A Firm Foundation
“You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” (Mark 7:8)
As a thorough-bred Mississippian, I love traditions; as a Presbyterian, I really love traditions. I mean, we sing old hymns, we confess old creeds, and we preach from an old book. My office is filled from floor to ceiling with the old books of long-deceased men. Tradition is like a tree, the older it grows, the stronger it becomes. However, there is a problem when that tree is planted in bad location. Yes, it may be strong, but it may also ruin the foundation of our lives. In our passage today, we see this very principle at play. The Pharisees have developed traditions – man-made traditions completely separated from the Word of God and completely destroying the foundations of the faith.
The Word of God is the standard of our faith and practice – not our good intentions nor our bright ideas. If our God is as concerned with His glory as Scripture declares, we would imagine that He would provide us instruction on how to glorify Him both individually and corporately. In fact, this is exactly what we find! “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Or in Colossians: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” No area of life lies outside the purview of God’s Word any more than it lies outside God’s authority. Therefore, to create our own traditions apart from God’s command usurps His authority; to live off our bright ideas apart from His Word detracts from His wisdom; to follow our good intentions apart from His sovereign will diminishes His goodness.
This forces us to ask a question – what are we basing our life around? When we worship God as individuals, families, and churches, we should follow G.K. Chesterton’s advice: “Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason why it was put up.” This should force us to ask the question, “Why?” Why do we worship this way? Why do we serve in this manner? Why does our family focus on these issues? What is the reason behind the why? And my prayer for us all is that the answer is rooted firmly in God’s Word.
