Catholicism part 3 "Tradition"
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silentwssj
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Re: Catholicism part 3 "Tradition"
Hey there! Real quick! I am still knee deep in moving my Brother Bumperjack! I plan to start my next post sometime this weekend. Hopefully I can get it out within a week or so. I still have another day of moving plus school tomorrow. This is why my replies have been articles instead of actual posts. Give me a few more days to get everything order over here Brother! I am not even going to attempt to answer any questions right now! I definitely have a lot that I want to say though. Peace out, Silent!
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silentwssj
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Re: Catholicism part 3 "Tradition"
Is Scripture the sole rule of faith for Christians? Not according to the Bible. While we must guard against merely human tradition, the Bible contains numerous references to the necessity of clinging to apostolic tradition.
Thus Paul tells the Corinthians, "I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you" (1 Cor. 11:2), and he commands the Thessalonians, "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thess. 2:15). He even goes so far as to order, "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us" (2 Thess. 3:6).
To make sure that the apostolic tradition would be passed down after the deaths of the apostles, Paul told Timothy, "[W]hat you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2). In this passage he refers to the first four generations of apostolic succession—his own generation, Timothy’s generation, the generation Timothy will teach, and the generation they in turn will teach.
The early Church Fathers, who were links in that chain of succession, recognized the necessity of the traditions that had been handed down from the apostles and guarded them scrupulously, as the following quotations show.
Papias
"Papias [A.D. 120], who is now mentioned by us, affirms that he received the sayings of the apostles from those who accompanied them, and he, moreover, asserts that he heard in person Aristion and the presbyter John. Accordingly, he mentions them frequently by name, and in his writings gives their traditions [concerning Jesus]. . . . [There are] other passages of his in which he relates some miraculous deeds, stating that he acquired the knowledge of them from tradition" (fragment in Eusebius, Church History 3:39 [A.D. 312]).
Eusebius of Caesarea
"At that time [A.D. 150] there flourished in the Church Hegesippus, whom we know from what has gone before, and Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, and another bishop, Pinytus of Crete, and besides these, Philip, and Apollinarius, and Melito, and Musanus, and Modestus, and, finally, Irenaeus. From them has come down to us in writing, the sound and orthodox faith received from tradition" (Church History 4:21).
Irenaeus
"As I said before, the Church, having received this preaching and this faith, although she is disseminated throughout the whole world, yet guarded it, as if she occupied but one house. She likewise believes these things just as if she had but one soul and one and the same heart; and harmoniously she proclaims them and teaches them and hands them down, as if she possessed but one mouth. For, while the languages of the world are diverse, nevertheless, the authority of the tradition is one and the same" (Against Heresies 1:10:2 [A.D. 189]).
"That is why it is surely necessary to avoid them [heretics], while cherishing with the utmost diligence the things pertaining to the Church, and to lay hold of the tradition of truth. . . . What if the apostles had not in fact left writings to us? Would it not be necessary to follow the order of tradition, which was handed down to those to whom they entrusted the churches?" (ibid., 3:4:1).
...
"It is possible, then, for everyone in every church, who may wish to know the truth, to contemplate the tradition of the apostles which has been made known throughout the whole world. And we are in a position to enumerate those who were instituted bishops by the apostles and their successors to our own times—men who neither knew nor taught anything like these heretics rave about.
"But since it would be too long to enumerate in such a volume as this the successions of all the churches, we shall confound all those who, in whatever manner, whether through self-satisfaction or vainglory, or through blindness and wicked opinion, assemble other than where it is proper, by pointing out here the successions of the bishops of the greatest and most ancient church known to all, founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul, that church which has the tradition and the faith which comes down to us after having been announced to men by the apostles.
"With this church, because of its superior origin, all churches must agree—that is, all the faithful in the whole world—and it is in her that the faithful everywhere have maintained the apostolic tradition" (ibid., 3:3:1–2).
Clement of Alexandria
"Well, they preserving the tradition of the blessed doctrine derived directly from the holy apostles, Peter, James, John, and Paul, the sons receiving it from the father (but few were like the fathers), came by God’s will to us also to deposit those ancestral and apostolic seeds. And well I know that they will exult; I do not mean delighted with this tribute, but solely on account of the preservation of the truth, according as they delivered it. For such a sketch as this, will, I think, be agreeable to a soul desirous of preserving from loss the blessed tradition" (Miscellanies 1:1 [A.D. 208]).
Origen
"Although there are many who believe that they themselves hold to the teachings of Christ, there are yet some among them who think differently from their predecessors. The teaching of the Church has indeed been handed down through an order of succession from the apostles and remains in the churches even to the present time. That alone is to be believed as the truth which is in no way at variance with ecclesiastical and apostolic tradition" (The Fundamental Doctrines 1:2 [A.D. 225]).
Cyprian of Carthage
"[T]he Church is one, and as she is one, cannot be both within and without. For if she is with Novatian, she was not with [Pope] Cornelius. But if she was with Cornelius, who succeeded the bishop Fabian by lawful ordination, and whom, beside the honor of the priesthood the Lord glorified also with martyrdom, Novatian is not in the Church; nor can he be reckoned as a bishop, who, succeeding to no one, and despising the evangelical and apostolic tradition, sprang from himself. For he who has not been ordained in the Church can neither have nor hold to the Church in any way" (Letters 75:3 [A.D. 253]).
Athanasius
"Again we write, again keeping to the apostolic traditions, we remind each other when we come together for prayer; and keeping the feast in common, with one mouth we truly give thanks to the Lord. Thus giving thanks unto him, and being followers of the saints, ‘we shall make our praise in the Lord all the day,’ as the psalmist says. So, when we rightly keep the feast, we shall be counted worthy of that joy which is in heaven" (Festal Letters 2:7 [A.D. 330]).
"But you are blessed, who by faith are in the Church, dwell upon the foundations of the faith, and have full satisfaction, even the highest degree of faith which remains among you unshaken. For it has come down to you from apostolic tradition, and frequently accursed envy has wished to unsettle it, but has not been able" (ibid., 29).
Basil the Great
"Of the dogmas and messages preserved in the Church, some we possess from written teaching and others we receive from the tradition of the apostles, handed on to us in mystery. In respect to piety, both are of the same force. No one will contradict any of these, no one, at any rate, who is even moderately versed in matters ecclesiastical. Indeed, were we to try to reject unwritten customs as having no great authority, we would unwittingly injure the gospel in its vitals; or rather, we would reduce [Christian] message to a mere term" (The Holy Spirit 27:66 [A.D. 375]).
Epiphanius of Salamis
"It is needful also to make use of tradition, for not everything can be gotten from sacred Scripture. The holy apostles handed down some things in the scriptures, other things in tradition" (Medicine Chest Against All Heresies 61:6 [A.D. 375]).
Augustine
"[T]he custom [of not rebaptizing converts] . . . may be supposed to have had its origin in apostolic tradition, just as there are many things which are observed by the whole Church, and therefore are fairly held to have been enjoined by the apostles, which yet are not mentioned in their writings" (On Baptism, Against the Donatists 5:23[31] [A.D. 400]).
"But the admonition that he [Cyprian] gives us, ‘that we should go back to the fountain, that is, to apostolic tradition, and thence turn the channel of truth to our times,’ is most excellent, and should be followed without hesitation" (ibid., 5:26[37]).
"But in regard to those observances which we carefully attend and which the whole world keeps, and which derive not from Scripture but from Tradition, we are given to understand that they are recommended and ordained to be kept, either by the apostles themselves or by plenary [ecumenical] councils, the authority of which is quite vital in the Church" (Letter to Januarius [A.D. 400]).
John Chrysostom
"[Paul commands,] ‘Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether by word or by our letter’ [2 Thess. 2:15]. From this it is clear that they did not hand down everything by letter, but there is much also that was not written. Like that which was written, the unwritten too is worthy of belief. So let us regard the tradition of the Church also as worthy of belief. Is it a tradition? Seek no further" (Homilies on Second Thessalonians [A.D. 402]).
