Disciple Up #194
Tradition & Change
By Louie Marsh, 1-13-2021
Intro. Tradition and me
Let’s begin with this…
We stay because Anatevka is our home… And how do we keep our balance?
That I can tell you in one word… Tradition.”
(Chorus)
Tradition, tradition… tradition
(Tevye)
“Because of our traditions, we’ve kept our balance for many, many years.
Here in Anatevka we have traditions for everything…
how to eat, how to sleep, even, how to wear clothes.
For instance, we always keep our heads covered and always wear a little prayer shawl…
This shows our constant devotion to God. You may ask, how did this tradition start?
I’ll tell you – I don’t know. But it’s a tradition…
Because of our traditions, everyone knows who he is and what God expects him to do.”
– -By Joseph Stein
My history with Tradition: High School and College days, early ministry and gradual changes, probably brought about by finally winning some and making some progress.
Great Historical Example:
The year was 1492, a mere 37 years after Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type. Already, the new technology of printing books was threatening old ways. The Benedictine abbot Johannes Trithemius published a book entitled In Praise of Scribes, in which he defended the use of pen, ink, and vellum. “Printed books will never be the equivalent of handwritten codices,” he argued. Ironically, Trithemius took his book to a printer in Mainz and had it published for wider distribution.
Like Trithemius, evangelical Christians have been both media conservationists and media innovators. We love our leather-bound Bibles, yet eagerly use Biblegateway.com‘s full text-search capabilities to compare 20 English translations.
Positive Uses of Tradition in Scripture:
“2Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.” (1 Corinthians 11:2, ESV)
“6Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6, ESV)
Negative Uses of Tradition in Scripture:
“13thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”” (Mark 7:13, ESV)
“2“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” 6he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.” (Matthew 15:2–6, ESV)
“14And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.” (Galatians 1:14, ESV)
“8See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8, ESV)
Biggest change in my life – I’m able today to view tradition from a much more balanced and mature and objective position.
Please Get In Touch!
Email – louie@discipleup.org
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