Tradition Against Truth
By Isma Wells Erwin

John 8:32, Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 17:17, Sanctify them thru thy truth, thy word is truth. The Word of God, or the Bible, gives us directions whereby we may be delivered from sin. Tradition is the strong chain by which men are held in bondage. When Jesus told the Jews, “The truth shall make you free,” they, like so many people of today, began straightway to justify themselves by telling him, (John 8:33) “We be Abraham’s seed and were never in bondage to any man.” (34th verse) Jesus answered them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin. (35th verse), And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the son abideth for ever.” (36th verse.) “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” For the truth shall make you free and Jesus the Son, is the truth. Mark 7:7-14, Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition. (13th verse) Making the word of God of none effect thru your tradition, which ye have delivered. Altho the word of God shall stand forever (Isaiah 40:8). Altho Jesus said, “Heaven and earth, shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Altho the word of God is forever settled in heaven (Ps. 119 :89), and Jesus said, “The Scripture cannot be broken,” still thru tradition the Word of God has no effect, or in other words, men are so blinded by tradition, that they do not get the results from the Word of God that they should. The word, tradition, is taken from the Greek word, paradosis, which means parallel to grace, or very near the truth. Many people today are resting on tradition, feeling satisfied that they are alright, spiritually, ready for heaven, etc., when they are far from the truth concerning salvation. He that loveth truth and righteousness, loves the Word of God, and is ever seeking more truth, because he realizes there is so much more to learn than what he knows. The Bible contains God’s message to man, concerning salvation, and the directions are given to meet every condition that man may be in; Unless our salvation meets the demands set forth by the Word of God, . there is surely something wrong with us. The Word is right and is forever settled in heaven. God will not alter or change his word to suit our condition, but we must conform ourselves to the Word of God, which is the Bible. Jesus said, “He that hath my words and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings. If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will Jove him, and he will come unto him and make our abode with him” (John 14:21: 25). Jesus comes unto us now, in the Spirit, as the Holy Ghost or Comforter, to keep our feet In the way of life, to guide us into all truth to shew us things to come, etc., and he shall abide with us forever. “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his,” (Rom. 8:9). for by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body (1 Cor. 12:13). Jesus gave us an example at the River Jordan, how to become a son of God. The 11 apostles with 109 others all received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, (Acts 2: 4) and they, for our example, lived and taught an holy, spirit filled life, free from sin and condemnation (Rom. 8:1-15). And yet in the face of these truths, tradition says, You cannot live holy in this life, for it is not possible to live without sin. In the first chapter of Ephesians, fourth verse, we read, According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that he should be holy and without blame before him in love (Paul’s writing). In Luke 1:67, 74, 75. Zacharias, filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking of God’s promise, said, “That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies (which is the Devil, tradition, sin, etc.) might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our spiritual) life. In Matthew 1:20, 21, the angel of the Lord, told Joseph, “And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.” To be saved at all means to be saved from sin. Jesus paid the price of our redemption when he died on the cross. He redeemed us from the curse that was put on man for his disobedience, and he redeemed us from sin that resulted from the fall. He paid two pence and when he returns for his bride he will redeem us from this corruptible body, and we shall be like him. When he made man he said, “Let us make man, in our image and after our likeness (Gen. 1:27). So God creator man in his own image; in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them. We are not yet in his likeness but when he shall appear (1 John 3:2) we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And everyone that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure. If your experience in following the Lord does not come up to the standard set by the apostles, then you should seek the Lord until it does. God’s standard is holiness. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which, no man shall see the Lord (Heb.12:14), In order to be holy, you must have the Holy Spirit. Righteousness means right living; holiness means Christ in you, and you in him (Read St. John 17:20, 21).

This article “Tradition Against Truth” by Isma Wells Erwin is excerpted from her book The Resurrection and the New Birth, 1954.