What Does the Bible Say about Tradition?
- Whitney Hopler Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
- Updated Feb 22, 2023
We’re drawn to traditions for the positive feelings they can give us. Some traditions may help us express our faith, while others may not be meaningful. What does the Bible say about tradition? Learning that can help us figure out when it’s truly helpful to follow tradition, and when it’s best to let go of tradition for something fresh in our relationships with God.
Why Are Traditions So Powerful?
Traditions make us feel good. When we follow traditions, we often feel comforted because traditions give us simple and predictable ways to express our values. We don’t need to risk trying something new, but can simply relax into the cozy feeling of what we’ve done before. Traditions also fulfill our need to belong to a community. By following traditions, we reinforce our connections to groups that play important roles in our identities – such as our families, cultures, and church communities. We may feel pressure from others who share traditions with us to keep following those traditions together. So, we can feel obligated to continue to practice traditions in order to avoid disappointing people we love. Yet another reason that traditions are powerful is because meaningful traditions can help us create cherished memories. Those memories can inspire us regularly as we reflect on them.
What Does the Bible Say about Tradition?
The Bible makes it clear that we should discern God’s guidance regarding each tradition in our lives. That way, we can know whether or not that tradition will truly lead us closer to God.
Jesus points out that all valid spiritual traditions should align with God’s wisdom. In Mark 7, a Jewish religious group called the Pharisees confronts Jesus about why some of his disciples weren’t adhering to the Jewish tradition of ceremoniously washing their hands before eating a meal. Mark 7:6-13 records Jesus’ response: “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. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.’ And he continued, ‘You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God) — then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” Then Jesus returns to the Pharisees’ question about ceremonial handwashing, saying in verse 15: “Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” He gives examples in verses 21 through 23: “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come – sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” By pointing out how the Pharisees were focusing more on the traditions themselves rather than on the meaning and purpose of those traditions, Jesus highlights the importance of seeking God’s wisdom regarding traditions. Jesus is challenging us to go beyond just following a tradition just for its own sake. He is calling us to think about how applying that tradition to our lives can actually move us closer to God. In Luke 11:37-54, Jesus has another conversation with Pharisees about how they should seek God directly rather than just following religious traditions. One example is when Jesus says in verses 39 through 41: “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now, as for what is inside you – be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.”
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God also tells us in the Bible that he works in dynamic ways. He is always up to something new that we can discover now rather than dwelling on the past. God declares in Isaiah 43:18-19: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?...”. In Mark 2:22, Jesus uses the imagery of wine being poured into wineskins to make an important point about traditions: “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” Here, Jesus is speaking about the need for people to break free of legalism that keeps them stuck in traditions that are no longer meaningful, but instead to look for the new ways that God is calling them to express their faith. On another occasion, Jesus turns water into wine, foreshadowing the future tradition of Communion that would connect back to old traditions in a new way. Psalm 40:5 emphasizes that God’s wondrous work is always continuing: “Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.” So, as my book Wake Up to Wonder shares, it’s vital to always be on the lookout for new encounters with God’s wonder – and some of those encounters will shake up our traditions by teaching us something new about God.
Just as God is dynamic, so is the Bible. The Bible is full of timeless wisdom, yet it can constantly be applied in fresh ways to our lives. Hebrews 4:12 proclaims: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” We can hear from God through the Bible in ways that apply his eternal wisdom directly to every current situation in our lives. Since both God and his Word are dynamic and act in fresh ways, we should keep our faith fresh, as well. That includes refreshing our traditions to evaluate if they’re truly meaningful and helpful in our relationships with God right now.
Why Is Tradition Important in Christianity?
Tradition plays an important role in Christianity because it helps us connect to important past events that have shaped the history of our faith. When we’re celebrating important events in Christian history through church traditions, God is at work among us in fresh ways, showing us what new insights we can learn from them. For example, during Holy Week, we engage in many traditions to remember the story of how Jesus saved humanity through his Crucifixion and Resurrection. We also celebrate God sending Jesus to Earth with a myriad of festive traditions during the Christmas season. Throughout each year, we remember the story of our faith together through many meaningful traditions.
All of these Christian traditions can either be useful for our spiritual growth, or not, depending on our focus. The key is to focus on relationships over rituals. By focusing on our relationships with God – instead of on the traditions themselves – we can connect with the Holy Spirit, who renews our minds. The Holy Spirit will help us learn the lessons God wants us to learn from our traditions.
Conclusion
Discovering what the Bible says about tradition will help us figure out which traditions are best for us to express our faith. While traditions can be valuable practices for spiritual growth, they won’t lead us closer to God unless they’re truly meaningful in our lives right now. It’s helpful to take a fresh look at our traditions to discern which ones to keep and which to let go. Rather than getting stuck in the rituals of traditions, we should focus on our relationships with God. Then God will speak to us in fresh ways through tradition so we can keep learning and growing spiritually.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Jack Hollingsworth
