1 COR. 11:1-2: “Hold Fast To The
Traditions Delivered To Us”
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study we looked
at Paul’s warning to the people in Corinth
that they cannot partake of the Lord’s table and also the table of demons, and
also of Paul’s reiteration of the principle of being careful not to do anything
that will offend anyone or cause anyone to stumble
1.1.1. Paul told the Corinthians
that we Christians are actually partaking of Christ in all of the various
aspects of our worship of Him, however we are also partaking of the table of
demons in all of the aspects of involvement in idolatry
1.1.1.1.We looked again at what
constitutes a idol
1.1.2. We looked at the principle
that Paul again asserts in this chapter (as in chapter 6) of how that we
Christians must curtail our freedom in Christ at times if not doing so will
cause someone to be offended or to stumble in their faith
1.2.
In our study today we are going to look at the first two verses of
chapter 11 where Paul tells the Corinthians that they are to be imitators of
him as he imitates Christ, and where Paul commends the Corinthians for holding
firmly to the traditions and teachings which he had passed on to them
1.2.1. We all ought to live our
life in such a way that we could tell people to simply do what we do and they
will be just where God wants them to be
1.2.2. We will see that today in
our world that it is so important for us to hold fast to those same traditions
that Paul passed on to the Corinthians, for the mainstream church today is
moving in the opposite direction
2.
VS 11:1 - “1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am
of Christ.” - Paul tells the Corinthians to imitate his
conduct
2.1.
Many believe that this verse should actually be the last verse of
chapter 10, and they interpret this verse to say to the Corinthians that in
their use of liberty that they ought to copy Paul and his life.
2.2.
This verse should however stand alone, and if one interprets this verse
as standing alone, then Paul is teaching the Corinthians the general principle
that his life should be followed as an example of godly living.
2.2.1. Paul tells the Corinthians
that they ought to follow his life’s example in ‘all’ areas because he himself
has tried as much as is humanly possible to follow Christ as his example.
2.3.
We Christians ought to live our life in such a way that we could say to
all those around us that they would be wise to follow our example.
2.3.1. This is really the challenge
for parents isn’t it? Examples from parenting
illustrates this truth.
2.3.1.1.After we have children we
begin to realize as they are growing up that we can see our own faults in our
children.
2.3.1.1.1.They use our
rationalizations when they find that they have done something wrong.
2.3.1.1.2.They use our excuses when
they don’t want to do something that they should do or want to do something
that they shouldn’t do.
2.3.1.1.3.Our stubbornness, our
temperment, and our sins begin to reflect in our children’s lives.
2.3.1.2.Suddenly when we see our
child mirroring it back to us, we discover that that area of our life that has
been a blind spot for us or something that we didn’t think was so important
that we submit to the Lord is no longer so innocuous.
2.3.1.3.Too many times to count one
of my kids has done something that my wife or I are in the process of
correcting, and my wife has turned to me and said with more than a little edge
of sarcasm, “Gee, dear I wonder where he learned that?!”
2.3.1.4.When these things happen
with our children, we have the choice of telling our children to do as we say and
not as we do, as many of our own parents did with us, or modifying our behavior
so that it will not cause our children to stumble in their faith and walk with
the Lord.
2.4.
People are impressed with our actions not our talk. The challenge for us as Christians then is to
make our walk match our talk and try to live the things that we know are true
and that God would have us to do. God
will use us greatly if we will just commit ourselves to doing this: When we realize that something in our life
doesn’t match up with what God would have us do we will confess it to God and
repent (turn in the opposite direction) of doing it.
3.
VS 11:2 - “2 Now I praise you because you remember
me in everything, and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them
to you.” - Paul praises the Corinthians because they
‘hold firmly to the traditions’ of the Christian faith as they had been taught
them by Paul
3.1.
Paul tells the Corinthians that he has a reason to praise them in that
they do acknowledge and keep in mind all of the things that he has taught
them. They had misinterpreted him and
not followed through closely in applying many principles, but at least he was
assured that they did attempt to consider his teaching all of the time.
3.2.
Paul writes that the Corinthians remembered him ‘in everything’, that
is, in everything that he had taught them either in person when he had planted
that church, or through his letters.
3.3.
