3Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. (Matthew 15:3-6 NLT)
I often say, “We can’t get out of our own way when it comes to maintaining a relationship with Christ.” Part of what happens is that we start our own traditions – in our homes, in our lives, in our churches, that we begin to pay more attention to honoring them than we do the Word of God that informs us of His nature, His wisdom, His character, and the relationship that He desires to have with us through Jesus, the Christ. This teaching makes it clear that our own “way of doing things” has no bearing on the way of our salvation. “Our way of doing things,” if it helps us to be intentional in our relationship with Christ AND promotes the Truth of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, can be helpful – but if “our way of doing things” becomes THE WAY in our eyes – well, we’re in trouble.
I often say, “We can’t get out of our own way when it comes to maintaining a relationship with Christ.” Part of what happens is that we start our own traditions – in our homes, in our lives, in our churches, that we begin to pay more attention to honoring them than we do the Word of God that informs us of His nature, His wisdom, His character, and the relationship that He desires to have with us through Jesus, the Christ. This teaching makes it clear that our own “way of doing things” has no bearing on the way of our salvation. “Our way of doing things,” if it helps us to be intentional in our relationship with Christ AND promotes the Truth of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, can be helpful – but if “our way of doing things” becomes THE WAY in our eyes – well, we’re in trouble.
RSS Feed