Many of the things we do in worship are a matter of tradition. Some may be surprised by that admission. They read of “traditions” being condemned in the Bible and think that all traditions must be wrong. But the fact is, not all traditions are condemned by God in His word. In fact, some are even required.
There are basically three types of traditions. We will notice each to help us see what sort of traditions are right and which are wrong.
Traditions Passed Down by the Apostles
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about walking “according to the tradition which you have received from us” (2 Thessalonians 3:6). The traditions (practices) we have from the apostles are not only acceptable for us to do, but are required. The apostles were “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20) – representatives who spoke on His behalf. So the traditions received from the apostles amount to directives from God (1 Corinthians 14:37). One example of this is the Lord’s Supper. We observe the Lord’s Supper every first day of the week because we see the disciples doing that in the first century (Acts 20:7). This is a tradition. There is nothing wrong with calling it that. The early church, under the direction of the apostles, observed the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week (Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23ff). Traditions like these must be kept.
How We Customarily Do a Thing
Some traditions in our worship have to do with how we customarily carry out our service to God. These are not traditions passed down by the apostles, but are how we do those things passed down by the apostles (the teachings of the New Testament). An example of this is the order of events in our assembly. The New Testament teaches that certain things are to be done in the assembly of the church on the Lord’s day – Lord’s Supper, giving, singing, praying, preaching/teaching. We may choose to take the Lord’s Supper first. Or we may do it last, or sometime in the middle. We find no particular order bound in Scripture. But in an effort to do all things “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40), we typically do these things in the same order every time. This is a matter of tradition. There is nothing wrong with that.
This is often cited as proof that we are “traditionalists.” Some speak negatively of the “2 songs and a prayer” type of worship assembly and claim that we are holding to man-made traditions. Often it seems these people want to change more than just the order of worship. They want to make other changes, but realize they will not be able to convince the brethren to make such a drastic departure from the New Testament pattern. So they attack a harmless practice in the hopes that they will be able to prime the brethren for further changes. But traditions like these, how we customarily carry out a divine teaching, are not wrong. They are perfectly acceptable. As long as we do not bind these traditions upon others, no sin is committed. But change for the sake of change often stems from a deeper problem.
Traditions of Men
What do I mean by “traditions of men”? By this, I simply mean practices that have originated with man. The traditions discussed in the previous section do not qualify as “traditions of men” because they have to do with practices that originated in the mind of God. The expediencies we use in carrying out those practices are acceptable traditions. But here I mean practices that originated with man, not God. These have no place in the worship of the church. After all, the church belongs to Christ (Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28). He is the head of it (Ephesians 1:22-23). Therefore, He is the one who decides what the church is to be practicing. Man has no right to do whatever he feels like doing in worship.
What are some practices that qualify as “traditions of men”? What do people practice in the name of worship that is foreign to the New Testament? One example is the keeping of religious holy days such as Christmas and Easter. These are practices that have originated in the mind of man. These practices have become tradition. Again, this is not the same as the traditions in the previous section. Those traditions had to do with how we carry out the practices we find in Scripture. The practices of Christmas and Easter are completely new practices. Therefore, they qualify as traditions of men. As such, they have no place in the worship of the church.
Conclusion
The main thing we need to remember is that not all traditions are wrong. The word “tradition” has such a negative connotation that one can hardly hear the word without thinking it refers to something unscriptural. But when we look at the word of God, we can see the whole truth regarding traditions. Those traditions that are found in the New Testament must be kept. Traditions that merely relate to how we carry out a divinely authorized practice are perfectly acceptable. Traditions of men – practices that are not authorized in the New Testament – are not to be done. We may have tradition in worship, provided that God authorizes the traditions in His word.
This article is one of the fifty articles included in the book Plain Bible Teaching: The First Ten Years. Click on the link to read more about the book.
