The Appropriate Role of Tradition in the Church

Galatians 1:11-24

"But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.) Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God in me."

In this passage Paul is telling the Galatians about the huge change that happened in his life. Paul was a devout Jew; he was so lost in the tradition of the Jewish faith and the legalities that came with it that he originally missed the Gospel. Not only did he miss the Gospel but he persecuted it. Tradition is a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting. Traditions have their time and place to be experienced and shared. If grandma traditionally makes the Christmas meal but never teaches someone else how to do it then that tradition will sadly die when grandma is no longer able to cook. Traditions are often how we define our families Dad’s side of the family does this and Mom’s side of the family does that, it’s how we talk and how we differentiate in our minds. In the church traditions are also what make us unique. Each denomination of the Christian church has their own set of traditions that make them who they are, and in the same way each church within a given denomination has another set of traditions that make them different from their sister churches.

In these traditions we find what we believe in. The Apostle’s Creed was established for this reason, so for years to come believers would have a common place to stand in their faith. If we don’t pass these traditions on to future generations and all those who enter our doors then we risk letting our foundation crumble. Without a foundation to stand on we will fall. We can’t take away our belief in God, in Jesus, and in the Holy Spirit and still be who we say we are.

But at the same time there are some traditions that we hold tight to that really have nothing to say about who we are or whose we are but rather this just how we do it. These “sacred cows” can be harmful to a congregation in times of growth and change. When we blindly do something because we have always done it this way we miss out on the opportunity of newness. It took being struck blind on the road to Damascus for Paul to realize that his tradition of belief and life was wrong. When he was finally able to open his eyes he could see the promise that God held for him in the uncertain life of a new tradition. We may always have ham for Christmas dinner because that is what Grandma makes but that doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with having turkey or both. If we get lost in the have tos, can’t dos, don’t even tries, and you will nots, we limit our ministry opportunities and we limit God.

At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what color the carpet is in the sanctuary or who sits where but it does matter if our members don’t know what it means to be a Christian or how to live a life of faith. It matters if a new person doesn’t feel welcome or can’t feel the love of Christ in our midst. It matters if our traditions hinder us from the sharing the love and grace that God has given so freely. It matters if our traditions are keeping us blind to where God is calling us to go.