Commandments of men

Monday, June 7, 2021

Commandments of men

Because this people draw near to me with their mouth, and they honor me with their lips, and their heart is far from me, and their fear of me is a man's command... behold, I will still act wonderfully towards this people. Isaiah 29:13, 14

The Lord Jesus uses the quotation from Isaiah reproduced above to denounce the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes (Mark 7). The latter reproach the disciples for eating without having washed their hands thoroughly, as is their tradition. They attach great importance to this ritualistic gesture, but do not care about the moral state of the person performing it. The Lord’s words to such men are sharp : they teach men’s commandments as doctrine (v. 7). They abandon the commandment of God in order to keep (their) tradition (v. 9).

The same dangers lie in wait for us. If we are not careful, habits or traditions among believers can be confused with the teachings of the Word of God, or brought to the same level. Of course, this does not happen abruptly. Custom takes precedence over the Word and, without realizing it, we obey men rather than God. Gradually, the truth can be altered or lost sight of. It is true that doing like the others, or as usual, avoids questioning yourself and questioning the merits of a particular practice. This avoids any personal research. But let's not forget that Satan is cunning. It is not about rejecting traditions because they are old, or simply to stand out from those who keep them, but to come back humbly to the Word of God.

Let us also be vigilant about any new rule which believers, in good faith, think they have discovered in the Word and would like to impose. Like ancient traditions, they are more often than not just commands or decisions of men. Test everything, hold fast to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

The apostle Paul writes to the Colossians : Why... do you submit to ordinances... ?... These are only human commandments and teachings (Colossians 2: 20-23). Since we died with Christ and regenerated in him why would we still desire to submit to such precepts ? They are not the ones who will make the Christian better. Let's stay with Christ. It is to him alone that we are accountable !

Source (Pleasing the Lord)