Vincent of Lerins
"With great zeal and closest attention, therefore, I frequently inquired of many men, eminent for their holiness and doctrine, how I might, in a concise and, so to speak, general and ordinary way, distinguish the truth of the Catholic faith from the falsehood of heretical depravity.
"I received almost always the same answer from all of them—that if I or anyone else wanted to expose the frauds and escape the snares of the heretics who rise up, and to remain intact and in sound faith, it would be necessary, with the help of the Lord, to fortify that faith in a twofold manner: first, of course, by the authority of divine law [Scripture] and then by the tradition of the Catholic Church.
"Here, perhaps, someone may ask: ‘If the canon of the scriptures be perfect and in itself more than suffices for everything, why is it necessary that the authority of ecclesiastical interpretation be joined to it?’ Because, quite plainly, sacred Scripture, by reason of its own depth, is not accepted by everyone as having one and the same meaning. . . .
"Thus, because of so many distortions of such various errors, it is highly necessary that the line of prophetic and apostolic interpretation be directed in accord with the norm of the ecclesiastical and Catholic meaning" (The Notebooks [A.D. 434]).
Pope Agatho
"[T]he holy Church of God . . . has been established upon the firm rock of this Church of blessed Peter, the prince of the apostles, which by his grace and guardianship remains free from all error, [and possesses that faith that] the whole number of rulers and priests, of the clergy and of the people, unanimously should confess and preach with us as the true declaration of the apostolic tradition, in order to please God and to save their own souls" (Letter read at fourth session of III Constantinople [A.D. 680]).
Thus Paul tells the Corinthians, "I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you" (1 Cor. 11:2), and he commands the Thessalonians, "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thess. 2:15). He even goes so far as to order, "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us" (2 Thess. 3:6).
To make sure that the apostolic tradition would be passed down after the deaths of the apostles, Paul told Timothy, "[W]hat you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2). In this passage he refers to the first four generations of apostolic succession—his own generation, Timothy’s generation, the generation Timothy will teach, and the generation they in turn will teach.
The early Church Fathers, who were links in that chain of succession, recognized the necessity of the traditions that had been handed down from the apostles and guarded them scrupulously, as the following quotations show.
Papias
"Papias [A.D. 120], who is now mentioned by us, affirms that he received the sayings of the apostles from those who accompanied them, and he, moreover, asserts that he heard in person Aristion and the presbyter John. Accordingly, he mentions them frequently by name, and in his writings gives their traditions [concerning Jesus]. . . . [There are] other passages of his in which he relates some miraculous deeds, stating that he acquired the knowledge of them from tradition" (fragment in Eusebius, Church History 3:39 [A.D. 312]).
Eusebius of Caesarea
"At that time [A.D. 150] there flourished in the Church Hegesippus, whom we know from what has gone before, and Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, and another bishop, Pinytus of Crete, and besides these, Philip, and Apollinarius, and Melito, and Musanus, and Modestus, and, finally, Irenaeus. From them has come down to us in writing, the sound and orthodox faith received from tradition" (Church History 4:21).
Irenaeus
"As I said before, the Church, having received this preaching and this faith, although she is disseminated throughout the whole world, yet guarded it, as if she occupied but one house. She likewise believes these things just as if she had but one soul and one and the same heart; and harmoniously she proclaims them and teaches them and hands them down, as if she possessed but one mouth. For, while the languages of the world are diverse, nevertheless, the authority of the tradition is one and the same" (Against Heresies 1:10:2 [A.D. 189]).
"That is why it is surely necessary to avoid them [heretics], while cherishing with the utmost diligence the things pertaining to the Church, and to lay hold of the tradition of truth. . . . What if the apostles had not in fact left writings to us? Would it not be necessary to follow the order of tradition, which was handed down to those to whom they entrusted the churches?" (ibid., 3:4:1).
...
"It is possible, then, for everyone in every church, who may wish to know the truth, to contemplate the tradition of the apostles which has been made known throughout the whole world. And we are in a position to enumerate those who were instituted bishops by the apostles and their successors to our own times—men who neither knew nor taught anything like these heretics rave about.
"But since it would be too long to enumerate in such a volume as this the successions of all the churches, we shall confound all those who, in whatever manner, whether through self-satisfaction or vainglory, or through blindness and wicked opinion, assemble other than where it is proper, by pointing out here the successions of the bishops of the greatest and most ancient church known to all, founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul, that church which has the tradition and the faith which comes down to us after having been announced to men by the apostles.
"With this church, because of its superior origin, all churches must agree—that is, all the faithful in the whole world—and it is in her that the faithful everywhere have maintained the apostolic tradition" (ibid., 3:3:1–2).
Clement of Alexandria
"Well, they preserving the tradition of the blessed doctrine derived directly from the holy apostles, Peter, James, John, and Paul, the sons receiving it from the father (but few were like the fathers), came by God’s will to us also to deposit those ancestral and apostolic seeds. And well I know that they will exult; I do not mean delighted with this tribute, but solely on account of the preservation of the truth, according as they delivered it. For such a sketch as this, will, I think, be agreeable to a soul desirous of preserving from loss the blessed tradition" (Miscellanies 1:1 [A.D. 208]).
Origen
"Although there are many who believe that they themselves hold to the teachings of Christ, there are yet some among them who think differently from their predecessors. The teaching of the Church has indeed been handed down through an order of succession from the apostles and remains in the churches even to the present time. That alone is to be believed as the truth which is in no way at variance with ecclesiastical and apostolic tradition" (The Fundamental Doctrines 1:2 [A.D. 225]).
Cyprian of Carthage
"[T]he Church is one, and as she is one, cannot be both within and without. For if she is with Novatian, she was not with [Pope] Cornelius. But if she was with Cornelius, who succeeded the bishop Fabian by lawful ordination, and whom, beside the honor of the priesthood the Lord glorified also with martyrdom, Novatian is not in the Church; nor can he be reckoned as a bishop, who, succeeding to no one, and despising the evangelical and apostolic tradition, sprang from himself. For he who has not been ordained in the Church can neither have nor hold to the Church in any way" (Letters 75:3 [A.D. 253]).
Athanasius
"Again we write, again keeping to the apostolic traditions, we remind each other when we come together for prayer; and keeping the feast in common, with one mouth we truly give thanks to the Lord. Thus giving thanks unto him, and being followers of the saints, ‘we shall make our praise in the Lord all the day,’ as the psalmist says. So, when we rightly keep the feast, we shall be counted worthy of that joy which is in heaven" (Festal Letters 2:7 [A.D. 330]).
"But you are blessed, who by faith are in the Church, dwell upon the foundations of the faith, and have full satisfaction, even the highest degree of faith which remains among you unshaken. For it has come down to you from apostolic tradition, and frequently accursed envy has wished to unsettle it, but has not been able" (ibid., 29).
Basil the Great
"Of the dogmas and messages preserved in the Church, some we possess from written teaching and others we receive from the tradition of the apostles, handed on to us in mystery. In respect to piety, both are of the same force. No one will contradict any of these, no one, at any rate, who is even moderately versed in matters ecclesiastical. Indeed, were we to try to reject unwritten customs as having no great authority, we would unwittingly injure the gospel in its vitals; or rather, we would reduce [Christian] message to a mere term" (The Holy Spirit 27:66 [A.D. 375]).
Epiphanius of Salamis
"It is needful also to make use of tradition, for not everything can be gotten from sacred Scripture. The holy apostles handed down some things in the scriptures, other things in tradition" (Medicine Chest Against All Heresies 61:6 [A.D. 375]).
Augustine
"[T]he custom [of not rebaptizing converts] . . . may be supposed to have had its origin in apostolic tradition, just as there are many things which are observed by the whole Church, and therefore are fairly held to have been enjoined by the apostles, which yet are not mentioned in their writings" (On Baptism, Against the Donatists 5:23[31] [A.D. 400]).
