The Traditions of Men

Season 2 Episode 12 -- Spiritual knowledge is a good thing, right?  After all, it helps us to learn about the ways and nature of God.  But Jesus warned about a serious consequence of putting our spiritual knowledge ahead of virtuous character in our spiritual development.  What is that consequence?  Listen and find out!

"Reflect on This" is a once-weekly, short devotional podcast. In these devotionals, I share the things I am learning about the ways and nature of God, in what I hope are practical and meaningful ways.
 
If you like the podcast, please tell your friends and family about it, subscribe, and leave a favorable rating and review, because it helps others to find the podcast more easily.
 
Resources that inspired some episodes:

"The Pleasure of His Company" by Dutch Sheets

"Fresh Air" by Chris Hodges

“Dream Small:  The Secret Power of the Ordinary Christian Life” by Seth Lewis
 
 Blog by Seth Lewis:  https://sethlewis.ie/

“The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts” by Gary Chapman

"The Lies We Believe: Renew Your Mind and Transform Your Life" by Dr. Chris Thurman

Featured ministries and resources:
 
“Agape Puppets” (ministry)
This is an amazing world-wide ministry that uses puppet shows to reach children (and their parents) for Christ, in cultures that are generally not very open to the Gospel.  To learn more, go to: https://theagapepuppets.org/ 

"Manufacture Good" (ministry)
 Manufacture Good is a Christian ministry that offers 3-month paid apprenticeships to unemployed young men.  These apprentices learn valuable woodworking and metalworking skills which lead to employment opportunities.  The sale of the high-quality furniture they produce supports the ministry.  You can shop their catalog of fine home and office products, order a standard or custom piece of furniture, and learn more about this amazing ministry, at: https://manufacturegood.org/.

"The World and Everything in It" (podcast)
This is a weekday 35-minute podcast that presents headline news, in-depth news articles, media reviews, and opinion pieces from a Christian world view.  Their stated mission is "biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires."
 
“Crazy Little Thing Called Marriage” (podcast) 
This is a once a week 30-minute podcast hosted by Greg and Erin Smalley, who head up the marriage team at Focus on the Family.  Each episode addresses a different aspect of marriage, using biblical principles, featured guests, practical advice, and a mixture of humor and candidness.  
 
"Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope" (podcast)
This is a 4-minute weekday podcast, where Joni shares stories of her life and biblical applications.  One of the world's longest living quadriplegics, God has used her courage, determination, faithfulness, and love to inspire and minister in amazing ways to people around the world.    
 
"e-Sword" (Bible study software)
This study tool includes many free public domain resources (and many other resources for purchase), including Bibles, dictionaries, commentaries, devotionals, and maps.  You can simultaneously view multiple Bible translations, a dictionary, and a commentary.  
On your computer, go to e-sword.net
On your mobile device, go to your app store and search for “e-sword.” 

Music credits:
Beauty by MaxKoMusic | https://maxkomusic.com/
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all 

Transcript

In the previous episode, we looked at this verse:

1 Corinthians 8:1b (NIV) Knowledge puffs up while love builds up.

We saw how the primary danger of knowledge is that it develops pride in us.  This pride leads to destruction, failure, and hopelessness.  We also saw that an effective way to avoid pride is to follow the biblical sequence of spiritual development:  first develop faith, then virtuous character (especially humility), and then add knowledge.  And we saw how being humble and loving others benefits both others and ourselves.  So, a good way of thinking about our theme verse is:

“Knowledge puffs up [me], while love builds up [others].”

But there is also another serious consequence of putting spiritual knowledge ahead of virtuous character in our spiritual development.  I want to focus on that consequence in this episode.  That consequence is exemplified in the Pharisees.

Mark 7:5-9, 13 (NIV) So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?" [6] He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. [7] They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.' [8] You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions." [9] And he continued, "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! [13] Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."

What is the consequence that I am illustrating with the Pharisees?  Allowing my spiritual knowledge to develop human rules and traditions which show an outward acknowledgement of God and His Word (an external form of righteousness), but which lack a heart-felt faith in God and His Word that actually changes how I think, act, and live.  We can become as Jesus warned: honoring Him with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him. 

For example, do we place more weight on a person’s  interpretation of a Bible passage than what other Bible verses say to explain that passage?  Do we try to view the Scriptures through the lens of the thoughts or writings of respected Christians, or the other way around?  Are we so uncomfortable with the mysteries of God that we create doctrines to try to explain them?

The apostle Paul gives us several warnings about how pride in our spiritual knowledge can lead us to depend on human traditions rather than God:

·         Galatians 1:14 NIV  I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

·         Colossians 2:8 NIV  See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

·         2 Timothy 3:5a ISV  They will hold to an outward form of godliness but deny its power [Greek, dumamis, miraculous power].

I hesitate to offer specific examples of where our human rules and traditions (spoken and unspoken, written and unwritten) are given equal or greater authority in our minds and our lives than the Bible and the example of Christ’s life.  But I bet that, if we are honest with ourselves, we can detect areas in our churches, and in our own lives, where we are inadvertently doing just that.

For example, I can remember early in our marriage that I was learning the biblical principles of a Sabbath rest.  I developed some human rules to help me implement a Sabbath rest.  One day we discovered that we had some repairs that needed to be done in the crawlspace of our home.  My dear, faithful, hard-working father-in-law was willing to come over and work on these repairs during his only available time – Sunday afternoon.  Did I join him that Sunday afternoon in the crawlspace?  I am embarrassed to say that I did not.  I would have been very willing to do so on any other day except Sunday.  But I had elevated my “human rules” about how I should observe the Sabbath above the clear intent of the Scriptures.  Only later did I come to realize that I was doing exactly what Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for:

Matthew 15:5-6 NIV  But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is 'devoted to God,'  (6)  they are not to 'honor their father or mother' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition [in my case, my tradition of keeping the Sabbath kept me from giving my time to my father-in-law, because I had “devoted it to God”].

Please take a moment before God right now and ask Him to show you examples in your own life where you have allowed your spiritual knowledge to elevate human rules and traditions above the Bible and the example of Christ.  Ask Him to show you where you have walked in the practice of religion rather than the pleasure of God’s company.

Today, I encourage you to “Reflect on This.”