Catholics claim three verses primarily to support the use of "tradition" to justify all they do. These are 1 Corinthians 11:2, 2 Thessalonians 2:15 and 2 Thessalonians 3:16.http://www.catholicbible101.com/sacredtradition.htm
To clarify some things first. I don't think anyone disputes a lot of the NT was spread by preaching. This is the primary form we today of sharing the Word. Each Sunday preachers around the world step into the pulpit and proclaim the Gospel message. At least I hope they do. However, these preachers are not claiming new doctrines.
Next, I don't think anyone disputes the truths of the NT that the apostles taught were passed from one generation to another. They would have to or else Christianity would have stopped with the death of the original disciples and apostles. However it has continued through the priesthood of all believers.
The disputes come into play when catholicism started claiming certain “tradition/teachings” that are not supported by the texts the apostles have written for us and left for us to spread the Word. For example, the teaching on Mary being sinless in contradiction to Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Another is the infallibility of the pope which is not found in the Word. We know a man is going to be infallible as evidenced by Peter having to be admonished by Paul when Peter didn’t want to keep eating with the Gentiles. The whole office of the papacy is not supported by the texts either. That is another man-made tradition which not all of the ECFs agreed on either.
Catholicism has taken tradition and redefined it to mean what they want it to mean and this is the problem Christians have with catholicism.
But let's examine the use of tradition in the Bible. This will help us have some context as to the Biblical use of the term and its meaning. There are 13 instances of the word tradition being used.
Matthew 15:1-9 and Mark 7:1-8 deal with the traditions of men regarding the washing of hands before eating. In these verses Christ condemns this man-made action. In Matt 15:9 Jesus said, "But in vain do they worship me; teaching as doctrines the precepts of men."
In Mark 7:10-13 Christ condemns man's tradition regarding neglecting to honor your father and mother. Jesus notes: “thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”
Galatians 1:14 Paul is discussing his ancestral traditions as a Jew and Pharisee.
Colossians 2:8 Paul condemns the tradition of men when contrasted against the Gospel.
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
This leaves us with the three verses claimed by catholicism to justify their tradition. In each of the verses we must ask what is Paul talking about? What tradition/instruction was he passing down?
In the Greek, the word for tradition is παράδοσις. It can mean an instruction, tradition. In the NASB it is rendered as tradition. HELPS Word-Studies notes its meaning as: to give (hand over) from close beside, referring to tradition as passed from one generation to the next. This word is uses in all thirteen uses of tradition on the NT.
Let’s start with 1 Corinthians first. Recall that context is the key to understanding a passage.
1 Corinthians 11:2 Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.
In this passage Paul is writing to the Corinthians on several topics. These deal with participating in idol feasts, whether meat sacrificed to idols should be eaten or not and the veiling of women. He also deals with the Lord’s Supper and how the Corinthians were turning it into a mess.
Next we have 2 Thess 2:15. So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
If we want to learn what these traditions were we need to read the letters to the church at Thessalonica.
Now here, the catholic may holler and say, see, told you there were oral teachings. No Christian will dispute that. However, we do not have what ALL of those oral teachings were. Nor do we need them nor were we intended to have them. We have the written Word that God has intended us to have. In the Word we have the means of learning how to be saved which is the primary topic of the Gospel.
Lastly we come to 2 Thess 3:6. Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.
Paul clarifies what this “tradition” is in the remainder of 2 Thess 3:7-15. It deals primarily with no work, no eat. Paul was setting the example of being a good citizen by “earning” his keep and not being a burden on society.
So we have covered what the New Testament says regarding tradition.
In none of these passages do we find the catholic abuse of tradition that includes the assumption of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, her sinlessness, indulgences, the papacy and the list goes on and on. All of these go beyond the text when read in context and when applying the original languages.
Where catholicism errs is the claim that oral tradition means that revelations from God continue. Catholicism claims we should listen to the ECFs because they “received” these additional revelations from the apostles and that they were close to them. If these additional teachings were so important, why didn’t Paul write them down? When he was writing Romans 3:23 why didn’t he declare, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, except Mary, the mother of Christ? Why weren’t they included at the Council of Trent as part of the canon? That somehow the pope continues to receive new teachings and that his word cannot be challenged. That somehow God has contradicted His Word, which He does not do, and has proclaimed Mary sinless. On this Christians, and the Bible disagree.
If we follow this concept of ongoing oral revelation the Gospel is open to contradiction as we have seen this week with the pope with him declaring, “May Our Lady, the teacher of true theology….”. Since when was Mary appointed to this lofty position? The Bible notes in John 16:13….But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come
This is why Christians call into question teachings of the Roman Catholic church.
Well said.