"But the admonition that he [Cyprian] gives us, ‘that we should go back to the fountain, that is, to apostolic tradition, and thence turn the channel of truth to our times,’ is most excellent, and should be followed without hesitation" (ibid., 5:26[37]).
"But in regard to those observances which we carefully attend and which the whole world keeps, and which derive not from Scripture but from Tradition, we are given to understand that they are recommended and ordained to be kept, either by the apostles themselves or by plenary [ecumenical] councils, the authority of which is quite vital in the Church" (Letter to Januarius [A.D. 400]).
John Chrysostom
"[Paul commands,] ‘Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether by word or by our letter’ [2 Thess. 2:15]. From this it is clear that they did not hand down everything by letter, but there is much also that was not written. Like that which was written, the unwritten too is worthy of belief. So let us regard the tradition of the Church also as worthy of belief. Is it a tradition? Seek no further" (Homilies on Second Thessalonians [A.D. 402]).
Vincent of Lerins
"With great zeal and closest attention, therefore, I frequently inquired of many men, eminent for their holiness and doctrine, how I might, in a concise and, so to speak, general and ordinary way, distinguish the truth of the Catholic faith from the falsehood of heretical depravity.
"I received almost always the same answer from all of them—that if I or anyone else wanted to expose the frauds and escape the snares of the heretics who rise up, and to remain intact and in sound faith, it would be necessary, with the help of the Lord, to fortify that faith in a twofold manner: first, of course, by the authority of divine law [Scripture] and then by the tradition of the Catholic Church.
"Here, perhaps, someone may ask: ‘If the canon of the scriptures be perfect and in itself more than suffices for everything, why is it necessary that the authority of ecclesiastical interpretation be joined to it?’ Because, quite plainly, sacred Scripture, by reason of its own depth, is not accepted by everyone as having one and the same meaning. . . .
"Thus, because of so many distortions of such various errors, it is highly necessary that the line of prophetic and apostolic interpretation be directed in accord with the norm of the ecclesiastical and Catholic meaning" (The Notebooks [A.D. 434]).
Pope Agatho
"[T]he holy Church of God . . . has been established upon the firm rock of this Church of blessed Peter, the prince of the apostles, which by his grace and guardianship remains free from all error, [and possesses that faith that] the whole number of rulers and priests, of the clergy and of the people, unanimously should confess and preach with us as the true declaration of the apostolic tradition, in order to please God and to save their own souls" (Letter read at fourth session of III Constantinople [A.D. 680]).
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silentwssj
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Re: Catholicism part 3 "Tradition"
Why Do Catholics Believe in Sacred Tradition?
Well, basically, Catholics commit themselves to the Sacred Tradition of the Church because it is out of this Tradition that Scripture came, because Scripture itself recommends and confirms this Tradition, and because nothing in Scripture says that this Tradition should cease to be authoritative in the lives of Christians once content from that Tradition was written down and canonized.
By "Sacred Tradition" I mean the various ways in which the teaching of the Apostles, the "deposit of faith," is passed on and preserved by the Church. This deposit was preserved and passed on through the writing of Sacred Scripture, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit, but it also was (and continues to be) preserved in the ordinary teaching of the successors of the Apostles (the bishops), in the writings of the early Church Fathers, in the authoritative documents of the Church (encyclicals, apostolic exhortations, dogmatic constitutions, conciliar canons, etc.), and in the liturgical worship of the faithful. Since the teaching and preaching of the Apostles has a divine origin, as does the consigning of that preaching to writing, both the preaching and the writing comprise the "Word of God" and thus "must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence" (Dei Verbum, no. 9).
Paul is particularly adamant about respecting this Tradition. He presents Scripture and Tradition as standing alongside each other (cf. 2 Thes 2:15; 2 Tim 3:10,14-15). He affirms the Tradition that his audience has received (cf. Rom 10:8,17; Gal 1:11-12; Eph 1:13-14; Col 1:5-7; Titus 1:3), commands them to follow it (cf. Phil 4:9; 1 Thes 4:1-2; 2 Thes 3:6-7; 2 Tim 1:13), and praises them when they do (cf. 1 Cor 11:2; 15:1,3,11; 1 Thes 2:13). There is simply no indication from his writing that he wished for them to do away with Tradition. Instead, he seems to be affirming it around every corner. There is also no indication that this Tradition would somehow cease to exist or to be authoritative. Instead, Paul indicates that it will continue forever (cf. 1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 2:2) [Peter does too, cf. 1 Pet 1:25; 2 Pet 1:12,15].
Note that, whenever "tradition" is condemned in Scripture, for example, by Jesus (cf. Mt 15:3-9; Mk 7: 8-13) or by Paul (cf. Col 2:8), what is being condemned are the traditions of men, or traditions that are contrary to the Word of God. The authentic, Sacred Tradition of the Church, however, has its very source in Jesus Christ and is preserved by the Holy Spirit working in the Church. Surely you can see why I would not think that those verses apply, and really, in order to prove that they do, you would have to prove that some element of the Sacred Tradition of the Church was contrary to the written articulation of it in Scripture.
I hope that answers your question. There are many different ways to articulate what Sacred Tradition is, and what the relationship is between it, Scripture, and the Magisterium (or teaching office) of the Church. I highly, highly suggest reading the Catechism, nos. 74-95, and Dei Verbum (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, from the Second Vatican Council) in full.
Well, basically, Catholics commit themselves to the Sacred Tradition of the Church because it is out of this Tradition that Scripture came, because Scripture itself recommends and confirms this Tradition, and because nothing in Scripture says that this Tradition should cease to be authoritative in the lives of Christians once content from that Tradition was written down and canonized.
By "Sacred Tradition" I mean the various ways in which the teaching of the Apostles, the "deposit of faith," is passed on and preserved by the Church. This deposit was preserved and passed on through the writing of Sacred Scripture, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit, but it also was (and continues to be) preserved in the ordinary teaching of the successors of the Apostles (the bishops), in the writings of the early Church Fathers, in the authoritative documents of the Church (encyclicals, apostolic exhortations, dogmatic constitutions, conciliar canons, etc.), and in the liturgical worship of the faithful. Since the teaching and preaching of the Apostles has a divine origin, as does the consigning of that preaching to writing, both the preaching and the writing comprise the "Word of God" and thus "must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence" (Dei Verbum, no. 9).
Paul is particularly adamant about respecting this Tradition. He presents Scripture and Tradition as standing alongside each other (cf. 2 Thes 2:15; 2 Tim 3:10,14-15). He affirms the Tradition that his audience has received (cf. Rom 10:8,17; Gal 1:11-12; Eph 1:13-14; Col 1:5-7; Titus 1:3), commands them to follow it (cf. Phil 4:9; 1 Thes 4:1-2; 2 Thes 3:6-7; 2 Tim 1:13), and praises them when they do (cf. 1 Cor 11:2; 15:1,3,11; 1 Thes 2:13). There is simply no indication from his writing that he wished for them to do away with Tradition. Instead, he seems to be affirming it around every corner. There is also no indication that this Tradition would somehow cease to exist or to be authoritative. Instead, Paul indicates that it will continue forever (cf. 1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 2:2) [Peter does too, cf. 1 Pet 1:25; 2 Pet 1:12,15].
Note that, whenever "tradition" is condemned in Scripture, for example, by Jesus (cf. Mt 15:3-9; Mk 7: 8-13) or by Paul (cf. Col 2:8), what is being condemned are the traditions of men, or traditions that are contrary to the Word of God. The authentic, Sacred Tradition of the Church, however, has its very source in Jesus Christ and is preserved by the Holy Spirit working in the Church. Surely you can see why I would not think that those verses apply, and really, in order to prove that they do, you would have to prove that some element of the Sacred Tradition of the Church was contrary to the written articulation of it in Scripture.
