "ordinances" is the same Greek word translated elsewhere as "tradition."
What ordinances and traditions are Paul talking about? All three of those verses have the same common theme. Let us consider two more verses which say the same thing.
In all five of those verses, and several more, Paul says he already had taught them in person but now he is writing it down. Everything in the New Testament of any value in our walk as a Christian was first spoken by the apostles in person and then was written down, but it was the same truth whether by personal, spoken word or by letter. Paul put in writing what he had taught them earlier. That way we Christians would not forget or corrupt it after his death. It is much easier to distort what is orally handed down and left up to individual memory. Many of the modern translations of the Bible are periodically being retranslated in part. That attempt by theologians and academic scholars is nothing but a work of the flesh.
What the church accepted and practiced after the apostles was that which was written, not what was spoken. That is why the Scripture is our final authority.
Every time the devil tempted Jesus, our Lord countered with the word of God ... it is written. What was written at that point in time? only the Old Testament. Any and all traditions become invalid if in any point they contradict the Bible. Any teachings of praying the rosary, praying to saints and Mary, purgatory, indulgences, etc., are not found in the Scripture and they contradict scripture's teachings. Further, there is no other book or writing that is equal in significance to the Bible. The Catholic Church and other churches have made their traditions equal to the word, but only the word itself has authority.
As time goes on generations could and have passed on memories that have been contrary to the original teachings by word of mouth. God had Moses write everything down in the book of the law, so there would be no question what was said. Any mistakes would be minimized. God did that in the Old Testament and He did the same in the New Testament. Jesus pointed to the Old Testament word. The early church also pointed to the written word as contained in the Old Testament. The modern-day church must also point to the written word, both from the Old and New Testaments.
Paul also said to "let the word of God dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16). It is the word of God that is quick and powerful (Hebrews 4:12) to change us from the inside; traditions can never be an alternative or of equal value to what God has spoken and written down for all generations to live by.
Note that Verse 16 does NOT say "to reveal His Son to me." Those verses in Galatians clearly affirm that the "traditions of my fathers" are not to be followed.
Although Peter, James, and John heard the voice of the Father and saw the transfiguration of Jesus, Peter said that we have a more sure word of prophecy ... namely the written word of God. He also said, in 2 Peter 1:20, that no scripture is of any private interpretation. That means that whatever revelation the Lord gives to one man, He will also give to other men.
Forty-some years ago I went to a gathering of local believers in a brother's house on a Saturday afternoon. The man that most of our local church considered to be an apostle was there from another state. He said that instead of him teaching, that we all would read 2 Peter, Chapter 1.
We went around the living room, each person reading one verse of 2 Peter, Chapter 1. After we had read all of the chapter, the visiting minister asked what anyone had received from those verses. Several believers had a few comments, none of which seemed very important. So I silently read again the whole chapter. When I came to 2 Peter 2:19, a light bulb came on! I then shared what the Holy Spirit had just quickened to me from Verse 19, which says
In the natural realm, kings and all those in authority are the world's answer to peace and prosperity, but only if they are "good" kings. In the spiritual realm, only the Lord Jesus Christ is our King. But we Christians are much more attuned to the natural realm ... men we can see and hear with our natural senses.
Both 1 Samuel, Verse 5, and Mark 7, Verse 5, are examples of when all of the elders were wrong. That should not be too surprising. The Lord has allowed me to see the same thing (when all of the elders were wrong) in modern-day charismatic churches several different times in different locations.
In Verse 1 of Mark 7, note that the Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem all the way to where Jesus was at the time, which was at the Sea of Galilee, some 85 miles away! And 85 miles in that day was no small distance, with no planes or trains or cars. Amazing! Jesus had already become a Person of interest to the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. He had become a possible threat to their religion even at this early stage of His ministry on earth. Jesus had not been to a seminary or brought up as a qualified rabbi. This was another delegation of fact-finding religious leaders from Jerusalem, sent to investigate the Galilean activities of Jesus.
In Verse 2, the delegation sent out by the Jerusalem Sanhedrin found fault with Jesus' disciples because they ate bread with defiled, unwashed hands. In other words, their religion was of the form, "Our way is the only way. We have all the truth of God." Human nature has never changed. That is why we have literally thousands of denominations, non-denominations, inter-denominations, fellowships, house churches, and all forms of church groups today.
In Verse 3, note the phrase, "the tradition of the elders." Scripturally, historically, and experientially, the problem within the chosen people of God has always been because of the elders ... those in positional authority but those who do not have spiritual authority. (A few good men are in visible leadership positions today, but in general they are largely hidden from the masses of Christian people.)
