My wife and I witnessed first hand how a life can be consumed with traditions. We watched as Hindu neighbors and friends painstakingly followed the traditions of their faith. It required a lot of time and effort to carefully practice the traditions, which included a daily offering to the gods. I still can’t imagine the extent of personal sacrifice and diligence it took.
In our culture we tend to look down on traditions as old-fashioned nonsense. We may think that these traditions were fine for an older generation, but don’t make sense for us today. In many cases this type of assessment is true. For instance, you will not catch a cold simply by going outdoors in chilly weather. So for some traditions, it may be proper and right to reject them. The problem comes when we just reject all traditions or don’t investigate the reasons that the traditions are observed.
Paul encouraged believers to hold onto some traditions when he wrote, “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.”
We must hold onto the traditions that we learn from God’s Word and from godly people. These traditions are based on truth and lead us into the glory of Jesus Christ.
Reluctant Retiree 