Let me say at the outset that the purpose of teaching God’s word is so
that we will form proper and Biblical doctrines, for these are essential for
our lives. We as Christians need to know
what we believe and also why we believe it.
3.4.
They held firmly to the traditions that Paul had delivered to
them.
3.4.1. It is the job of the
pastor/teacher to properly hand down to those in his ministry the Biblical
traditions of ‘sound doctrine’, ‘godly living and conduct’, and ‘sound
practice in the church’.
3.4.2. The traditions which Paul
and the apostles delivered to the church were not the traditions of men, rather
they were the doctrines which were inspired of God. Neither Paul nor any of the other apostles
ever instructed people in person or through their letters to follow vain
traditions of men, but rather they were to follow the commands and precepts as
given to them from God.
3.4.2.1.Some groups have erroneously
used this verse to reinforce their teaching that their followers are not to
follow the inspired words of God found in the Bible but rather their
non-biblical directives and commands given by their leaders when those
teachings contradict the scriptures.
However, we know this is wrong because Jesus sternly rebuked the
Pharisees for putting the traditions of men above the commandments of God in Matt.
15:3-9, “3 And
He answered and said to them, "And why do you yourselves transgress the
commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 "For God said, 'Honor your
father and mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be
put to death.' 5
"But you say, 'Whoever shall say to his father or mother," Anything of mine you might have been
helped by has been given to God, "
6 he is
not to honor his father or his mother. 'And thus
you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 "You
hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 8 'This people honors Me with
their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. 9 'But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men' " 10”.
3.4.2.2.We in the church always have
to be careful that we do not hold our own traditions above the word of God, and
that we do not command that the people who are our followers follow not only
the inspired scriptures but also our man-made formulas and dogmas. We must never corrupt the word of God, and we
must never add to it.
3.4.3. In the opposite spectrum, we
Christians must remember to never leave the godly doctrines and traditions
which we have learned directly from God’s word.
3.4.3.1.We see the importance of
this emphasized in 2 Thess. 2:15 where Paul exhorted the Thessalonians
that they were to hold firm to the traditions that he had taught them, whether
in person or in his letters, “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.”
3.4.3.2.God has given us His word by
which we may know Him and His ways, and the truth of His word is not hidden
from man but rather given so that we might freely know the things given to us
by God. Thus, it is very wise as well as
important that we study carefully God’s word.
3.4.3.3.Concerning doctrines we must
remember the maxim: “If its new it
must not be true, and if its true, it must not be new”.
3.4.3.4.In 2 Thess. 2:1-4,
Paul wrote about how before the revelation of the Antichrist on the earth and
the Second Coming of Christ that there would be a great apostasy that would
come upon the church, “1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him,2 that you
may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a
spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of
the Lord has come.3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come
unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the
son of destruction,4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god
or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,
displaying himself as being God.” I
believe that the apostasy that was prophesied to come is as I speak well in
progress, for the mainstream church in our day has been turning away more and
more from these traditions which Paul gave the Corinthians.
3.4.3.5.The mainstream church has
been moving away from these traditions handed down to us from Paul in the
scriptures. Many churches in the
mainstream today have redefined the most essential truths relating to ‘mankind’,
‘sin’, ‘salvation’, ‘sanctification’, and ‘hell’. Let me give you some examples of what is
being taught in the mainstream church today which demonstrate that the end-time
apostasy prophesied is well in progress today:
3.4.3.5.1.Psychology:
3.4.3.5.1.1.Ed Bulkley, in “Why
Christians Can’t Trust Psychology”,
writes the following about how the mainstream church is allowing
Psychology to overturn all of the essential truths of Christianity, “One
famous psycho-cleric has redefined his entire reformed theology around
psychological terms. Sin now means “any
act or thought that robs myself or another human being of his or her
self-esteem. Hell is redefined as “the
loss of pride.” Theology is now to be
man-centered rather than God-centered…Schuler waters down the straightforward
message of Christ that we “must be born again” by redefining new birth as
changing our “negative to a positive self-image.” Schuller not only waters down the truths of
Scripture, but he feels it is necessary to move our attention from Scripture
altogether. He says, “Where the
sixteenth-century Reformation returned our focus to sacred Scriptures…the new
reformation will return our focus to the sacred right of every person to
self-esteem.” Carl Rogers watered down
and contradicted the Scriptures by teaching that humans are basically good by
nature rather than depraved and in need of salvation, and many Christian
psychologists and pastors have endorsed the doctrine.”