After the Babylonian captivity, the Jewish rabbis began to make meticulous rules and regulations governing the daily life of the people. These were interpretations and applications of the Law of Moses, handed down from generation to generation. The tradition of the elders was considered to be binding. In Jesus' day this "tradition of the elders" was still in oral form.
It was not until about 200 A.D. that it was put into writing in the Talmud, which consists of two parts: the Mishnah and the Gemara. The Mishnah is the written compendium of Judaism's Oral Torah (instruction or teaching). In standard print, the Talmud is more than 6,200 pages long. One specific teaching from the Oral Torah is given in Verses 1-5 of Mark 7 (cannot eat with unwashed hands). I have read that another specific entry in the Oral Torah is that no one is allowed to put an egg outside on a stone on a hot Sabbath day because the sun might cook the egg and cooking is not allowed on the Sabbath day.
In Verse 4, note that "when they come from the market" they also must wash their hands before eating. The reason for that, according to the Oral Torah, is that any place where Jews would come into contact with Gentiles, or with Jews who did not observe the ceremonial law, they would become ceremonially unclean.
In Verses 6-8, Jesus quoted from Isaiah 29:13-14.
Jesus said that Isaiah prophesied of the Pharisees and scribes, which was 750 years after Isaiah's time. In reality, Isaiah prophesied of the chosen people of God of his day, the chosen people of God when Jesus walked the face of the earth, and the chosen people of God in our day. It will also be true of the next generation of the chosen people of God (if in fact there will be another generation). Human nature has never changed. That means that the wisdom and understanding of God is still largely hidden from the leaders of the modern-day church. Why? because of the traditions of the elders and because their heart is far from the Lord (focused more on numbers of people, collecting money, and a variety of other less important and unscriptural activities).
Now some charismatic believers might think it "funny" concerning the rule in the Mishnah that no one is allowed to put an egg outside on a hot Sabbath day because the sun might cook it. However, it would be interesting if we knew how many "funny" traditions of men that we charismatic believers also have today.
Many charismatic pastors seem to have no idea about all of the traditions of men that are commonly taught as correct doctrine. But all of the ways of the Lord are clearly written in the law and in the prophets, if we only had ears to hear and eyes to see.
When Jesus walked the face of the earth, His ministry was always a contention with the traditions of the Pharisees, which were burdens that brought the people into bondage because they went beyond Scripture. Every time the Pharisees brought up traditions as equal to the Scripture, Jesus brought them back to the written word. This is why he called them the traditions of men because they did not come from God but from religious men who were steeped in self and deception. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to validate and approve what they called the traditions of the elders. Jesus was clear He did not approve of their traditions by saying, in Mark 7:7, "Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Mark 7:7 was true when Jesus spoke it and Mark 7:7 is equally true today.
Jesus did not give too many examples of specific traditions of men (although He knew all of them). If the charismatic community today were enlightened to all of the many traditions of men that are commonly practiced and considered to be scriptural, we might all be shocked. Perhaps some of those traditions of men can be exposed at another time, hopefully by the Holy Spirit.
We are all creatures of habit. We are all creatures of traditions. We are all creatures of our experiences and our parents' experiences. We like to be conformed to our peers and our neighbors. We learn the charismatic language quickly. We assume that what the pastor says and what he does and the language that he uses is all correct. Those things keep us bound to the past, bound to the earthy Jerusalem, bound to the ways of man. Any time a word is shared, we Christians tend to pull that word down to the level of our experiences or previous teachings so we can understand with our natural minds. It is too much "work" to be like the Bereans who searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so (Acts 17:11). However it does no good to search the scriptures using our natural minds. We tend to be like the Israelites who said, "Let not God speak with us lest we die, but we will hear the Lord through Moses" (Exodus 20:19). That is much easier than hearing from the Lord for our self.
Although most believers say that I (we) do not know everything, in reality or practicality, most believers think that I (we) are moving in the truth of God. My (our) interpretation of scripture is correct. That is called human nature. That is also called deception. "If any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know"
Another very real phenomenon is that in any place where God's people are (as a church or fellowship), our adversary is sure to infiltrate in various and sundry ways to try to prevent the truth from coming forth or to distort the truth. It does not take much to make the real truth distorted or off-center. Rat poison is 99% pure wheat; it is the other 1% that gets you. The false always emerges before the true.
