Christian Traditions

Created Date: 27-Dec-2020
Good or Bad?

Last updated: 27-Dec-2020
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Sections

1 Good Traditions 2 Bad Traditions
3 Some Bad Christian Traditions to Consider    

Good Traditions

Christian Traditions are good when:

  1. They Honor or give Glory to God,
  2. Aid in Worshiping God,
  3. Help us to prepare for reading, studying, praying and reflecting on God.

As one example of many, we may always pray before eating to thank God for the food along with asking a blessing on the food, which is related to 1 Thessalonians 5:18.   A second example of many, would be confessing sins before entering a Church as to not dishonor God, which is related to Matthew 10:32 and 1 John 4:15.

1 Thessalonians 5:18  in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward.
Matthew 10:32 Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven.
1 John 4:15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

Bad Traditions

Unfortunately, there are traditions often made up mankind to give glory to God, which actually do the opposite as spoken about in Mark 7:13.  When a Christian tells someone about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but adds information that is not scriptural, then this potentially can cause the listener to temporarily or permanently reject Jesus Christ.  It is too often found that many people, who are not Christians, often know enough about the scriptures, to their determent for not recognizing God, but know what is not factual or true.

There are many wonderful traditions that have no scriptural basis or roots to identify the origin, but always should be verified and considered to make sure the tradition does not dishonor God's Word.

Matthew 15:1-3 1 Then there come to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3 And he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
Mark 7:13 making void the word of God by your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things ye do.
Matthew 15:5-9 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is given to God; 6 he shall not honor his father. And ye have made void the word of God because of your tradition. 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people honoreth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.
James 3:1 Be not many of you teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment.
Proverbs 30:6 Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Matthew 22:29 But Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
Revelation 22:18-19 18 I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: 19 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.

Some Bad Christian Traditions to Consider

There are many Christian Traditions that are factually wrong, which many people who are not Christians, know are wrong.

  1. While there is nothing wrong on celebrating Christmas on December 25th or January 7th with a visit of three or twelve kings.  Regretfully, when Christians tell someone, who is not a Christian, that Jesus Christ was born on that day, then it can potentially make Jesus Christ sound like a myth.  While we do not have a date of Jesus Christ's birth, which has many logical scriptural reasons, the high probability based on the scriptures, is Jesus Christ was born in the late Spring or Summer.
  2. While there is nothing wrong on honoring Jesus Christ's death on Good Friday, there are many non-Christians who know that there is not three days between the death on the cross and the resurrection so it makes Christianity contrived.  Jesus Christ was crucified on Wednesday afternoon when analyzing the events of the Scriptures.
  3. There is something very wrong when holding places and so-called religious objects as sacred.  This violates many areas of the scriptures. 
    (a) A clear scriptural example is the Bronze Serpent which had to be destroyed because people started burning incense to it. 
    (b) Another example is the Shroud of Turin.
  4. There is something very wrong when making up traditions of the deaths of Apostles, as this makes the Apostles somehow sound more important, glorified or even to be prayed to, which is absolutely against the scriptures.  The Apostles were outstanding men, who had flaws, where the Holy Spirit enabled them to do incredible acts for the Glory of God, which through the New Testament Books written by them through the Holy Spirit, are for our edification and strengthening.  Nothing else needs should ever be added, so that a person is not in violation of what is written in Revelation 22:18-19.
  5. Probably the worst of all traditions is the praying and worshipping of Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus Christ, who is absolutely deserving of high veneration, but still is a human being who did not remain a virgin.  Read the topic on Mary for a complete analysis, but here are the primary points:
    (a) There is only one mediator between us and God.
    (b) Mary is not omnipresent to even be able to receive all the simultaneous prayers being directed to Mary.  Mary does not have a role to receive prayers, and neither does anyone in Heaven other than God, in Jesus Christ's name.  Even in the Old Testament Dispensational Period, the prayers were always directed to God only.
    (c) Reviewing all of the appearances of Mary in the so-called appearances in recent times, the messages being given by the appearances are disturbingly against Jesus Christ.

What to read next?

Day of Week that Jesus is Crucified (It was not Friday)   What is Salvation?  Is it is possible to lose Salvation?  We have eternal life.  Evolution is not real.  When a Christian suffers is there benefits from it.  Rewards in heaven.  Do we Tithe?  What does the 3rd Commandment tell us?  What is Grace and Mercy?  Is there an Age of Accountability?  Is there a place of unending punishment and exile form God?