Traditions Verses Truth! Mark 7:1-13

Text: “He (Jesus) answered and said unto them (the Pharisees/Scribes), Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.’” 

Mark 7:6.

Good morning, Bible-believing Christian!  All the customs, rituals and traditions of your country, creed, or church denomination take a far off second place to your belief in the inspired Word of God.  Rejoice with me, dear friend, for the Lord takes pleasure in your Scriptural faith and, praise God, in mine - for it is His own personal gift to us. 

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is (exists), and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) 

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

So often throughout the visible Church in this twenty-first century, we find the following professions of Christian faith: some sincere, some not so sincere; some professing one thing and doing another; holding onto Church rituals, while ignoring the Word of commandment God has given us.  As Christ said, “Teaching for doctrines the commandments of men...”! (V.7)

For the sincere Christian to allow him/herself to live in this manner - adhering to double standards; practicing double-mindedness - is a Laodicean trait and, as such, an abomination unto the Lord God.  (Revelation 3:13-19)

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8)

The Pharisees and Scribes of today’s Bible passage had physically spotless hands, but spiteful hearts; their mouths seemed honourable, but their minds were heinous; hateful; odious, “...far from God...”. (Vs 6-9) 

These people of the ‘religious’ community rigidly loved their traditions, while they self-righteously rejected the commandments of God.  Take heed, latter-day Christian!  Be a doer of the Word, not a hearer/reader only! (James 1:22) “Ye MUST be born again!” (John 3:3-8)

Bad News: The bad news today is that nothing has changed.  Human nature is exactly the same today!  Red-robed judges rule rigidly in the courthouses, yet are caught kerb-crawling for prostitutes at night.  Police officers commended for swiftly solving crimes in one decade, are condemned in the next for falsifying evidence.  Ordained ministers of the Church receive and affirm belief in Scriptural ‘Articles of Faith’ and are ordained to uphold these truths, yet go out into the various parishes to practically denounce these same clearly defined ‘Articles’.

They reject the commandments of God, written clearly in His Word, in order to keep the traditions of men.  Christian, beware of the apostasy of ecumenism! 

“What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?”  “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”  (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

“No servant can serve two masters: for either he/she will hate the one, and love the other; or else he/she will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches, worldly position, self-gain)” (Luke 16:13)

Apostates today, while seeking to be men-pleasers, merely succeed in displeasing the Living Lord God.  It is such deadly traits and practices we Christians must guard against day and daily - lest we also abandon the “...faith once delivered unto the saints...”.    (Jude 3-4)

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:22-25)

J.C. Ryle Comments:

The first thing, which demands our attention in these verses, is the low and degraded condition of Jewish religion, when our Lord was upon earth. What can be more de­plorable than the statement now before us? We find the principal teachers of the Jewish nation finding fault, “because our Lord’s disciples ate bread with unwashen hands!” We are told that they attached great im­portance to the “washing of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels, and tables!” In short, the man who paid most rigid attention to mere external observances of human invention was reckoned the holiest man!

The nation, be it remembered, in which this state of things existed, was the most highly favoured in the world. To it was given the law on Mount Sinai, the service of God, the priest-hood, the covenants, and the promises. Moses, and Samuel, and David, and the pro­phets, lived and died among its people. No nation upon earth ever had so many spiritual privileges. No nation ever misused its privileges so fearfully, and so thoroughly forsook its own mercies. (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels 1816-1900)

Religious traditionalists, and cold legalists, work diligently to wash the cups; the plates; the hands; of their outer profession of Christian faith - believing that their works will in some way gain them the Salvation they so desperately need.  But God looks not on outer appearances, God looks upon the human hearts.  (1 Samuel 16:7b)

Works, performed with righteous motives, are always to be encouraged.  But only true Bible-believing faith justifies the sinner.  (Romans 4:1-8) If therefore, truth alone sanctifies our souls - as opposed to mere rituals and traditions - let us forever honour the Truth.  Christ Jesus IS the living Truth. (John 17:17) (John 14:6)  Freedom in Christ!

Thought:  You serve Christ in your way - and I’ll serve Him in His WAY! (i.e., according to His Word.)  Thank God for an open KJV Bible!