Paul says, "There must be also heresies among you." Why? because our adversary wants to deceive us; he wants to keep us from maturing spiritually; he wants to keep us ignorant. He wants us to focus on the natural rather than on the spiritual. He wants us to swallow the false before the true emerges. We have little patience; therefore we swallow the first thing that sounds scriptural. We have no patience to wait for our Isaac; we jump on the Ishmael first. Some heresies sound very scriptural to the natural mind. That is why we must cry out to God that we may have His discernment to differentiate between good and evil on the one hand and the will of God and the truth of God on the other hand. Christian man's perception of good frequently is not at all God's perception of good. Further, we should not use Webster's dictionary to define spiritual terms. We should always use the word of God to define the word of God.
Different cultures have different customs and different traditions. Most of us believe that which we have heard or experienced in our early religious or spiritual walk must be true. Therefore we tend to perpetuate that which we have been taught. Many things that charismatic believers have been taught may have been true; other things not quite true; and a few things perhaps in the off-center category (or worse). Forty-some years ago, in our New Testament house church, we received much teaching from many good men. Most of that teaching was very good. Hindsight, some very important aspects of our Christian walk were seldom, if ever taught. In addition, after a few years, the Holy Spirit quickened that a few of our received teachings were not quite true (specifics available upon request).
Now consider one specific example ... In some areas of the Christian community a cookie-cutter approach is used. A lot of cookie dough is presented to a teacher, who uses a cookie cutter to stamp out many cookies. The cookie dough is would-be pastors. The cookie cutter is the understanding of the teacher. And so the understanding of one (or several) teachers is taught, preached to each individual piece of cookie dough at the same time. The premise is that by presenting what the teacher believes to be truth to many folks in a classroom type setting or a "church" setting, then the students will thereby "mature" and be able to become pastors and repeat the process. Those who take this approach perhaps quote the following exhortation from Paul to Timothy to justify their approach to making cookies.
No one would dispute the fact that Paul was an exceptionally good teacher. No one would dispute that his understanding of the gospel of the kingdom of God has rarely, if ever, been matched. Is it correct exegesis to take a rhema word from Paul to Timothy and make it into a logos word to every believer? Further, the word says, "commit thou to faithful men." Is it correct exegesis to make that read, "commit thou to all men?" Or is it possible that we might need to listen to the Holy Spirit as to when, where, and to whom we should teach and preach?
Many years ago I went to a "Lay Witness Mission" in a Methodist Church in Chester, Pennsylvania. I was the only "team member" from the visiting team in an adult Sunday school class. When that session began I stated that they did not know me and I did not know them. I asked if anyone could tell me where he/she/they were spiritually. Immediately, one woman broke down, crying, and said, "I am nowhere." Immediately, Romans 10:9-10 came to my mind.
But just as immediately, I felt a check by the Holy Spirit NOT to quote those verses. The Lord impressed upon me that no amount of reading Bible verses or reciting a "sinner's prayer" would bring her to salvation. What the Lord told me to say was, "Before you leave this room you will be somewhere." I later realized that that woman was born from above as soon as she cried out, "I am nowhere!" The Lord always hears and responds to a genuine heart cry. A format or tradition seldom works. Have you ever tried to count all of the DIFFERENT ways that Jesus healed a person in need?
Philip is called an evangelist (Acts 21:8). In Acts 8:5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. Many people were saved after seeing the miracles, healings, and deliverances that were manifested through the ministry of Philip. They were also baptized in water in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John (Acts 8:14), who laid their hands on them and they then were baptized with the Holy Ghost. Now surely Philip was acquainted with the baptism in the Holy Ghost. Why had Philip not laid hands on them so that they could receive the Holy Ghost? Could it be because Philip, as an evangelist, knew that was a function for the apostles and not for an evangelist? Incidentally, the Lord is able to baptize folks with the Holy Spirit all by Himself. He did that on the Day of Pentecost; he did that with Paul; and I have known several believers personally when that happened to them. In other words, no man laid hands on them.
Experientially, I have seen a number of good men try to function in a place they were never called. It never worked. Does that mean that we should function in the place where we have been called but not try to function in a place where we have not been called? Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues [in an assembly]? Do all interpret? Is every member of the body a mouth? Does the hand see as well as the eye? Does the heart hear as well as the ear? There is a difference between hearing the voice of the Lord for myself and hearing the voice of the Lord for the church. Peter apparently was a mouth. Not only was he the spokesman for all of the apostles on the day of Pentecost, but he preached a similar message in Acts 3. In Acts, Chapters 3-8, every time we see Peter we see John; but it is never recorded that John said anything in the Book of Acts. John was a heart. He is the man who leaned on Jesus' breast at what we call the last supper. John was a man after God's own heart.