3.4.3.5.1.2.There has been a huge movement
in the last 50 years to integrate the truths of Psychology with the Bible. It all started with the acceptance of the
idea that ‘all truth is God’s truth’.
The problem came however in that all of the underlying tenets of
Psychology contradict the scripture.
Yet, this thinking is permeating the church today.
3.4.3.5.1.3.Many pastors today may even
believe that the Bible is God’s word, yet they have swallowed the lie that the
Scriptures, Biblical counsel from the
scriptures, and the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the
believer, are not enough to help people through the difficulties of life. People need the trained professionals, the
psychologists and man-centered psychological counseling in order for the real
difficulties in life. Thus, pastors just
refer the people who come in with difficult counseling issues to the
professionals, and the church is being undermined because of the influence of
man-made philosophies.. Many times
pastors will only refer their congregation to a Christian counselor thinking
that if the person is a Christian that the counsel they will get will be
good. However, if the counsel given to
people is counsel that is contrary to God’s word, people are opening up their
lives to much pain and demonic influence, just as much as could occur with any
occultic practice.
3.4.3.5.1.4.Psychologists VS Scripture
(What is the counsel given to church members?):
3.4.3.5.1.4.1.Psychologists teach us that
mankind is inherently good and in a perfect environment a person will choose to
do good; but, the Bible teaches us that
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), that none that
does good (Rom. 3:12, Psalm 53:1), and all
of us have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous deeds are like
a filthy garment
(Isaiah 64:6).
3.4.3.5.1.4.2.Psychologists teach us that
man’s problem is self-esteem and that we need to build up people’s
self-esteem; but, the Bible teaches us
that man’s problem is sin and that we are to deny self, die to self, consider
others as more important than ourselves, and live to build up and edify others.
3.4.3.5.1.4.3.Psychologists teaches us
that we need psychological counseling in order to handle the difficult problems
in life; but, the Bible teaches us that
the word of God is all that we need to handle each and every situation in life
that we face (2 Tim. 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:3-4), and the regenerating and
sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life will produce the
fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).
3.4.3.5.1.4.4.Psychologists believe that
truth is relative, and thus there are hundreds of different systems of
psychological thought and practice, each which explains what is the origin of
man’s problems as well as what should be done to fix them; but the Bible teaches us that the word of God
is inspired by God (and therefore infallible and inerrant) and profitable for
teaching, reproof, correction, training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:20-21).
3.4.3.5.1.4.5.Psychologists teach us that
we are all victims and that people only do evil things because they have one of
several hundred mental illnesses which keep them from even being able to
function normally; but the Bible teaches
us that though we may have had been victimized in the past, we are to forgive others
from our hearts and forget what lies behind and press on towards what lies
ahead (Phil. 3:13), that people commit evil because they are sinners and choose
to sin, that when a person become a child of God they become a new creation
where all things have become new in their life (2 Cor. 5:17), and that now they
no longer have to sin but they can have victory over sin and the old sin nature
(old man) if by faith they reckon that that their old sin nature has died and
that they have been raised up alive to God through Christ (Rom. 6:11).
3.4.3.5.1.4.6.Psychologists teach us that
once an alcoholic you will always be an alcoholic, once a drug addict you will
always be an addict, once a wife beater you will always be a wife beater,
etc.; but the Bible teaches us that when
you accept Christ into your life you become a new creation with all things new
(2 Cor. 5:17), a child of God (John 1:12), and an overwhelming conqueror in
everything through Christ (Rom. 8:37).
3.4.3.5.1.4.7.Etc., etc.
3.4.3.5.1.5.There is a need for counsel
in the church, however in order to be effective the counsel that must be given
must be Biblical and come from the scriptures not the philosophies of man.
3.4.3.5.2.Practice and doctrine that
is extra-Biblical:
3.4.3.5.2.1.In many churches today, the
Bible is not looked upon as the final authority for all matters of faith and
conduct, but rather as an incomplete manual that one can refer to from time to
time.