I hope that answers your question. There are many different ways to articulate what Sacred Tradition is, and what the relationship is between it, Scripture, and the Magisterium (or teaching office) of the Church. I highly, highly suggest reading the Catechism, nos. 74-95, and Dei Verbum (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, from the Second Vatican Council) in full.
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bumperjack
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Re: Catholicism part 3 "Tradition"
EXPLAINED PART 4
Vol 2., No. 26
December 2010
by Brady Tarr, Attorney Ministries Coordinator
"For we have been saved by grace through faith and this is not your own doing it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
There is only one true gospel (Gal. 1:6-9) which will save a sinner (Rom. 3:23) from his/her sin.In our relativistic and postmodern society, there are few statements that are more politically incorrect than the one just mentioned, but Christians must not forget that we are not called to be politically correct and liked by all, rather Christians are called to be loving, but bold proclaimers of the gospel of Jesus Christ in all aspects of our lives because our hope is not found in achieving a political correctness or being liked by all, but rather our hope is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ and being loved by Him.God says in the Bible that there is one and only one way to have eternal life (John 14:6, Rom. 10:9-10).
A person must affirm and understand the gospel in order to be a Christian and to communicate it accurately to others.This devotional is good for Christians to meditate on, but it is designed to continue to help give Christians the confidence and the material necessary to share the gospel with the friends, family, and strangers who are in need of salvation from their sin.
Thus far in these devotionals we have discussed the essential Christian truths about Jesus, but now we will begin to discuss how these things apply in the life of a person.On what basis can a person be sure of his/her salvation?Let's start with a couple of questions that are good to first, personally think about and then ask others as you share the gospel with them.
Do you know for certain that you would go to heaven if you were to die this very moment?
Or another closely related question that we will discuss is:
Suppose you were to die tonight and give account of your life before God.On what basis would He "save" you from His righteous and just judgment, and allow you to enter into heaven . . . into His holy presence?In other words, what is your case, what is your defense before God?
Fundamentally, you can make your defense before God in one of two ways:
Appeal to God on the merit of your own righteousness or at least your lack of wickedness
Appeal to the merit of Jesus Christ and the work he accomplished
In other words you can appeal to an internal righteousness of your own, or an external righteousness of another.I would argue every religion in the world falls into one of these two responses.There is a religion of "Do", which emphasize my efforts to become righteous and therefore be accepted before a holy God.Or there is a religion of "Done", which relies solely upon the merit and work of Jesus Christ in order to be accepted.
One response is a salvation by the merit of your own righteousness. More commonly called SALVATION BY WORKS.
This approach is a religion of "do", what "I" have done on this earth in order to be considered worthy of heaven, "I" being the operative word.The thought is that in some way God will honor my good works and deeds, or at the very least, he'll recognize and give me credit for all the bad things that I could have done, but didn't do.
Can you think of some common examples that people might appeal to in this regard?
Keeping 10 commandments (at least the "biggies")
Don't do certain things
Give to charity
Good citizen
Bringing up family
Bible reading and prayer
Church-going
Baptism
Communion
Being an honest attorney
Everything mentioned has to do with my own merit.What we might call "good" deeds - what I have done or rightly refrained from doing.In a salvation by works approach, we believe that what we've done or avoided doing is good enough to get us into heaven.We are personally worthy of being accepted.
NOTE:Many times people who place their hope in their own works do not think they are perfect.They will acknowledge they have failed in various ways.But they do think that if and when they are required to give an account of their lives, they will sufficiently measure up in order to make the grade and be accepted.
This, according to Christianity, is the wrong answer.It is a hopeless endeavor to plead my case before God based on my own righteousness or merit.There is nothing I can do to make myself right and acceptable before God.There is no good work that I can do, nor any combination of good works over a lifetime, that can qualify me for heaven.
Why? Because God's standard is 100% perfection. Now some of you may be thinking, "No way. Is that really what the Bible says? It can't be that demanding? After all, nobody's perfect!" Well listen to what James, the brother of Jesus, wrote:
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law (James 2:10-11).
But it's not just James. The Apostle Paul also says this.Please look at Galatians 3:10-11:
All who rely on observing the law are under a curse.
Why is that?Why are all who rely on observing the law under a curse?He goes on to quote from God's law itself,
for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them."
Paul's conclusion in the next verse makes it even clearer:
Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law.
If you seek to relate to God by your observance of His law... His commands... you will fail because God says you must obey Him perfectly.His standard of obedience is perfection... and nothing less.
And by that standard we all fail miserably.We all sin and fall short of God's glory (Rom. 3:23), and therefore deserve His judgment.
This does not mean that some people aren't morally better than others relatively speaking.Who would you say is one of the most respected men of this century?How about the most despised? So, for example, Evangelist Billy Graham is considered to be one of the most trusted men in America, even by those who have no religious beliefs. On the other hand, history is filled with brutal leaders who are universally reviled as evil men. We would all agree that Billy Graham is morally superior to Hitler, Stalin, or Pol Pot.
But while nearly everyone would agree that Hitler has earned a spot in hell, the Bible says that Billy Graham has earned a spot in hell, too. And so has all of humanity because of their sin against God. When the standard is perfection, the comparison game does not work.The standard we will be judged against is not the lowest common denominator of human goodness.Rather, it is the perfect standard of God's holiness and righteousness expressed in his law.
Understanding this failure to meet God's standard becomes clear when we recognize that sin is not just a matter of doing, or saying, or even thinking wrong things.No, it is much more fundamental than that.Sin is naturally in our hearts.All the evil things we do come from within us.Sin is not fundamentally just a matter of what we've done, but rather who we are. Let's look at the way Jesus explains this in Mark 7:20-23.
And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
As we can see by Jesus' words, we have a problem, and the source of the problem is us. We are sinners. The specific sins we commit are just the symptoms of our condition. It's not that we're sinners because we sin. It's that we sin because we are sinners. This is our nature.
Think of it this way.
A person went to the doctor to be treated for measles because he was unsuccessful when he tried to cure it by placing band-aids over the spots.
The illness is inside!It's in the bloodstream.
Sin is the same way.When we say or think wrong things, these are only symptoms of the sin within us.
Doing a few good works is like putting band-aids on the evil symptoms of sin.We're still sinners, and thus stand condemned before God.
This is the testimony of Jesus and numerous other Biblical texts.And in our heart of hearts it is something that we all know about ourselves. We know that we are guilty. We feel guilty, and we spend a lot of mental and emotional energy trying to suppress those feelings of guilt.We are guilty because we are all sinners, whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not.
Once again, we come back to our question . . . On what basis should you ask God to save you from His judgment?
From all this we can see why pleading our own good works will not get us very far when we make our case before God. The judge demands perfection and we are far from it.Therefore, according to Christianity, salvation by works is the wrong answer to this question.
What, then, is the right answer to the above question?Christianity teaches that we are saved not by our works, but by grace. We do not plead our own efforts, but instead to plead the efforts of another, namely Jesus Christ.
Christianity teaches that we are saved by GRACE alone.The word "grace" means an undeserved free gift.Grace is unmerited favor.Grace is receiving the opposite of what we deserve.And it is only on this basis that we can expect God to save us.
This is strikingly clear in Ephesians 2:8-9.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Given what we've already seen about the effectiveness of our good works, God's grace... God's unmerited favor towards us... is the only hope we have.But this grace is not groundless.It does not just appear out of this air.This unmerited favor is found only in Christ, in his divine authority, substitutionary death, and resurrection.God's favor towards us is based on what Christ has done on our behalf.And this is where we need to recall all that we have studied about Christ in the last three devotionals.
Paul is saying that God saves us by the faith we have in the LORD Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus the Son of God who lived and died and rose again from the dead.Jesus-as our substitute-is offered to us as an undeserved, free gift. This is Grace! God shows grace to sinners by looking to Christ's work, not our work!
Good works are still important
One of the most likely questions that may come to mind at this point is do good works matter at all in Christianity?If salvation through faith in the finished work of Christ is a free gift, if it is based on what He has done and not on what I do, does that mean I can live any kind of life I want?Do good works have any part to play?