Most churches today are distinctly "pastor" oriented. The pastor teaches, preaches, sets forth the acceptable doctrine, administrates, and in general calls the shots, subject more or less to elders. In Acts 2:42, the early church continued steadfastly in the apostles' (plural) doctrine. Also we "are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" (Ephesians 2:20).
A good question, perhaps, is why do we see so many traditions of men in operation today in our churches? Only the Lord knows all of the answers, but we would suggest one possible reason. Could it be that many of the "problems" within the charismatic community are because there is little or no true vision in our churches? Even when a visionary is in a local church, his ministry may not be received. Consider this scenario. The watchman stands upon the walls. He sees something or someone coming. The king and the other subjects are sitting comfortably in the dining room, feasting on good delicacies. The watchman calls down and says he sees danger approaching. The king and the subjects say that they don't see any danger; therefore the watchman must be wrong. Of course they do not see anything approaching; they are not standing on the wall. "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18a). And where there is little or a small vision, the people are weak and sickly and many sleep (paraphrased from 1 Corinthians 11:29-30). The first word I ever shared publicly was titled, "Appropriating the Christ in others." (That is a lengthy word in itself.)
The word "tradition" occurs 13 times in the New Testament and not once in the Old Testament. In addition, in 1 Corinthians 11:2, the word "ordinance" is the same Greek word translated elsewhere as "tradition." In 11 of the 13 times that "tradition" occurs in the New Testament, including all occurrences of the word by Jesus, (traditions of men or traditions of the elders), it is clearly in a negative context; i.e., to be avoided as not the truth of God.
Let us consider the remaining three times that the Greek word translated as "tradition" or "ordinances" is found in the New Testament. No one would question that Paul understood the difference between traditions of men and the word of God.
1 Corinthians 11:1-2, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you."
The word "ordinances" is the same Greek word translated elsewhere as "tradition."
2 Thessalonians 2:15: "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle."
2 Thessalonians 3:6, "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 of us."
What ordinances and traditions are Paul talking about? All three of those verses have the same common theme. Let us consider two more verses which say the same thing.
Paul stated, in 2 Thessalonians 2:5, "Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?"And in 1 Corinthians 15:1 Paul said, "Moreover brethren I declare unto you the gospel which I preached to you ..."
In all five of those verses, and several more, Paul says he already had taught them in person but now he is writing it down. Everything in the New Testament of any value in our walk as a Christian was first spoken by the apostles in person and then was written down, but it was the same truth whether by personal, spoken word or by letter. Paul put in writing what he had taught them earlier. That way we Christians would not forget or corrupt it after his death. It is much easier to distort what is orally handed down and left up to individual memory. Many of the modern translations of the Bible are periodically being retranslated in part. That attempt by theologians and academic scholars is nothing but a work of the flesh.
What the church accepted and practiced after the apostles was that which was written, not what was spoken. That is why the Scripture is our final authority.
Every time the devil tempted Jesus, our Lord countered with the word of God ... it is written. What was written at that point in time? only the Old Testament. Any and all traditions become invalid if in any point they contradict the Bible. Any teachings of praying the rosary, praying to saints and Mary, purgatory, indulgences, etc., are not found in the Scripture and they contradict scripture's teachings. Further, there is no other book or writing that is equal in significance to the Bible. The Catholic Church and other churches have made their traditions equal to the word, but only the word itself has authority.
As time goes on generations could and have passed on memories that have been contrary to the original teachings by word of mouth. God had Moses write everything down in the book of the law, so there would be no question what was said. Any mistakes would be minimized. God did that in the Old Testament and He did the same in the New Testament. Jesus pointed to the Old Testament word. The early church also pointed to the written word as contained in the Old Testament. The modern-day church must also point to the written word, both from the Old and New Testaments.
Paul also said to "let the word of God dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16). It is the word of God that is quick and powerful (Hebrews 4:12) to change us from the inside; traditions can never be an alternative or of equal value to what God has spoken and written down for all generations to live by.
Paul said, in Galatians 1:14-16, "And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace, To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:"
Note that Verse 16 does NOT say "to reveal His Son to me." Those verses in Galatians clearly affirm that the "traditions of my fathers" are not to be followed.
2 Peter 1:16-21, "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
Although Peter, James, and John heard the voice of the Father and saw the transfiguration of Jesus, Peter said that we have a more sure word of prophecy ... namely the written word of God. He also said, in 2 Peter 1:20, that no scripture is of any private interpretation. That means that whatever revelation the Lord gives to one man, He will also give to other men.
