08/08/12

Traditions - a weapon of Satan

Romans 15:21 - But as it is written, 'To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand'.


Christians mistake traditions with statutes and instead of following statutes given by the Lord they start to follow traditions. The Bible is very clear against traditions and shows them as killers of the conscience of man. After fear traditions is one of the most successful ways of Satan to destroy the faith of man and consecutively destroy him. It can be attributed to someone going on pouring water into milk. In the start it is difficult to identify when the water is of less quantity but slowly as the amount of water increases the mixture may look white but looses most properties and benefits of milk. Adult drinking it will never see any benefit of it but a child who depends on it for nourishment may die. Worst problems comes when the water mixed is unclean water, then even the adult drinking this along with the child lands up become sick.

Traditions like statutes are activities / practices which are continued / carried forward from generation to generation, they both are done with purposes and one among them is to keep the people practicing it unity.

There is only main difference between traditions and statutes. Statutes were practices instructed by the Lord to the people which were connected to an event to keep doing it from generation of generation so that the next generations or people who did not know it come to know of it. Although both helped spread the practice or things connected with it, but statutes were mainly done with the purpose of other people to know, unlike traditions which are even done only with people who already know. Statute is a tool to preach about an event and preaching is done only to those who do not know not to those who know. Imagine if you're Pastor or Priest, on every Sunday preached the same sharing of the Word / sermon, Sunday after Sunday; after a few Sundays of tolerance the people who come would sleep through it. And that is what happens with traditions; it makes your conscience to sleep and kills faith.

Statutes on other hand needed to be followed exactly as they were given. Every symbol or detail of it cannot be changed for they are all symbolic by changing or modifying them the meaning or purpose changes that is why the Lord gave every small detail when it came to statutes.

Statutes were given as tools to teach and also for those practicing to know more therefore builds faith. i.e. keeping the Passover is an tradition but by it the children (spiritual children) know about what happened during the time of Moses but the adults came to know of how it symbolized Jesus' sacrifice, both learned and built faith.

In the Bible (KJV-AV) the word 'traditions' is used only once with Christianity (the other time it is used with the traditions of the Jews. Even this one time it does not mean practices but means ordinance which is more of decree, order, edict or rule and the later part of the scripture specifies in what form it was given like teaching, word or letter. And in the teachings or letters there is not even one tradition which the Apostles gave that is not one of the statutes which the Lord had already given in the Bible. In fact Paul states anything done without faith is sin (faith is believing in the Truth - Word of God).

We have many Christians who are like spiritual zombies just because they do not follow Christianity but follow traditions which they claim as 'Christian'. Many among the traditions that they keep are in fact imported from pagan practices and mixed into Christianity like dirty water mixed in milk.

Let us discern traditions from statutes and kick out the traditions from our lives so that we spiritually resurrect in conscience and become living Christians.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You moved the tomb stone when You resurrected as a symbol even though You could pass through walls after resurrection. Without removing traditions from our lives we will never experience your resurrection power. Lord we pray for all Christians who are bond under the iron chains of traditions; set them free and bring them alive in You...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Exodus 12:24-27
24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

Leviticus 10:9-11
9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.

Leviticus 18:2-5
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God.
3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.
4 Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.
5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

Galatians 1:14 - And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

2 Thessalonians 2:15 - Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

Romans 14:23 - And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Acts 7:51 - Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)