3.4.3.5.2.2.Many churches today actually
frown upon people bringing their Bible to church. It is in vogue to not bring the Bible. This is understandable since the Bible is
only referred to occasionally during their teaching or worship time.
3.4.3.5.2.3.Many questionable and odd
things are allowed to be exercised in churches today. Instead of validating ministry and the
working of God by the scriptures, moves supposedly of the Holy Spirit are
accepted as valid which are outside of anything seen in the scripture, and even
those which contradict what scripture clearly teaches are accepted as valid.
3.4.3.5.2.4.One particular affiliation
of churches have criticized the Calvary Chapels because of our judging every
move of the Holy Spirit based upon the word of God saying that we worship the
Father, Son, and the Holy Bible. One of
the leaders of this group has said that the church need not validate any work
of God by the scriptures because you don’t want to put God in a box.
3.4.3.5.2.4.1.However, if you throw out
scripture as the standard for validating ministry or a move of God, you have no
standard and anything can be acceptable.
Thus, many odd and destructive (even demonic) things are constantly been
practiced in these churches.
3.4.3.5.2.5.In 1 Thess. 5:19-22,
Paul wrote about how that we are not to quench the Spirit or despise prophetic
utterings, but that we are to examine or test everything carefully and only
keep that which is good, “19 Do not quench the Spirit;20 do not despise
prophetic utterances.21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that
which is good;22 abstain from every form of evil.”
3.4.3.5.2.5.1.The word of God is the only
absolute or standard we have available by which we may claim that anything is
either true or false, therefore everything must be examined against scripture
to see if it matches up.
3.4.3.5.3.Denying the authority,
inerrancy, and infallibility of the word of God:
3.4.3.5.3.1.The word of God by those in
this camp is them the word of man and consists primarily of myth and personal
bias. They teach, for instance, that
Paul had a hang up about women and thus he wrote what he wrote about women,
etc.. They also teach that all of the
miracles in the Bible can be explained from natural causes.
3.4.3.5.3.2.Liberal theology permeates
virtually every seminary in our country today.
Those who are being educated to become pastors, church leaders, and
missionaries are required to read more literature written by men who deny the
inspiration of the Scripture than those who do not. Their minds are being so filled with
humanistic philosophy that most will be so confused about their belief system
by the time they graduate from seminary that they will be unable to be
effectively used by God until they sort out their beliefs. Virtually every seminary student I have known
who went off to seminary with great zeal for the Lord has graduated only to not
be used in any effective ministry for at least 10 years.
3.4.3.5.4.Faith Teaching :
3.4.3.5.4.1.Many mainstream churches are
teaching a faith that is not Biblical at all but which is faith in faith itself
and makes you God and God your servant.
3.4.3.5.5.Prosperity Teaching :
3.4.3.5.5.1.Many mainstream churches are
teaching that if you have faith you should be driving a Cadillac not a
Volkswagen, and that you can name and claim anything you heart desires and if
you have the faith you’ll get it.
3.4.3.5.5.2.By their definition of faith
Jesus and all of the apostles didn’t have faith for they left all of their
possessions and lived a modest to poor lifestyle. The apostle Paul was the worst, he wasn’t
even supported by the ministry but worked to pay his own way.
3.4.3.5.6.Televangelists :
3.4.3.5.6.1.Many popular televangelists
are making many millions of dollars a year off of the ministry as they convince
their listeners that if they will just contribute to their ministry God will
bless them. Gullible and ignorant people
give hoping to receive something from God.
3.4.3.5.6.2.The Bible however denounces
greed, and it especially denounces those who have a profit motive and make a
money on religion.
3.5.
Let’s look at those traditions handed down by Paul. For Christians the Word of God must be looked
at as our standard in all that we do.
Christians must come to believe that God’s word is inerrant and
infallible and has all that they need to handle every difficulty people find
themselves in. Christ, who is Himself
called the ‘Word Of God’, and the promises of His word are all we need. Let’s look at what the scripture teaches us
about it’s sufficiency to be the authority that we need in all areas of life
and doctrine as well as it’s sufficiency for our lives:
3.5.1. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “16 All Scripture is
inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for
training in righteousness; 17 that the
man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
3.5.1.1.Paul writes that ‘ALL’
scripture, that is everything in our Bible, is inspired by God. Therefore, it must be infallible.