Forty-some years ago I went to a gathering of local believers in a brother's house on a Saturday afternoon. The man that most of our local church considered to be an apostle was there from another state. He said that instead of him teaching, that we all would read 2 Peter, Chapter 1.
We went around the living room, each person reading one verse of 2 Peter, Chapter 1. After we had read all of the chapter, the visiting minister asked what anyone had received from those verses. Several believers had a few comments, none of which seemed very important. So I silently read again the whole chapter. When I came to 2 Peter 2:19, a light bulb came on! I then shared what the Holy Spirit had just quickened to me from Verse 19, which says
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:"
I said that I had seen many Christians taking heed, taking heed, and taking heed, which is Judaism or legalism. But the purpose is for the Day Star to arise in our hearts. That speaks of Christ in you, the hope of glory. So our purpose as Christian believers is not simply to read, understand, and take heed to the written word of God. That is necessary but not sufficient. But our purpose is that the word must become flesh within us. We must walk in the light that we have received but earnestly desiring that the Holy Spirit will make the word real within us.
Nowhere is it written or even implied that we continue to have traditions by word of mouth after the apostles. Let me emphasize, that there is NO NEW revelation outside of or in addition to the Bible. However, understanding the true significance of the written word is like peeling an onion ... there is always another level available. Almost all Christians have their own interpretation of the Bible. But the purpose of any true apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or elder is to rightly divide the word of God so that the body of Christ might be built up into a mature or perfect church, without spot or wrinkle.
Nowhere is it written or even implied that we continue to have traditions by word of mouth after the apostles. Let me emphasize, that there is NO NEW revelation outside of or in addition to the Bible. However, understanding the true significance of the written word is like peeling an onion ... there is always another level available. Almost all Christians have their own interpretation of the Bible. But the purpose of any true apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or elder is to rightly divide the word of God so that the body of Christ might be built up into a mature or perfect church, without spot or wrinkle.
Revelation 22:18-19, "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 1 Samuel 8:4-5
In the natural realm, kings and all those in authority are the world's answer to peace and prosperity, but only if they are "good" kings. In the spiritual realm, only the Lord Jesus Christ is our King. But we Christians are much more attuned to the natural realm ... men we can see and hear with our natural senses.
1 Then came together unto Him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.2 And when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, Why walk not Thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.7 Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. Mark 7:1-13
Both 1 Samuel, Verse 5, and Mark 7, Verse 5, are examples of when all of the elders were wrong. That should not be too surprising. The Lord has allowed me to see the same thing (when all of the elders were wrong) in modern-day charismatic churches several different times in different locations.
In Verse 1 of Mark 7, note that the Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem all the way to where Jesus was at the time, which was at the Sea of Galilee, some 85 miles away! And 85 miles in that day was no small distance, with no planes or trains or cars. Amazing! Jesus had already become a Person of interest to the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. He had become a possible threat to their religion even at this early stage of His ministry on earth. Jesus had not been to a seminary or brought up as a qualified rabbi. This was another delegation of fact-finding religious leaders from Jerusalem, sent to investigate the Galilean activities of Jesus.
In Verse 2, the delegation sent out by the Jerusalem Sanhedrin found fault with Jesus' disciples because they ate bread with defiled, unwashed hands. In other words, their religion was of the form, "Our way is the only way. We have all the truth of God." Human nature has never changed. That is why we have literally thousands of denominations, non-denominations, inter-denominations, fellowships, house churches, and all forms of church groups today.
In Verse 3, note the phrase, "the tradition of the elders." Scripturally, historically, and experientially, the problem within the chosen people of God has always been because of the elders ... those in positional authority but those who do not have spiritual authority. (A few good men are in visible leadership positions today, but in general they are largely hidden from the masses of Christian people.)
After the Babylonian captivity, the Jewish rabbis began to make meticulous rules and regulations governing the daily life of the people. These were interpretations and applications of the Law of Moses, handed down from generation to generation. The tradition of the elders was considered to be binding. In Jesus' day this "tradition of the elders" was still in oral form.
It was not until about 200 A.D. that it was put into writing in the Talmud, which consists of two parts: the Mishnah and the Gemara. The Mishnah is the written compendium of Judaism's Oral Torah (instruction or teaching). In standard print, the Talmud is more than 6,200 pages long. One specific teaching from the Oral Torah is given in Verses 1-5 of Mark 7 (cannot eat with unwashed hands). I have read that another specific entry in the Oral Torah is that no one is allowed to put an egg outside on a stone on a hot Sabbath day because the sun might cook the egg and cooking is not allowed on the Sabbath day.