There is a danger here, because there are many who want to cheapen the grace of God and presume upon His forgiveness.They treat salvation and forgiveness as a free ticket to "enjoy" or make light of their sin.
Going back to our passage in Ephesians, after the Apostle Paul declares that salvation is by grace alone in verses 8-9, he says in the next verse that, "We are [God's] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."Good works do not lead to salvation, but rather salvation leads to good works.When we are saved by grace, we are made new in Christ and good works will follow.But these are never performed as an effort to gain salvation.They are always the fruit of salvation that is given freely to us in Christ.
The evidence of true Christian faith is not a momentary decision, but rather the fruit of a faithful life.
PRAYER CONCLUSION
Father, please cause our minds and thoughts to be consumed with a reverent awe of you and the work of salvation that you accomplished through Jesus Christ. Help us to fear you more than we fear man when we have opportunities to love others by sharing the gospel with them. Please give us boldness and love. Amen.
This six part series was developed from Christianity Explained Evangelism course:
http://www.thegoodbook.com/evangelism/c ... -explained
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Vol 2., No. 26
December 2010
by Brady Tarr, Attorney Ministries Coordinator
"For we have been saved by grace through faith and this is not your own doing it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
There is only one true gospel (Gal. 1:6-9) which will save a sinner (Rom. 3:23) from his/her sin.In our relativistic and postmodern society, there are few statements that are more politically incorrect than the one just mentioned, but Christians must not forget that we are not called to be politically correct and liked by all, rather Christians are called to be loving, but bold proclaimers of the gospel of Jesus Christ in all aspects of our lives because our hope is not found in achieving a political correctness or being liked by all, but rather our hope is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ and being loved by Him.God says in the Bible that there is one and only one way to have eternal life (John 14:6, Rom. 10:9-10).
A person must affirm and understand the gospel in order to be a Christian and to communicate it accurately to others.This devotional is good for Christians to meditate on, but it is designed to continue to help give Christians the confidence and the material necessary to share the gospel with the friends, family, and strangers who are in need of salvation from their sin.
Thus far in these devotionals we have discussed the essential Christian truths about Jesus, but now we will begin to discuss how these things apply in the life of a person.On what basis can a person be sure of his/her salvation?Let's start with a couple of questions that are good to first, personally think about and then ask others as you share the gospel with them.
Do you know for certain that you would go to heaven if you were to die this very moment?
Or another closely related question that we will discuss is:
Suppose you were to die tonight and give account of your life before God.On what basis would He "save" you from His righteous and just judgment, and allow you to enter into heaven . . . into His holy presence?In other words, what is your case, what is your defense before God?
Fundamentally, you can make your defense before God in one of two ways:
Appeal to God on the merit of your own righteousness or at least your lack of wickedness
Appeal to the merit of Jesus Christ and the work he accomplished
In other words you can appeal to an internal righteousness of your own, or an external righteousness of another.I would argue every religion in the world falls into one of these two responses.There is a religion of "Do", which emphasize my efforts to become righteous and therefore be accepted before a holy God.Or there is a religion of "Done", which relies solely upon the merit and work of Jesus Christ in order to be accepted.
One response is a salvation by the merit of your own righteousness. More commonly called SALVATION BY WORKS.
This approach is a religion of "do", what "I" have done on this earth in order to be considered worthy of heaven, "I" being the operative word.The thought is that in some way God will honor my good works and deeds, or at the very least, he'll recognize and give me credit for all the bad things that I could have done, but didn't do.
Can you think of some common examples that people might appeal to in this regard?
Keeping 10 commandments (at least the "biggies")
Don't do certain things
Give to charity
Good citizen
Bringing up family
Bible reading and prayer
Church-going
Baptism
Communion
Being an honest attorney
Everything mentioned has to do with my own merit.What we might call "good" deeds - what I have done or rightly refrained from doing.In a salvation by works approach, we believe that what we've done or avoided doing is good enough to get us into heaven.We are personally worthy of being accepted.
NOTE:Many times people who place their hope in their own works do not think they are perfect.They will acknowledge they have failed in various ways.But they do think that if and when they are required to give an account of their lives, they will sufficiently measure up in order to make the grade and be accepted.
This, according to Christianity, is the wrong answer.It is a hopeless endeavor to plead my case before God based on my own righteousness or merit.There is nothing I can do to make myself right and acceptable before God.There is no good work that I can do, nor any combination of good works over a lifetime, that can qualify me for heaven.
Why? Because God's standard is 100% perfection. Now some of you may be thinking, "No way. Is that really what the Bible says? It can't be that demanding? After all, nobody's perfect!" Well listen to what James, the brother of Jesus, wrote:
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law (James 2:10-11).
But it's not just James. The Apostle Paul also says this.Please look at Galatians 3:10-11:
All who rely on observing the law are under a curse.
Why is that?Why are all who rely on observing the law under a curse?He goes on to quote from God's law itself,
for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them."
Paul's conclusion in the next verse makes it even clearer:
Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law.
If you seek to relate to God by your observance of His law... His commands... you will fail because God says you must obey Him perfectly.His standard of obedience is perfection... and nothing less.
And by that standard we all fail miserably.We all sin and fall short of God's glory (Rom. 3:23), and therefore deserve His judgment.
This does not mean that some people aren't morally better than others relatively speaking.Who would you say is one of the most respected men of this century?How about the most despised? So, for example, Evangelist Billy Graham is considered to be one of the most trusted men in America, even by those who have no religious beliefs. On the other hand, history is filled with brutal leaders who are universally reviled as evil men. We would all agree that Billy Graham is morally superior to Hitler, Stalin, or Pol Pot.
But while nearly everyone would agree that Hitler has earned a spot in hell, the Bible says that Billy Graham has earned a spot in hell, too. And so has all of humanity because of their sin against God. When the standard is perfection, the comparison game does not work.The standard we will be judged against is not the lowest common denominator of human goodness.Rather, it is the perfect standard of God's holiness and righteousness expressed in his law.
Understanding this failure to meet God's standard becomes clear when we recognize that sin is not just a matter of doing, or saying, or even thinking wrong things.No, it is much more fundamental than that.Sin is naturally in our hearts.All the evil things we do come from within us.Sin is not fundamentally just a matter of what we've done, but rather who we are. Let's look at the way Jesus explains this in Mark 7:20-23.
And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
As we can see by Jesus' words, we have a problem, and the source of the problem is us. We are sinners. The specific sins we commit are just the symptoms of our condition. It's not that we're sinners because we sin. It's that we sin because we are sinners. This is our nature.
Think of it this way.
A person went to the doctor to be treated for measles because he was unsuccessful when he tried to cure it by placing band-aids over the spots.
The illness is inside!It's in the bloodstream.
Sin is the same way.When we say or think wrong things, these are only symptoms of the sin within us.
Doing a few good works is like putting band-aids on the evil symptoms of sin.We're still sinners, and thus stand condemned before God.
This is the testimony of Jesus and numerous other Biblical texts.And in our heart of hearts it is something that we all know about ourselves. We know that we are guilty. We feel guilty, and we spend a lot of mental and emotional energy trying to suppress those feelings of guilt.We are guilty because we are all sinners, whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not.
Once again, we come back to our question . . . On what basis should you ask God to save you from His judgment?
From all this we can see why pleading our own good works will not get us very far when we make our case before God. The judge demands perfection and we are far from it.Therefore, according to Christianity, salvation by works is the wrong answer to this question.
What, then, is the right answer to the above question?Christianity teaches that we are saved not by our works, but by grace. We do not plead our own efforts, but instead to plead the efforts of another, namely Jesus Christ.
Christianity teaches that we are saved by GRACE alone.The word "grace" means an undeserved free gift.Grace is unmerited favor.Grace is receiving the opposite of what we deserve.And it is only on this basis that we can expect God to save us.
