Trecherous Traditions

03.27.09

J.A. Matteson

"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men…" Colossians 2:8

All a man needs is Jesus Christ “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2: 3). Regeneration begets conversion and the saint is sealed with or in (τῷ) the Holy Spirit—not merely by, implying an incomplete work of grace—but with, indicating a thorough internal transformation and empowerment by the Holy Spirit. At conversion the saint stands as a new creation in Christ Jesus, complete as His ambassador, lacking nothing, looking to the Head alone who is able to keep him from stumbling and to present him blameless on that Day. The Apostle confronted head-on the evil traditions and teaching of men that were not founded by Christ—the Chief cornerstone of the Church, nor the teaching of the Apostles—its foundation, viz., that faith was insufficient for justification and that men were obligated to follow human philosophy and tradition, binding their consciences to the delusional whims of men rather than to Christ. In the present day there is an evil at work through human philosophy and traditions of men that is subverting the word of Christ and His Apostles. The Reformers confronted Papal decrees and councils, the vile sale of indulgences for absolution, and the viewing of relics to circumvent time in purgatory.

Protesting these and many other unbiblical teachings the evil was unmasked and those advancing the cause of doctrinal reform were vilified, many brutally killed by a man-centered religion desperate to remain in control over the souls of men. As the masses were led astray in past generations by men who engaged in fanciful isegesis of Scripture leading to extra-biblical doctrines that enslaved the consciences of men, so too the present generation is being held hostage to doctrines of men that have been elevated as authoritative for faith and practice, the end result has been the subversion of the inspiration, inerrancy, authority, and sufficiency of Scripture to which the Apostle decries to the Corinthians, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).

From the humanists who denounce the inspiration of Scripture; to the proponents of higher criticism who reject its inerrancy; to the existentialist who holds to experience as the end authority of truth; to the proponents of the “church growth movement” who profess the sufficiency of Scripture, but by their deeds deny the same; to the charlatans of the word-of-faith movement who devilishly prey upon the simple for sordid gain, living in luxury and promising health and wealth to all who surrender to them their paychecks; to the contemporary Gnostics who being deceived by angels masquerading as messengers of light seek after experience and esoteric knowledge, opening their minds to the principalities and powers of darkness; to the post-modern emergent church and its aversion to propositional truth, denying that truth can be known and by implication denying Christ who is Truth; to the misguided theology and praxis of the “seeker-sensitive movement” that exchanges Christo-centric worship for man-centered entertainment and titillation, designed and produced to amuse the unregenerate, feeding the goats while starving the sheep; and to the Later Rain movement’s self-appointed “apostles” who arrogantly proclaim a new “Word of the Lord”, uttering delusions amongst the gullible with insatiable appetites.

Evidence of the distance the Church has wandered from the truth of Scripture is recognized by the hostile reaction by the many to few who dare question the teachings and doctrines found in extra-biblical non-authoritative resources in the form of Christian books, seminars, DVD’s, CD’s, etc. Many Christians unwittingly have elevated these to the position of papal inerrancy—anathema! Cast aside the yoke of slavery and return to the Word of the Lord and the simplicity of Christ, “Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings” (Hebrews 13:9).

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