In Verse 4, note that "when they come from the market" they also must wash their hands before eating. The reason for that, according to the Oral Torah, is that any place where Jews would come into contact with Gentiles, or with Jews who did not observe the ceremonial law, they would become ceremonially unclean.
In Verses 6-8, Jesus quoted from Isaiah 29:13-14.
13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men:14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
Jesus said that Isaiah prophesied of the Pharisees and scribes, which was 750 years after Isaiah's time. In reality, Isaiah prophesied of the chosen people of God of his day, the chosen people of God when Jesus walked the face of the earth, and the chosen people of God in our day. It will also be true of the next generation of the chosen people of God (if in fact there will be another generation). Human nature has never changed. That means that the wisdom and understanding of God is still largely hidden from the leaders of the modern-day church. Why? because of the traditions of the elders and because their heart is far from the Lord (focused more on numbers of people, collecting money, and a variety of other less important and unscriptural activities).
Now some charismatic believers might think it "funny" concerning the rule in the Mishnah that no one is allowed to put an egg outside on a hot Sabbath day because the sun might cook it. However, it would be interesting if we knew how many "funny" traditions of men that we charismatic believers also have today.
Many charismatic pastors seem to have no idea about all of the traditions of men that are commonly taught as correct doctrine. But all of the ways of the Lord are clearly written in the law and in the prophets, if we only had ears to hear and eyes to see.
When Jesus walked the face of the earth, His ministry was always a contention with the traditions of the Pharisees, which were burdens that brought the people into bondage because they went beyond Scripture. Every time the Pharisees brought up traditions as equal to the Scripture, Jesus brought them back to the written word. This is why he called them the traditions of men because they did not come from God but from religious men who were steeped in self and deception. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to validate and approve what they called the traditions of the elders. Jesus was clear He did not approve of their traditions by saying, in Mark 7:7, "Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Mark 7:7 was true when Jesus spoke it and Mark 7:7 is equally true today.
Jesus did not give too many examples of specific traditions of men (although He knew all of them). If the charismatic community today were enlightened to all of the many traditions of men that are commonly practiced and considered to be scriptural, we might all be shocked. Perhaps some of those traditions of men can be exposed at another time, hopefully by the Holy Spirit.
We are all creatures of habit. We are all creatures of traditions. We are all creatures of our experiences and our parents' experiences. We like to be conformed to our peers and our neighbors. We learn the charismatic language quickly. We assume that what the pastor says and what he does and the language that he uses is all correct. Those things keep us bound to the past, bound to the earthy Jerusalem, bound to the ways of man. Any time a word is shared, we Christians tend to pull that word down to the level of our experiences or previous teachings so we can understand with our natural minds. It is too much "work" to be like the Bereans who searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so (Acts 17:11). However it does no good to search the scriptures using our natural minds. We tend to be like the Israelites who said, "Let not God speak with us lest we die, but we will hear the Lord through Moses" (Exodus 20:19). That is much easier than hearing from the Lord for our self.
Although most believers say that I (we) do not know everything, in reality or practicality, most believers think that I (we) are moving in the truth of God. My (our) interpretation of scripture is correct. That is called human nature. That is also called deception. "If any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know"
(1 Corinthians 8:2). Thank God for His grace and mercy! Amazing grace!
We do not like change. We do not like anything that disagrees with our understanding or traditions or what we have been taught in the past. In general we want to hear only nice things that appeal to our emotions. We want someone to prophesy smooth things (Isaiah 30:10). I am OK, you are OK. All is well. We can sit and listen and say, "Amen!" to a teaching and never really understand or perceive that the word is intended to elevate our vision beyond our habits, traditions, cultures, and experiences ... beyond our natural understanding. We have a tendency to say, "That word does not apply to me," in response to any not-so-flattering word. Perhaps the most common and "popular theology" in vogue today is that when we get "saved" we get every blessing and prosperity and promise while on earth; then when things get really difficult, we will just go "poof" into the air. Sounds wonderful! Who can refuse that?
But the Lord always wants to challenge His people. The Lord always wants us to "come up higher." No matter what your vision is, it is too small. No matter what my vision is, it is too small. No matter what our corporate vision is, it is too small.