This is strikingly clear in Ephesians 2:8-9.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Given what we've already seen about the effectiveness of our good works, God's grace... God's unmerited favor towards us... is the only hope we have.But this grace is not groundless.It does not just appear out of this air.This unmerited favor is found only in Christ, in his divine authority, substitutionary death, and resurrection.God's favor towards us is based on what Christ has done on our behalf.And this is where we need to recall all that we have studied about Christ in the last three devotionals.
Paul is saying that God saves us by the faith we have in the LORD Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus the Son of God who lived and died and rose again from the dead.Jesus-as our substitute-is offered to us as an undeserved, free gift. This is Grace! God shows grace to sinners by looking to Christ's work, not our work!
Good works are still important
One of the most likely questions that may come to mind at this point is do good works matter at all in Christianity?If salvation through faith in the finished work of Christ is a free gift, if it is based on what He has done and not on what I do, does that mean I can live any kind of life I want?Do good works have any part to play?
There is a danger here, because there are many who want to cheapen the grace of God and presume upon His forgiveness.They treat salvation and forgiveness as a free ticket to "enjoy" or make light of their sin.
Going back to our passage in Ephesians, after the Apostle Paul declares that salvation is by grace alone in verses 8-9, he says in the next verse that, "We are [God's] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."Good works do not lead to salvation, but rather salvation leads to good works.When we are saved by grace, we are made new in Christ and good works will follow.But these are never performed as an effort to gain salvation.They are always the fruit of salvation that is given freely to us in Christ.
The evidence of true Christian faith is not a momentary decision, but rather the fruit of a faithful life.
PRAYER CONCLUSION
Father, please cause our minds and thoughts to be consumed with a reverent awe of you and the work of salvation that you accomplished through Jesus Christ. Help us to fear you more than we fear man when we have opportunities to love others by sharing the gospel with them. Please give us boldness and love. Amen.
This six part series was developed from Christianity Explained Evangelism course:
http://www.thegoodbook.com/evangelism/c ... -explained
RESOURCES
Online CLE Library
Publications
Christian Lawyer
Journal of Christian Legal Thought
Articles
CLS Store
Institute of Christian Legal Studies
Bible Studies
CLS e-Devotionals
Christian Conciliation
Find a Lawyer
Job Bank
CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY
8001 Braddock Road Suite 302
Springfield, Virginia 22151
Phone: 703.642.1070
Email: clshq@clsnet.org
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Re: Catholicism part 3 "Tradition"
Why is the Catholic Church into the "Traditions of Men?"
In this Article
1.So what about all these Catholic "traditions of men"?
2.Evangelical tradition
3.Isn't the Bible alone the only Authority?
Related Articles
1. Catholics and the Bible?
2.History of how the Bible came to us
3.What's with these "extra" books in the Bible
4.Mary in the Bible
5.A biblical examination of gay sex
6.How come Catholics were not allowed to read the Bible?
7.Flowchart of Catholic Doctrine
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Tradition is not a dirty word. We need it. Don't get me wrong, the Bible is the Word of God. There are thousands of Biblical quotes on this site. We read the Bible every day. The Catholic Church says, "ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."(Catechism 133)
However, there is more to Christianity than the Bible (sola scriptura - "by scripture alone" - is a Protestant tradition invented by Luther 500 years ago). In his #1 Evangelical book, The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren, says:
We need more than the Bible in order to grow; we need other believers.
(The Purpose Driven Life, pg. 134)
The famous Evangelical Rick Warren was right when he said that we need more than the Bible in order to grow. This is in no way a put-down of the Bible, which is central to our faith. It is the infallible Word of God on moral and spiritual issues.
The early Church was about community and unity. They came together around the Eucharist in the Breaking of Bread. They didn't have a Bible, just a bunch of letters and stories, and the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), which contained the Deuterocanonical books that were omitted from Protestant Bibles after the Reformation in the 1500's. Even after the Church decided on the books of the Bible in 397 AD most people could not read until well into the Middle Ages. In those days they would look at the stained glass pictures in the Churches and hear the stories about Jesus' life.
Thank God, today, we can read and we have the benefit of the Bible. We also have the benefit of a rich base of knowledge from many centuries of Traditions of faithful Christians, and we have each other, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles are the birthplace of Christian tradition and it became an integral part of the early Christian community.
So what about all these Catholic "traditions of men"?
I got an email from a well meaning Evangelical that said:
If you embrace the words of Jesus and reject the traditions of man as he instructed us, you can secure your own salvation and lead many to the Lord.
This well meaning Evangelical was speaking about the "Traditions of Men" spoken about in Mark 7 and Mathew 15.
Mark 7:8 "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, [as] the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things you do."
Matt. 15:6 “…and you have made void the commandment of God for your tradition.”
We agree with what is condemned in these passages where Christ rebukes the Pharisees. Some of these pharisaic interpretations went contrary to the teaching of Scripture. St. Paul warns the Colossians (2:8) against certain teachings of pagan (probably Gnostic) philosophy. Such traditions contradict the Christian doctrine and are of themselves wrong and unchristian (and even unJewish, because most Jews were not Pharisees). So it makes sense that Jesus rebuked them.
There is nothing unbiblical whatsoever with:
1.Divine Tradition, which is part of Christian revelation;
2.Customs, usages, practices which form part of our ordinary exercise of our faith, such as signs of the Cross, blessings, holy water, vestments, candles, and the like, which come and go and change over the centuries and differ from one part of the Catholic world to another.(2)
Mat 15:9 speaks against teaching human precepts as doctrines. It does not say anything bad about doctrine itself. The Bible is full of doctrine. Tradition draws upon the Church's collective wisdom. It is derived from the Apostles and given to the Early Church Fathers, and revelations of the faithful. It enriches our understanding of the Bible.
The Greek word for Tradition is "paradosis", which means "giving over" or "handing down." It refers to teachings that are handed down either by spoken word or in writing. (1)
Both Catholics and Evangelicals agree that no spiritual truth will conflict with the Bible. We have different approaches to this statement. Many Evangelicals say that everything that is true is in the Bible. Catholics say that everything that is in the Bible is true. There is a subtle difference. Many Evangelicals would say "if it's true - then it's in the Bible, if it's not true, it's not in the Bible."
We think the Bible itself contradicts this view:
...there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that could be written. (Jn 21:25)
For instance, the word "Trinity" is not in the Bible, but it is most certainly real. Another word that is not in the Bible is the word "Bible". Neither of those words are in the Bible, but they are most certainly true.
In John 16:12 Jesus says:
"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth."
A while back, the number one Christian song on "20 the Countdown Magazine", a top worldwide Evangelical Christian radio music show, was called "Word of God Speak" by the top Evangelical Christian band "Mercy Me." The chorus lyrics are: "Word of God speak, will you fall down like rain." The song is about the Bible yet it acknowledges that the Word of God "falls down like rain" also. I've been at Evangelical prayer meetings where someone comes to me and says "I have a word from the Lord for you." Sometimes that word was a direct Scripture passage and sometimes it was not. The important thing was that it did not contradict Scripture.
Evangelical Tradition
I suggest that every Protestant or Evangelical Church has its own "traditions" although they would not be labeled as such. They are often called a "Mission Statement" or a "Statement of Faith." It is often these statements or "traditions" that distinguish between the denominations (or brethrens, or fellowships, or churches). To be a member of a particular group of Evangelicals, one must accept its "traditions" as laid out in the Statement of Faith or Mission Statement. Some may say "my church is just about the Bible." I don't doubt the sincerity of this claim but if someone comes up with an interpretation of Scripture contrary to the interpretation accepted by their church, then they are often rebuked. Perhaps this is a contributing reason why there are thousands of denominations who interpret Scripture differently. For instance, there are dozens of variations of the Rapture including "Post, Pre, and Mid" which are in conflict with each other.
