Welcome to this month's Associated Gospel Churches Blog. As God leads us as an endorsing agency, we joyfully announce our newly elected President Chaplain Steve Brown, CAPT, CHC, USN. Chaplain Brown is currently on active duty serving with the Marines and will retire in October of this year to take the reins of the AGC soon after. Please pray for God's wisdom and grace on Steve's behalf as he leads AGC Chaplain's who serve God and country.
This month's feature is from our outgoing President Jim Poe (CAPT-ret) on "Following False Traditions." President Poe's observations are especially helpful in a world of increasing diversity where it is getting more difficult to find truth in a world without absolutes. May the Lord bless you as you read and serve Him in whatever capacity possible!
This month's feature is from our outgoing President Jim Poe (CAPT-ret) on "Following False Traditions." President Poe's observations are especially helpful in a world of increasing diversity where it is getting more difficult to find truth in a world without absolutes. May the Lord bless you as you read and serve Him in whatever capacity possible!
James F. Poe CAPT, CHC, USN, Ret. AGC Acting President
Traditions vs. God’s Commands
“But He answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? . . . Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. . . . But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15: 3, 6, 9.
“ . . . they saw that the Gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles). . . . But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. . . . I said unto Peter before them all. If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?” Galatians 2:7, 8, 14.
“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 5:18; 24:35.
It is clear from Scriptural account that there are traditional or cultural practices, which may be important for a distinct people or segment of a society, that others not of that people or culture should never be compelled to follow. Timothy, whose mother and grandmother were Jewish, would be counted a Jew by Jews, the Apostle Paul circumcised him so that he would be beneficial to the ministry of the Gospel among the Jews, and not a hindrance. On the other hand, because of the danger inherent in giving credence to the theological heresy that Gentiles must become proselyte Jews in order to be Christians and admitted into fellowship, the Apostle Paul would not countenance having Titus, a Gentile by birth, to becircumcised in order that he not be an offense to the Jews. Acts 16:3; Galatians 2:3-5.
Cultural traditions practiced by distinct peoples or sectors of society, which are neither sinful within themselves nor do they confer any holy essence to their practitioners; often have the tendency to be viewed as requirements from God with the passing of time. The Jews developed many traditions which from the beginning were not meant to replace the commandants of God, but in time began to be seen as divine requirements, and did in fact supplant the commands of God. These ‘traditions’ became a great hindrance for Jews in recognizing and submitting to their only true Lord and King, the Lord Jesus Christ. Non-essential traditions blinded them to the truth.
We evangelical, fundamental believers recognize the many unbiblical traditions of Roman Catholics which have made God’s law and Gospel of none effect, such as the confessional, the celibate hierarchical priesthood, the mass, purgatory, apostolic succession, abstaining from meat on Friday, praying the rosary, etc. Likewise, Mormons don’t drink tea, coffee or wine and have many other extra Biblical traditions without divine sanction, all which are the invention of sinful men. Yet, Scripture-denying ‘liberal’ Protestants reject the Scriptural requirement of a male gender Gospel ministry and the submission of wives to husbands contending that the male dominated society was only cultural to Biblical days. Likewise, they now reject the Word of God which labels homosexual conduct an abominable sin. They contend the Biblical condemnation is nothing more than the social customs of a by-gone age, asserting that our modern society has advanced beyond that primitive culture.
I fear that there are many traditions developed among our own Evangelical Protestant Churches, even fundamentalist groups, which have come to be seen as requirements from God, and thus, supplant the true commands of God and the simple Gospel message. Some have transformed the necessity of regeneration by the sovereign Holy Spirit into a human function of following a mechanical formula of Scripture verses and a prayer (the ‘Roman’s Road’ to salvation). Others have confused the simple invitation of the Gospel to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, with the physical walking up a church aisle at the end of an “evangelistic” sermon, and are quick to condemn a chaplain who doesn’t ‘give an invitation’ at the close of his sermon, as if someone might miss a ‘chance to get saved.’
While there are no excuses for the grievous sins of drunkenness or gluttony, some Fundamentalists are most ready to condemn others who do not follow their tea-totaling traditions. There are many other such things which are practiced by tradition in our Protestant churches that are not to be found in Scripture. Some would demand the singing of hymns alone in all worship services while excluding the sometimes monotonous, though non-heretical, verses (my son called them ‘seven-eleven’ songs= seven words repeated eleven times). Yet, in turn, these folk may completely ignore the Church’s inspired songbook, the Book of Psalms. I confess that I personally have little attraction to much modern ‘Christian’ music. Some of it actually repulses me as frivolous, but that is my religious cultural experience.
It is essential for us who minister in the institutional context of the military and other governmental agencies, outside our familiar church and cultural world, to be able to discern what is permanent according to the Word of God and what is only cultural and temporary. Though some tradition may be useful in certain context, we must ever remind ourselves of what is essential and what is simply our preferred tradition. Where God has clearly spoken, we dare not ignore one jot or tittle, even as we dare not elevate our particular chosen practices as divine requirements for others. God’s true commands found in the eternal Word of God are not temporary or negotiable. May the Lord give us His Spirit to enable us to always be discerning and differentiate the traditions of men from the commandments of God.
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