We do not like change. We do not like anything that disagrees with our understanding or traditions or what we have been taught in the past. In general we want to hear only nice things that appeal to our emotions. We want someone to prophesy smooth things (Isaiah 30:10). I am OK, you are OK. All is well. We can sit and listen and say, "Amen!" to a teaching and never really understand or perceive that the word is intended to elevate our vision beyond our habits, traditions, cultures, and experiences ... beyond our natural understanding. We have a tendency to say, "That word does not apply to me," in response to any not-so-flattering word. Perhaps the most common and "popular theology" in vogue today is that when we get "saved" we get every blessing and prosperity and promise while on earth; then when things get really difficult, we will just go "poof" into the air. Sounds wonderful! Who can refuse that?
But the Lord always wants to challenge His people. The Lord always wants us to "come up higher." No matter what your vision is, it is too small. No matter what my vision is, it is too small. No matter what our corporate vision is, it is too small.
"He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think"
(Ephesians 3:20).
The finite mind cannot understand our infinite God.
8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD.9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
Another very real phenomenon is that in any place where God's people are (as a church or fellowship), our adversary is sure to infiltrate in various and sundry ways to try to prevent the truth from coming forth or to distort the truth. It does not take much to make the real truth distorted or off-center. Rat poison is 99% pure wheat; it is the other 1% that gets you. The false always emerges before the true.
17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. 1 Corinthians 11:17-19
Paul says, "There must be also heresies among you." Why? because our adversary wants to deceive us; he wants to keep us from maturing spiritually; he wants to keep us ignorant. He wants us to focus on the natural rather than on the spiritual. He wants us to swallow the false before the true emerges. We have little patience; therefore we swallow the first thing that sounds scriptural. We have no patience to wait for our Isaac; we jump on the Ishmael first. Some heresies sound very scriptural to the natural mind. That is why we must cry out to God that we may have His discernment to differentiate between good and evil on the one hand and the will of God and the truth of God on the other hand. Christian man's perception of good frequently is not at all God's perception of good. Further, we should not use Webster's dictionary to define spiritual terms. We should always use the word of God to define the word of God.
Different cultures have different customs and different traditions. Most of us believe that which we have heard or experienced in our early religious or spiritual walk must be true. Therefore we tend to perpetuate that which we have been taught. Many things that charismatic believers have been taught may have been true; other things not quite true; and a few things perhaps in the off-center category (or worse). Forty-some years ago, in our New Testament house church, we received much teaching from many good men. Most of that teaching was very good. Hindsight, some very important aspects of our Christian walk were seldom, if ever taught. In addition, after a few years, the Holy Spirit quickened that a few of our received teachings were not quite true (specifics available upon request).
Now consider one specific example ... In some areas of the Christian community a cookie-cutter approach is used. A lot of cookie dough is presented to a teacher, who uses a cookie cutter to stamp out many cookies. The cookie dough is would-be pastors. The cookie cutter is the understanding of the teacher. And so the understanding of one (or several) teachers is taught, preached to each individual piece of cookie dough at the same time. The premise is that by presenting what the teacher believes to be truth to many folks in a classroom type setting or a "church" setting, then the students will thereby "mature" and be able to become pastors and repeat the process. Those who take this approach perhaps quote the following exhortation from Paul to Timothy to justify their approach to making cookies.
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2
No one would dispute the fact that Paul was an exceptionally good teacher. No one would dispute that his understanding of the gospel of the kingdom of God has rarely, if ever, been matched. Is it correct exegesis to take a rhema word from Paul to Timothy and make it into a logos word to every believer? Further, the word says, "commit thou to faithful men." Is it correct exegesis to make that read, "commit thou to all men?" Or is it possible that we might need to listen to the Holy Spirit as to when, where, and to whom we should teach and preach?
7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.8 And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Acts 16:7-10
Many years ago I went to a "Lay Witness Mission" in a Methodist Church in Chester, Pennsylvania. I was the only "team member" from the visiting team in an adult Sunday school class. When that session began I stated that they did not know me and I did not know them. I asked if anyone could tell me where he/she/they were spiritually. Immediately, one woman broke down, crying, and said, "I am nowhere." Immediately, Romans 10:9-10 came to my mind.
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10
But just as immediately, I felt a check by the Holy Spirit NOT to quote those verses. The Lord impressed upon me that no amount of reading Bible verses or reciting a "sinner's prayer" would bring her to salvation. What the Lord told me to say was, "Before you leave this room you will be somewhere." I later realized that that woman was born from above as soon as she cried out, "I am nowhere!" The Lord always hears and responds to a genuine heart cry. A format or tradition seldom works. Have you ever tried to count all of the DIFFERENT ways that Jesus healed a person in need?
