1) 1 Corinthians 11:2: “. . . keep the ordinances, as I delivered {them} to you.”
2) 2 Thessalonians 2:15: “. . . hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.”
3) 2 Thessalonians 3:6: “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.”
4) 1 Corinthians 15:1-3: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.”
5) 1 Thessalonians 2:13: “. . . when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received {it} not {as} the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
6) Jude 3: “. . . ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
7) Lk 1:1-5 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us
RE: 1) 1 Corinthians 11:2: “. . . keep the ordinances, as I delivered {them} to you.”
And what are these ordinances?
Let’s outline them as presented in scripture.
RE: 2) 2 Thessalonians 2:15: “. . . hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.”
Obviously, Paul was not saying, ‘Hold to Scripture and some oral component EXTERNAL to scripture.’
In context, his meaning is much simpler. When you read the preceding verses, and take into account the context, Paul’s meaning is simple. Paul had preached the gospel to the Thessalonians in person. He was now writing to them. He has just noted the gospel, and he is saying, ‘Hold to the body of teaching, i.e., the gospel, that I have delivered to you, both in person when I delivered ti to you orally and by letter.’
The letter, of course, was what we call 1 Thessalonians. The content is the gospel. We are to hold to the faith, the gospel of Jesus Christ, which the Thessalonian believers were privileged to learn, at that unique time of apostolic ministry, both from an apostle (Paul), and from a letter directly from him. Note even how Paul uses the same term, which we translate, ‘hold fast,’ in 1 Corinthians 16:13, ‘Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.’
RE: 3) 2 Thessalonians 3:6: “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.”
Same explanation as above. There is NO DIFFERENCE between what Paul taught the Thessalonian Christians orally and what he wrote to them.
I don’t see this as argument for extraneous traditions like praying to Mary that are not written in scripture.
RE: 4) 1 Corinthians 15:1-3: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.”
Yes, and what he declared and what he wrote were EXACTLY THE SAME.
I don’t think you can glean from the above verses that Paul actually taught the Thessalonians or the Corinthians such things as the Immaculate Conception or Papal Infallibility, both dogmas based quite fully on ‘tradition.’
RE: 5) 1 Thessalonians 2:13: “. . . when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received {it} not {as} the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
True, because what Paul preached orally was THE GOSPEL. He was simply reminding the Thessalonians what he taught them, this time IN WRITING.
6) Jude 3: “. . . ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
Yes we should. And that faith delivered is given to us IN WRITING IN SCRIPTURE.
7) Lk 1:1-5 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us.
Well, where in Luke’s gospel do we find the Immaculate Conception or prayer to the Saints?
We don’t. We accept EXACTLY what Luke wrote. The other practices are simply extraneous and non-binding for Christians.