Evangelical Bible Colleges include an extensive study of early Christian tradition to help understand the Faith. Martin Luther introduced pub songs into Church by rewording them with Christian themes. This practice became a great tradition. We call them hymns. Even the great worship music that we hear today in Evangelical Churches such as songs by Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin and Vineyard are part of a modern day Evangelical tradition. In Evangelical services, it has become a tradition to play a couple of fast songs, a few slow songs, read a passage of Scripture, have a sermon, an altar call and a have few songs to finish, followed by fellowship in the Church hall. This is all tradition. I would say that Evangelicals pay attention to their traditions as well as Scripture.
Isn't the Bible alone the only Authority?
That is probably the biggest division between Catholics and Evangelicals and it is the reason why most Evangelicals have a problem with the Traditions of the Church, because they feel it undermines the Bible. I can see how it seems blasphemous for a Catholic to say the Bible is not the "only" authority. Most certainly the Bible is infallible. However, Catholics believe that the Bible itself teaches us that the Church came before the Bible. Jesus did not write any books of the Bible. Jesus chose NOT to write but rather to build his Church, and 30-60 years later He inspired the members of his Church write down the Gospels. Several hundred years after that, He inspired members of his Church to decide what books belong in the Bible. More about Catholics and the Bible here and a history of the Bible is here. If Jesus inspired members of the Church to infallibly write the Bible and later infallibly decide on what writings to include in the Bible, I think He can inspire the Church to make right interpretation of Scripture on matters that are critical to our salvation.
Some Evangelicals feel that the passage from Isaiah 40:8 is a statement against the use of tradition:
"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever"
Catholics agree that Scripture stands forever. But the passage doesn't say that tradition isn't valid. It says nothing whatsoever against tradition.
The Gospel of John says "and the Word became Flesh"
(Jn 1:14). It doesn't say, "and the Word became paper."
God became Flesh, He instituted and commissioned his Church. Later He inspired members of his Church to write, then He inspired members of the Church to discern which books to include in the Bible, and He inspired his Church to interpret it. This is what Catholics believe, and that is what all Christians believed for the first 1500 years of Christianity.
The following passage is often used to profess Sola Scriptura (Bible alone)
"...the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training" (2 Timothy 3:15-16)
The passage simply says Scripture is inspired and useful. Catholics totally agree. Water is necessary for my existence but is it all I need? Most certainly not. The passage says nothing against Tradition. Interestingly, there was no New Testament written back then so if this passage was saying Scripture is all we need, it would be saying that the New Testament wasn't necessary, which is obviously untrue.
Catholics believe that the "Bible alone" theory is not what the Bible teaches.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say the Bible alone is the only authority. However, the Bible does say that Jesus founded his Church and gave it all authority. (Mat 16:18)
Here are some biblical passages that Catholics feel speak for the need to observe tradition as well as Scripture. It is important to note that Catholics believe that the traditions they have embraced are not contrary to the Bible, they use tradition to clarify positions that are outlined and intimated there.
•"...hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (not only written) 2 Thes 2:15
•"Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me." Not written but spoken. 2 Tim 1:13
•".I would rather not use pen and ink, but hope to come to see you and talk with you face to face." 2 John 12
•"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth." John 16:12
•2 Tim 3:16 does not condemn tradition.
•Mat 15 condemns the traditions of men not apostolic tradition.
•There are many other things that Jesus did. . the whole world could not hold the books that could be written. Jn 21:25
•I have sent my angel to announce these things to you in the churches. Rev 22:16
•1 Corinthians 11:2 . . . maintain the traditions . . . even as I have delivered them to you.
•2 Thessalonians 3:6 . . . the tradition that you received from us.
•1 Corinthians 15:1 . . . the gospel, which you received . . .
•Galatians 1:9 . . . the gospel . . . which you received.
•1 Thessalonians 2:9 . . . we preached to you the gospel of God.
•Acts 8:14 . . . Samaria had received the word of God . . .
•1 Thessalonians 2:13 . . . you received the word of God, which you heard from us, . . .
•2 Peter 2:21 . . . the holy commandment delivered to them.
•Jude 3 . . . the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
In this Article
1.So what about all these Catholic "traditions of men"?
2.Evangelical tradition
3.Isn't the Bible alone the only Authority?
Related Articles
1. Catholics and the Bible?
2.History of how the Bible came to us
3.What's with these "extra" books in the Bible
4.Mary in the Bible
5.A biblical examination of gay sex
6.How come Catholics were not allowed to read the Bible?
7.Flowchart of Catholic Doctrine
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Tradition is not a dirty word. We need it. Don't get me wrong, the Bible is the Word of God. There are thousands of Biblical quotes on this site. We read the Bible every day. The Catholic Church says, "ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."(Catechism 133)
However, there is more to Christianity than the Bible (sola scriptura - "by scripture alone" - is a Protestant tradition invented by Luther 500 years ago). In his #1 Evangelical book, The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren, says:
We need more than the Bible in order to grow; we need other believers.
(The Purpose Driven Life, pg. 134)
The famous Evangelical Rick Warren was right when he said that we need more than the Bible in order to grow. This is in no way a put-down of the Bible, which is central to our faith. It is the infallible Word of God on moral and spiritual issues.
The early Church was about community and unity. They came together around the Eucharist in the Breaking of Bread. They didn't have a Bible, just a bunch of letters and stories, and the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), which contained the Deuterocanonical books that were omitted from Protestant Bibles after the Reformation in the 1500's. Even after the Church decided on the books of the Bible in 397 AD most people could not read until well into the Middle Ages. In those days they would look at the stained glass pictures in the Churches and hear the stories about Jesus' life.
Thank God, today, we can read and we have the benefit of the Bible. We also have the benefit of a rich base of knowledge from many centuries of Traditions of faithful Christians, and we have each other, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles are the birthplace of Christian tradition and it became an integral part of the early Christian community.
So what about all these Catholic "traditions of men"?
I got an email from a well meaning Evangelical that said:
If you embrace the words of Jesus and reject the traditions of man as he instructed us, you can secure your own salvation and lead many to the Lord.
This well meaning Evangelical was speaking about the "Traditions of Men" spoken about in Mark 7 and Mathew 15.
Mark 7:8 "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, [as] the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things you do."
Matt. 15:6 “…and you have made void the commandment of God for your tradition.”
We agree with what is condemned in these passages where Christ rebukes the Pharisees. Some of these pharisaic interpretations went contrary to the teaching of Scripture. St. Paul warns the Colossians (2:8) against certain teachings of pagan (probably Gnostic) philosophy. Such traditions contradict the Christian doctrine and are of themselves wrong and unchristian (and even unJewish, because most Jews were not Pharisees). So it makes sense that Jesus rebuked them.
There is nothing unbiblical whatsoever with:
1.Divine Tradition, which is part of Christian revelation;
2.Customs, usages, practices which form part of our ordinary exercise of our faith, such as signs of the Cross, blessings, holy water, vestments, candles, and the like, which come and go and change over the centuries and differ from one part of the Catholic world to another.(2)
Mat 15:9 speaks against teaching human precepts as doctrines. It does not say anything bad about doctrine itself. The Bible is full of doctrine. Tradition draws upon the Church's collective wisdom. It is derived from the Apostles and given to the Early Church Fathers, and revelations of the faithful. It enriches our understanding of the Bible.
The Greek word for Tradition is "paradosis", which means "giving over" or "handing down." It refers to teachings that are handed down either by spoken word or in writing. (1)
Both Catholics and Evangelicals agree that no spiritual truth will conflict with the Bible. We have different approaches to this statement. Many Evangelicals say that everything that is true is in the Bible. Catholics say that everything that is in the Bible is true. There is a subtle difference. Many Evangelicals would say "if it's true - then it's in the Bible, if it's not true, it's not in the Bible."
We think the Bible itself contradicts this view:
...there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that could be written. (Jn 21:25)
For instance, the word "Trinity" is not in the Bible, but it is most certainly real. Another word that is not in the Bible is the word "Bible". Neither of those words are in the Bible, but they are most certainly true.
