Throughout man’s sordid history, people have mocked, rejected, and forsaken the Lord. They have chosen to look to gods that cannot save or help.
Christians will, at times, desire to hide from the ones to whom they have been called to minister. Even Christ had times when He desired seclusion.
Murder is an act of hatred originating in the heart. Man, however, is not the inventor of murder. It is, in fact, the will and work of Satan.
The Bible consistently identifies the Lord as a jealous God. As the Creator, He deserves man’s undivided allegiance. As the most High God, He is worthy of man’s unadulterated worship. It is often in this vein that the Bible speaks of God’s jealousy. He warned Israel not to make or bow down to any graven images (Exodus 20:4-5; Deuteronomy 5:8-9; Psalm 78:58) because He was a jealous God and would have no choice but to judge such infidelity. The same was true of any false god (Deuteronomy 32:16) or sin (1 Kings 14:22) which man allowed to come between him and his Creator. God is perfectly just in His jealousy since man was created for God’s pleasure (Revelation 4:11).
Far too many believers today are guilty of a very dangerous practice of usurping authority that does not rightfully belong to them. As an apostle, Paul was given an elevated level of authority. As expressed in his writings, Paul understood that his authority differed from that of the other believers in Corinth. It is important to recognize that the apostles’ authority ended with their deaths. Believers only have the authority given to them in accordance to the holy scriptures. Unfortunately, many well-meaning Christians attempt to claim authority that belonged only to a special group of men that lived during the church’s infancy. This authority was given to them in order to confirm the word (Mark 16:14-20). Authority today resides within the word itself.
The world often accuses faithful believers of being arrogant or simply narrow-minded because of the believer’s unwavering certainty concerning the things he believes. Although there are times when believers reveal an unchristian arrogance, the godly believer is simply certain of his beliefs because he is certain of the authority substantiating those beliefs. According to Titus 2:15, the believer canand should “speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority.” Why? Because the Bible is the word of the God that has all authority and it offers to the believer that level of authority. It is not, therefore, arrogance which causes a godly believer to be unwilling to waver on what he believes, but faith in the written word and words of his God.
One of the most important issues that every believer must face involves the question of ultimate authority. The Pharisees abused their God-given authority by “laying aside the commandment of God” and replacing it with “the tradition of men” (Mark 7:8). They simply transgressed “the commandment of God” in order to obey and follow their tradition (Matthew 15:3). Through these unwise actions, they plainly declared that the traditions of men were their ultimate authority rather than God and His word. As a result, the Lord Jesus said they made the word of God of none effect. This same truth applies today. When a man accepts men’s traditions as superior to the scripture, he makes scripture ineffective for God’s intended purposes. The Bible must be believed in order for it to be effectual (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
Sometimes a deep chasm exists between the doctrines, traditions, and commandments of men and those that are God-ordained. Perhaps no passage better identifies this contrast than Mark chapter 7. The religious leaders of Christ’s day held “the tradition of the elders” (Mark 7:3, 5), “the tradition of men” (Mark 7:8), and their own “tradition” (Mark 7:9, 13). In doing so, they rejected “the commandment of God” (Mark 7:9). This clearly displays the critical importance of identifying whose traditions one willingly receives and accepts. If traditions are truly of the Lord, they are to be accepted and implemented into the believer’s life (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Yet, those man-made, unscriptural traditions are to be rejected altogether.
Many of man’s traditions are in direct opposition to scripture. God’s servants who have pledged allegiance to the scripture cannot in good conscience accept these unscriptural traditions. During the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus, the religious leaders laid aside (Mark 7:8) or rejected (Mark 7:9) the commandment of God in order to hold (Mark 7:8) or keep (Mark 7:9) the tradition of men. By doing so, the Lord said they made “the word of God of none effect” (Mark 7:13). One who loves the Lord examines every tradition through the lens of scripture to ensure that it does not oppose scripture. He does not accept the commandments of men knowing that God is the source of ultimate truth.
It is difficult to find one who has a scriptural balance concerning tradition. Some see every so-called tradition as a direct violation of scripture, while others see traditions as equal to or superior to scripture. Scripturally speaking, both views are fundamentally flawed. In a basic sense, traditions are anything that men “have been taught” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). It involves a teaching that has been “delivered” (Mark 7:13) and “received” (2 Thessalonians 3:6; 1 Peter 1:18). At times, tradition is scripture or, in the least, scriptural (2 Thessalonians 2:15; 2 Thessalonians 3:6), while at other times, tradition is ungodly and makes “the word of God of none effect” (Mark 7:13).
