Hold Firmly to the Traditions

In a recent reading of 1 Corinthians 11, the word “traditions” in verse 2 stuck out to me. (I’m reading the NASB, KJV has “ordinances” here.) The word occurs 13 times in the New Testament, 8 of them in the Gospels and the rest in Paul’s epistles. What are these traditions?

The Meaning of “Traditions.”

In the Gospels, the word always references the traditions of the Pharisees with a negative connotation. The KJV uses “tradition” or “traditions” in these instances. Paul uses it in Gal 1.14 to speak of the “ancestral traditions” he once was zealous for, i.e. the traditions of the Pharisees. Col 2.8 refers to the “tradition of men,” again referring to the systems of thought or belief that can take men captive contrary to good Christian doctrine and practice.

That leaves us with these three references:

^{1 Co 11.2} ¶ Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.

^{2 Thess 2.15} So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.

^{2 Thess 3.6} ¶ Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.

Here Paul clearly refers to his own teaching as “traditions.” (The KJV only translates 11.2 with “ordinances.” It uses “tradition” in both Thessalonian passages.)

There are some parallel ideas in Paul’s writings that help us a bit. His traditions are the same as that word he preaches (1 Cor 15.2) which he received [he didn’t make it up] (1 Cor 15.3, 1 Cor 11.23). Any idea or preaching that runs contrary to what Paul received and passed on is to be refused — “see that no one takes you captive” (Col 2.8). The word Paul preached was the “gospel … not according to man” but that which he received “through a revelation of Christ” (Gal 1.11-12).

A. T. Robertson comments: “Paradosis] (tradition) is an old word for what is handed over to one. Dibelius thinks that Paul reveals his Jewish training in the use of this word (Gal. 1:14).”¹

In other words, Paul borrows a word from his past to speak of his teaching in his present. He is preaching a new set of traditions, not learned from man, but learned from Christ.

The Importance of the Traditions

When Paul talks about the traditions he “delivered over” to his churches, he makes the following comments on them:

1. Commends Corinth for holding firm to them (despite other spiritual issues in the local church) (1 Cor 11.2)
2. Exhorts Thessalonica to stand fast and hold to them (2 Thess 2.15)
3. Warns against keeping company with every brother who leads a life not according to the tradition (2 Thess 3.6)

In short, Paul lays great stress on the traditions he has taught. They are essential for the spiritual well-being of his churches.

None of the other apostles use this word.

However, I think we can find some parallels.

In 1 John 4.3-4, we find that the one who “confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God” — this “confession” is elevated to an essential for those who John admonishes.

Peter talks about “the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles” (2 Pt 3.2) and warns about turning away from “the holy commandment handed on to them” (2 Pt 2.21).

And of course, Jude warns:

^{Jude 1.3} Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.

All the New Testament apostles are concerned about essentials. Hold fast to them, don’t turn from them, contend for them.

Can You Hold Fast without Contention?

Some years ago a pastor I once knew wrote something in answer to questions or criticism he was facing. The question was, “Are we [his local church] still fundamentalists?” His answer went along these lines (I’m paraphrasing from memory): “Yes, we are still fundamentalists, we hold to the cardinal doctrines of the faith, we believe in miracles, we believe in the deity of Christ, his virgin birth, the blood atonement, the bodily resurrection, and the inerrancy of Scripture. Yes, we are still fundamentalists.”

The question arose because the church in question had softened its once more militant positions and had taken a “kinder and gentler” tone than in the past.

We are all for kindness and gentleness, these are fruits of the Spirit. But one wonders how well a church or a Christian is holding fast to the traditions if he won’t mark and avoid those brothers who lead lives or hold beliefs “not according to the traditions.”

If the traditions are essential (and they are), how firmly should we hold them? How vigilantly should we guard them? What cost would be too high to pay in their defense?

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Don Johnson is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.

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1. A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Broadman Press, 1933), 2 Thess 2.15. [↩]