In John 16:12 Jesus says:
"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth."
A while back, the number one Christian song on "20 the Countdown Magazine", a top worldwide Evangelical Christian radio music show, was called "Word of God Speak" by the top Evangelical Christian band "Mercy Me." The chorus lyrics are: "Word of God speak, will you fall down like rain." The song is about the Bible yet it acknowledges that the Word of God "falls down like rain" also. I've been at Evangelical prayer meetings where someone comes to me and says "I have a word from the Lord for you." Sometimes that word was a direct Scripture passage and sometimes it was not. The important thing was that it did not contradict Scripture.
Evangelical Tradition
I suggest that every Protestant or Evangelical Church has its own "traditions" although they would not be labeled as such. They are often called a "Mission Statement" or a "Statement of Faith." It is often these statements or "traditions" that distinguish between the denominations (or brethrens, or fellowships, or churches). To be a member of a particular group of Evangelicals, one must accept its "traditions" as laid out in the Statement of Faith or Mission Statement. Some may say "my church is just about the Bible." I don't doubt the sincerity of this claim but if someone comes up with an interpretation of Scripture contrary to the interpretation accepted by their church, then they are often rebuked. Perhaps this is a contributing reason why there are thousands of denominations who interpret Scripture differently. For instance, there are dozens of variations of the Rapture including "Post, Pre, and Mid" which are in conflict with each other.
Evangelical Bible Colleges include an extensive study of early Christian tradition to help understand the Faith. Martin Luther introduced pub songs into Church by rewording them with Christian themes. This practice became a great tradition. We call them hymns. Even the great worship music that we hear today in Evangelical Churches such as songs by Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin and Vineyard are part of a modern day Evangelical tradition. In Evangelical services, it has become a tradition to play a couple of fast songs, a few slow songs, read a passage of Scripture, have a sermon, an altar call and a have few songs to finish, followed by fellowship in the Church hall. This is all tradition. I would say that Evangelicals pay attention to their traditions as well as Scripture.
Isn't the Bible alone the only Authority?
That is probably the biggest division between Catholics and Evangelicals and it is the reason why most Evangelicals have a problem with the Traditions of the Church, because they feel it undermines the Bible. I can see how it seems blasphemous for a Catholic to say the Bible is not the "only" authority. Most certainly the Bible is infallible. However, Catholics believe that the Bible itself teaches us that the Church came before the Bible. Jesus did not write any books of the Bible. Jesus chose NOT to write but rather to build his Church, and 30-60 years later He inspired the members of his Church write down the Gospels. Several hundred years after that, He inspired members of his Church to decide what books belong in the Bible. More about Catholics and the Bible here and a history of the Bible is here. If Jesus inspired members of the Church to infallibly write the Bible and later infallibly decide on what writings to include in the Bible, I think He can inspire the Church to make right interpretation of Scripture on matters that are critical to our salvation.
Some Evangelicals feel that the passage from Isaiah 40:8 is a statement against the use of tradition:
"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever"
Catholics agree that Scripture stands forever. But the passage doesn't say that tradition isn't valid. It says nothing whatsoever against tradition.
The Gospel of John says "and the Word became Flesh"
(Jn 1:14). It doesn't say, "and the Word became paper."
God became Flesh, He instituted and commissioned his Church. Later He inspired members of his Church to write, then He inspired members of the Church to discern which books to include in the Bible, and He inspired his Church to interpret it. This is what Catholics believe, and that is what all Christians believed for the first 1500 years of Christianity.
The following passage is often used to profess Sola Scriptura (Bible alone)
"...the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training" (2 Timothy 3:15-16)
The passage simply says Scripture is inspired and useful. Catholics totally agree. Water is necessary for my existence but is it all I need? Most certainly not. The passage says nothing against Tradition. Interestingly, there was no New Testament written back then so if this passage was saying Scripture is all we need, it would be saying that the New Testament wasn't necessary, which is obviously untrue.
Catholics believe that the "Bible alone" theory is not what the Bible teaches.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say the Bible alone is the only authority. However, the Bible does say that Jesus founded his Church and gave it all authority. (Mat 16:18)
Here are some biblical passages that Catholics feel speak for the need to observe tradition as well as Scripture. It is important to note that Catholics believe that the traditions they have embraced are not contrary to the Bible, they use tradition to clarify positions that are outlined and intimated there.
•"...hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (not only written) 2 Thes 2:15
•"Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me." Not written but spoken. 2 Tim 1:13
•".I would rather not use pen and ink, but hope to come to see you and talk with you face to face." 2 John 12
•"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth." John 16:12
•2 Tim 3:16 does not condemn tradition.
•Mat 15 condemns the traditions of men not apostolic tradition.
•There are many other things that Jesus did. . the whole world could not hold the books that could be written. Jn 21:25
•I have sent my angel to announce these things to you in the churches. Rev 22:16
•1 Corinthians 11:2 . . . maintain the traditions . . . even as I have delivered them to you.
•2 Thessalonians 3:6 . . . the tradition that you received from us.
•1 Corinthians 15:1 . . . the gospel, which you received . . .
•Galatians 1:9 . . . the gospel . . . which you received.
•1 Thessalonians 2:9 . . . we preached to you the gospel of God.
•Acts 8:14 . . . Samaria had received the word of God . . .
•1 Thessalonians 2:13 . . . you received the word of God, which you heard from us, . . .
•2 Peter 2:21 . . . the holy commandment delivered to them.
•Jude 3 . . . the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
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bumperjack
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Re: Catholicism part 3 "Tradition"
Silent you have a good argument for sure, but so does the other side my brother.I guess what it boils down to is how strong is your Faith? and are you and me spiritually growing in the likeness of Christ? and are we making disciples like we are suppose to be doing in our Christian Walk?A Faith worth having is a faith worth sharing for sure,belief is also what sums it up as well as faith,Your taught and everyone who has any type of faith in God,Is there proof God is real? OF COURSE there is by your Victorys & blessings and your transformation,There are many Religions and Faithson this planet,like I said before do we really know there is a Heaven or Hell ? We haven't,and we have not personally met the devil or God.So in Reality Not one or anyone has all the answers,alot of folks claim to because it's what they believe is all my brother.Talking about God is never a waste of my time because of the role He has played in my life & Thats the only reason I will discuss or debate my Faith in my Savior and My Father who is in Heaven &which is His home & earth is His footstool.I agree with you silent we need more than the bible,We have a up,in and out relationship with Christ our Savior up is our most important relationship with Jesus Christ and our in is With the Body of Christ (believers) our out relationship is witnessing to none believers and making disciples for the Kingdom.Thats my faith & belief as far as who has got it right is a whole different issue.peace out bumperjack
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silentwssj
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Re: Catholicism part 3 "Tradition"
Hey there! I agree with your point of "A Faith worth having is a Faith worth sharing", that is why we are both here debating all of this right! As I have always said at the very least we are educating each other on different views of the same Christian religion. At the very most we are bringing clarity into the minds of interested readers in regards to certain questions that they may have about all of these topics! I have come down with a pretty bad case of walking pneumonia! I am going to take the rest of this week off of work and rest! I will work on my next post as much as I can over the course of the next few days! Honestly, my body is feeling pretty much down and out though! I will be sleeping mostly and doing what little I can! All prayers for a speedy recovery are greatly appreciated! Silent!
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bumperjack
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Re: Catholicism part 3 "Tradition"
Silent will be praying for you yes clarity is the reason for these posts for people to take a look and maybe they have something to add or a question even "Educational" for sure I do alot of study it's a great subject and My favorite! gangs are my other subject of interest.As a participant for many years.Silent you get well and I lift you up now to our Heavenly Father for a speedy recovery from your sickness and to strengthen your fingers to put your touch back on streetgangs.com,Lord heal him in your sons name Christ Jesus Amen from CALI to New Mexico there is power in prayer.