Philip is called an evangelist (Acts 21:8). In Acts 8:5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. Many people were saved after seeing the miracles, healings, and deliverances that were manifested through the ministry of Philip. They were also baptized in water in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John (Acts 8:14), who laid their hands on them and they then were baptized with the Holy Ghost. Now surely Philip was acquainted with the baptism in the Holy Ghost. Why had Philip not laid hands on them so that they could receive the Holy Ghost? Could it be because Philip, as an evangelist, knew that was a function for the apostles and not for an evangelist? Incidentally, the Lord is able to baptize folks with the Holy Spirit all by Himself. He did that on the Day of Pentecost; he did that with Paul; and I have known several believers personally when that happened to them. In other words, no man laid hands on them.
Experientially, I have seen a number of good men try to function in a place they were never called. It never worked. Does that mean that we should function in the place where we have been called but not try to function in a place where we have not been called? Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues [in an assembly]? Do all interpret? Is every member of the body a mouth? Does the hand see as well as the eye? Does the heart hear as well as the ear? There is a difference between hearing the voice of the Lord for myself and hearing the voice of the Lord for the church. Peter apparently was a mouth. Not only was he the spokesman for all of the apostles on the day of Pentecost, but he preached a similar message in Acts 3. In Acts, Chapters 3-8, every time we see Peter we see John; but it is never recorded that John said anything in the Book of Acts. John was a heart. He is the man who leaned on Jesus' breast at what we call the last supper. John was a man after God's own heart.
Most churches today are distinctly "pastor" oriented. The pastor teaches, preaches, sets forth the acceptable doctrine, administrates, and in general calls the shots, subject more or less to elders. In Acts 2:42, the early church continued steadfastly in the apostles' (plural) doctrine. Also we "are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" (Ephesians 2:20).
A good question, perhaps, is why do we see so many traditions of men in operation today in our churches? Only the Lord knows all of the answers, but we would suggest one possible reason. Could it be that many of the "problems" within the charismatic community are because there is little or no true vision in our churches? Even when a visionary is in a local church, his ministry may not be received. Consider this scenario. The watchman stands upon the walls. He sees something or someone coming. The king and the other subjects are sitting comfortably in the dining room, feasting on good delicacies. The watchman calls down and says he sees danger approaching. The king and the subjects say that they don't see any danger; therefore the watchman must be wrong. Of course they do not see anything approaching; they are not standing on the wall. "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18a). And where there is little or a small vision, the people are weak and sickly and many sleep (paraphrased from 1 Corinthians 11:29-30). The first word I ever shared publicly was titled, "Appropriating the Christ in others." (That is a lengthy word in itself.)
Although the written word is absolute, we need to be careful because our interpretation of Scripture may not be correct. Paul told Timothy and all elders over all of time, in
2 Timothy 2:15, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
A number of years ago I went to a weekly Bible study in the home of a man who went to another church. He would read some passage of Scripture and then ask everyone what they thought those verses meant. Some said one thing, some said another thing. Then the leader of the group gave his opinion, which was typically a copy of what William Barclay said in his "The Daily Study Bible," first published in 1954. Then everyone went home still believing their own version of the verses. But are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers?
The greatest Apostle and Prophet who ever walked the face of the earth (the Lord Jesus Christ) came unto His own and His own received Him not. Furthermore, the chosen people of God crucified Him. Jesus said,
The greatest Apostle and Prophet who ever walked the face of the earth (the Lord Jesus Christ) came unto His own and His own received Him not. Furthermore, the chosen people of God crucified Him. Jesus said,
"If they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?"
(Luke 23:31).
The Lord Jesus is the green tree. Green speaks of life. In Him is life. He is life! We are the dry. There is no life in the natural man ... only existence for a short while.
Is it time for the members of the body to function in the place that they have been called? Is it time to appropriate the Christ in others? Is it time to lay aside all of the traditions, customs, and cultures of natural man? (We must know what those traditions are before we can lay them aside.) Is it time to come up higher? Is it time to cry out to the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth? The answer to every question is available if we only cry out, "Help, Lord!"
Is it time for the members of the body to function in the place that they have been called? Is it time to appropriate the Christ in others? Is it time to lay aside all of the traditions, customs, and cultures of natural man? (We must know what those traditions are before we can lay them aside.) Is it time to come up higher? Is it time to cry out to the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth? The answer to every question is available if we only cry out, "Help, Lord!"
