The Church and Tradition

First Church has a red candle on the altar at the front. They keep it lit during the service as a reminder of the Holy Spirit’s presence. Calvary Baptist ends every service by singing “Just as I Am.” As they sing, the pastor invites those who have trusted in Christ to come forward. Trinity Presbyterian lays hands on their newly elected board members and commissions them for their service. Some things we do in the church are prescribed for us by Scripture; others are handed down to us.

The word we use to describe what has been handed down is tradition. Some in the church view tradition in a bad light. This is partly due to Jesus’ teaching that criticized the religious leaders of His day for violating God’s command for the sake of their tradition: “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules’” (Matt. 15:1–9).

But tradition is not always bad. In Paul’s closing exhortation to the Philippian church, he provides a shortlist of things that deserve their focus: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice” (vv. 8–9). These things that the church has learned, received, or heard are in fact tradition. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the Lord’s Supper, “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you . . .” (1 Cor. 11:23). This is also the language of the church’s tradition.

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BY Dr. John Koessler

John Koessler is Professor Emeritus of Applied Theology and Church Ministries at Moody Bible Institute. John authors the “Practical Theology” column for Today in the Word of which he is also a contributing writer and theological editor. An award-winning author, John’s newest title is When God is Silent: Let the Bible Teach You to Pray (Kirkdale). Prior to joining the Moody faculty, he served as a pastor of Valley Chapel in Green Valley, Illinois, for nine years. He and his wife, Jane, now enjoy living in a lakeside town in Michigan.