Tradition

We struggle with how we should view tradition.  On the one hand, it has value in lending the insights and examples of those gone before to strengthen our own faith and give it a framework that makes us less susceptible to cultural fads and the whims of persuasive and charismatic leaders. The traditions can lend the accountability of “a great cloud of witnesses”. On the other hand, tradition itself can be elevated above Scripture and the working of the Holy Spirit.  We can become reliant on tradition in a way that makes us too lazy to search the Words of God, or to know Him in a personal way.  We can come to trust more in laws for our salvation, than in our Lord.

It is no surprise that we feel this tension about tradition, because we see it even in Scripture.  Sometimes it is presented as a positive, other times as a negative.  The Greek word for tradition (paradosis), is used 13 times in the New Testament.  While it is translated tradition in the King James version, and in the New American Standard Bible, the New International Version translates it differently according to whether it is helpful or harmful.

For a study on Jewish tradition:

Tradition.pdf (1,8 MB)