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To: gscc
You define tradition as the Pharisees defined tradition - tradition, however, is the teaching that the apostles learned from the mouth of the Lord - it is what the Lord has handed down to us as Holy Scripture.

Please don't put words in my mouth.

I define tradition in the authentic way: tradition is the oral tradition handed down by the apostles. The authentic definition of authentic tradition. Not the counterfeit traditions of men that "lead captive silly women laiden with sins" (1 Tim 3:6). We are instructed to "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Vain traditions of men, such as those that have come to pass in many new religious movements of the past 500 years, do just that.

Unfortunately, there are many who are so deceived by the evil in these new religions that they are unable to recognize the truth when they see it. Just as the serpent was the most subtle of all the beasts and managed to beguile Eve (cf 2 Cor 11:3), those who built that false theology are subtle so to deceive Christ's Church. It's understandable and, in fact, the Apostle warns us of such men coming in the latter times when he said, "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." (cf 2 Cor 11:13-14)

But it's not a matter of grave concern: God has promised us that the gates of Hell will not prevail against His Church. (Matt 16:18)

But, as a brother in Christ, I need to caution you in the words of St. Peter, the first Pope, who stated " There are some things in them (St. Paul's letters) hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures." (2 Pe 3:15). The only way to be certain that you are not deceived is to be dilligent, cutting straight the Word of Truth (2 Ti 2:15) and avoiding the vain and profane babblings of heretics (2 Ti 2:16). The way to do this is through being careful to stay with the historic and authentic teachings of the apostolic Church -- whether the teachings come from Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, or Alexandria is not as important as to ensure that the teachers have the apostolic roots. After all, it was to the apostles that our Lord stated, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth" (Jn 16:13) and that the Spirit would show all things unto the apostles (Jn 16:15). Thus St. Peter gave the caution to "beware lest you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose your own stability." (2 Pe 3:16)

943 posted on 02/18/2006 1:00:13 PM PST by markomalley (Vivat Iesus!)
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To: markomalley
The way to do this is through being careful to stay with the historic and authentic teachings of the apostolic Church -- whether the teachings come from Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, or Alexandria is not as important as to ensure that the teachers have the apostolic roots.

The difference being obvious that Scripture tells me to examine the Scriptures every day to see if what is taught is true.  You defer to your church.  Jesus warned the Pharisees of abrogating the Word of God through their own traditions - to avoid these teachings it is apparent He would have us examine their teachings against Scripture.  It seems therefore if a church promulgates dogma that does not conform to Scripture I am commanded to examine it against the Word of God.  The Bereans examined Paul's teaching against the Scriptures that God had entrusted the Jewish people with.  Yet you take just the opposite approach.  You would take the teachings of the Pharisees and blindly follow them even if they circumvent or abrogate the Law of God..

Acts 17:10-12

10As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

945 posted on 02/18/2006 1:33:45 PM PST by gscc
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