When a modern-day Christian is faced with a challenge to follow Scripture they will defer to their traditions, fighting bitterly to defend what God never said or commanded.
When we look closely at the standards, principles and instructions of God in His Word we notice that most of what the modern-day Christian practices in their gatherings is not only opposite of what God commanded but leads people away from obedience to His Word.
The day I prayed that God would show me only truth is the day my eyes began to be opened to all the nuances of modern Christianity that work against the gospel but most Christians will defend bitterly, even willing to ruin relationships to remain faithful to their own traditions.
Mark 7:5-8 "5 And the Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk in accordance with the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with [e]unholy hands?” 6 But He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
7 And in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”"
Why do so many people today stand in opposition to the Word of God while claiming to be “Bible believers”? The answer is clear, those who use the Bible out of context justify their man-made traditions using Scripture out of context and defending them so bitterly that they are willing to bludgeon those who wish to know the heart of God to obey Him.
Traditions of man make people feel in control and comfortable. They have not relinquished their own control to allow God to be the mentor in their lives, they want to maintain their level of comfort doing whatever others before them did at the expense of God’s truth.
Mankind has always desired to be in control working in opposition to God’s commands. We know this from the story of Eve in the garden when she was willing to set aside God’s commands to have her own way. The tradition of “following one’s own heart” is not only still in the world but had intensified exponentially in these last days of apostasy.
The deception has been clever and cloaked in “God-talk” to confuse those who sense that something is off but are unwilling to pray asking God and digging into His Word to discover His truth according to the Bible.
Most people today who claim to be Christians will not hear what God has to say about a matter, they bitterly and unrelentingly defend the ideas and traditions of men without batting an eye or taking time to think through what they are defending.
This is the reason those who want to obey God, love His Word the WAY He meant for it to be understood, will be hated and rejected by the very people who claim to be our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Those of you who have attempted to explain from Scripture what God said, to someone who was quoting it out of context or repeating a man-made idea, not in Scripture, know the angst and rejection that comes from “churchgoers” who say they are “Bible-believing.” It is astounding the punishment many believers endure from those who would say we are family or “brothers and sisters.”
As we move through this apostate age we are witnessing a defection from the word of God, but even worse a deception that man-made ideas and traditions are held up as equal to the Scriptures.
When defending the traditions with a refusal to sit down and read through to prove what God said is seen as a personal attack rather than the desire to be sure that we heard God correctly, we know those who defend the traditions willing to reject a brother and sister in Christ are very likely not born-again.
When we attempt to expose false teaching and wrong ideas based on human wisdom we are almost immediately shunned and gossiped against. Those who want to be comfortable in the culture and remain proud of themselves will not listen to sound doctrine.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 …2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears, they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
What do we do with this mess when our desire is to obey God, searching His Word, and seeking the Holy Spirit to be sure of what God told us?
My only advice comes from Scripture, keep on speaking truth, remove ourselves from those who do not want the truth, and remain faithful to His Word no matter how others respond to it or us. Do we care more about what God told us than we do about human companionship? We must!!!!!!
