10/01/14

The Wall of Traditions

Psalms 119:104 - Through thy precepts (statutes) I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.


One of the biggest walls that stand between man and his God is the wall of tradition. Religions are manmade and all religions stand on the basis of traditions. If it were not for traditions there would not be any religion.

What is tradition?

In a nut shell it is a deed or understanding that is passed down from generation to generation. That means if a person does or follows 'A' thing and others follow it over a long period of time, then that 'A' thing becomes tradition.

One may question all teachings, including the teachings of Jesus have been passed down from generations and also Jesus too commanded to do certain things so does those not become tradition?

This is where most people miss the bus.

In the Bible from Genesis to Revelation there are many things which the Lord commanded us to do as custom and pass them from generation to generation and none of these are traditions but all of them are statutes. There is a big difference between statutes and traditions although both are customs yet they differ a lot.

Statutes are things that are done which bring understanding. In the Bible the Lord commanded us to do statutes for the reason we come to the understanding behind them and after we come to the understanding the things we do in the natural are not necessary for now the spiritual understanding takes over. Like the feasts which we are commanded to celebrate by the Lord were traditions and they commanded for the purpose to understand things concerning Christ. Does that mean now that we know the true Passover we are not supposed to celebrate Resurrection Sunday? No.

Understand statutes were given for the children of Israel. That does not mean the Jews but those who are people of God and are spiritually immature in other words growing in the Lord. That means until all mature and get its understanding, till then we need to keep celebrating the feasts, in short as we grow in the Lord we celebrate less for ourselves and more for others.

Traditions on the other hand are like bonds that compel the person to do things in the natural while blinding our spirit from understanding what or why we are doing it. That is why they become a growing wall between us and the Kingdom of God; they blind us so much that even though they go against the written Word of God yet we continue doing them, just because they were handed over unto us from others in the name of the Lord.

Also there are people who try to give meaning to traditions and make it difficult to distinguish between statutes and traditions.

There is a simple rule to test between statutes and traditions. If anything we do in the name of the Lord does not help us grow in true knowledge and understanding of the Kingdom of God and in relationship with the Lord then that is a tradition and not statutes. That is why even statutes given by the Lord we can make them into traditions by concentrating on the natural more than the spiritual. Traditions make man religious and statutes make him spiritual.

Today's message asks us to discern all things that we do or receive in the name of the Lord, for exercising discernment is a sign of maturity.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Father God, You called us as children and You gave us your Spirit so that we can mature into Sons. Lord we pray that the bonds of traditions that Satan has put around your people may be broken and they may be set free and allowed to grow in spirit and mature into Sons. May they keep your Word in Spirit and not in the letter...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
Exodus 12:24-27
24 "And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever.
25 "It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service.
26 "And it shall be, when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?'
27 "that you shall say, 'It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.'" So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

Leviticus 18:1-5
1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'I am the LORD your God.
3 'According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances.
4 'You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the LORD your God.
5 'You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 10:8-11
8 Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying:
9 "Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations,
10 "that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean,
11 "and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by the hand of Moses."

Deuteronomy 4:
44 Now this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel.
45 These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which Moses spoke to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt,

2 Kings 17:34 To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the LORD had commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel,

Leviticus 23:41 'You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

1 Corinthians 11:2 - Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions [teachings comes from the root word meaning to deliver] just as I delivered to you.

Galatians 1:14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions [teachings] of my fathers.

2 Thessalonians 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions [teachings] which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

Luke 11:47-48
47 "Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 "In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.

Matthew 15:1-3
1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,
2 "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
3 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?

Colossians 2:8 - Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 - But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.

1 Peter 1:18-19
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Romans 14:23b - for whatsoever is not of faith is sin

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