3.5.1.1.1.Peter even writes in 2 Peter
1:20 that since God’s word is inspired by Him that there is only one
interpretation of a scripture, it is not a matter of one’s own interpretation.
3.5.1.2.Since we can trust in God’s
word, we know it can be profitably used by us for:
3.5.1.2.1.Teaching.
3.5.1.2.1.1.Teaching the scriptures, and
teaching from the scriptures is the single most important ministry of the
church. We all desperately need to know
God’s ways, and we come to know His ways by being taught His word.
3.5.1.2.2.Reproof.
3.5.1.2.2.1.This Greek word, ‘elenghos’,
means to convict, expose, or prove something.
The word of God is reliable to use for convicting people concerning sin
or their responsibilities in being a disciple of Jesus, to expose areas of
their life that are not pleasing to God, and to prove that which is acceptable
and unacceptable in the Christian life as well as doctrine.
3.5.1.2.3.Correction.
3.5.1.2.3.1.This Greek word,
‘epanorthasis’, means to restore to an upright or right state, to correct or
improve the state of someone else. The
word of God is reliable to use for bringing people back into restoration with
God and walking uprightly and purely before the Lord.
3.5.1.2.4.Training in righteousness.
3.5.1.2.4.1.This Greek phrase refers to
the education of people into the correct ways of God that relate to living a
holy and undefiled life before the Lord.
The word of God is reliable to use for teaching people what types of
living and conduct is holy and righteous and thus pleasing to a holy and
righteous God.
3.5.1.3.The word of God is all that
we need to equip us so that we can be used by God in every good work for Him
that we might perform.
3.5.2. 2 Peter 1:3-4, “3 seeing
that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and
godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and
excellence.4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent
promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
3.5.2.1.God’s word and the promises
from God’s word provide for us as believers everything that we will ever need
to know regarding life and godliness.
3.5.2.2.Through the promises of
God’s word the Christian is able to die to self and be regenerated by the Holy
Spirit, and thus partake of the divine nature.
Through partaking of and living in the power of the divine nature the
believer is able to live a life free from sin (‘the corruption that is in the
world by lust’).
3.5.3. Hebrews 4:12-13, “12 For the word of
God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and
is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there
any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and
opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
3.5.3.1.It is God’s word which is
able to do the impossible in ‘penetrating the hardest heart’, ‘opening the darkest mind’, and ‘awakening
the most impenetrable conscience’.
3.5.3.2.Through His word, God
reveals people’s sinful thoughts, intentions, and motives.
3.5.3.2.1.Not only do men read God’s
word, but they soon discover that God’s word reads them!
3.5.3.3.The word of God never fails
that for which it is intended by God as Isaiah said in Isaiah 55:11, “11
So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without
accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I
sent it.”
3.6.
Paul has also written sternly about how what to do and how to regard
those who refuse to hold to the traditions that he has passed down to the
church:
3.6.1. 1 Timothy 6:3-5, “3 If anyone
advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of
our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,4 he is
conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in
controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy,
strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,5 and constant friction between men
of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a
means of gain.”
3.6.2. Romans 16:17-18, “17 Now I urge you, brethren,
keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the
teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.18 For such men are slaves,
not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and
flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.”
3.6.3. Galatians 1:6-8, “6 I am amazed that
you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a
different gospel;7 which is really not another; only there are some who are
disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ.8 But even though we,
or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which
we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”
3.7.
With so many in the church today who are falling for these heretical
errors of doctrine and practice, the teaching of the word of God verse by verse
through the scriptures as we do in the Calvary Chapel’s will keep the body of
Christ from falling for these counterfeits of God.
3.7.1. In Ephesians 4:11-15,
Paul wrote to the Ephesians about the purpose of the those in the church who
were pastors and teachers saying that they were to teach and equip the saints
for the work of ministry and that this would be to the effect that the people
would not be tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, “11 And He
gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some
as pastors and teachers,12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of
service, to the building up of the body of Christ;13 until we all attain to the
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to
the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.14 As a
result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and
carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness
in deceitful scheming;15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in
all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ.”
3.8.
So in application, let’s be careful to hold to the traditions that have
been handed down to us. Let’s hold firm
that which we have received from God’s word, regardless of all the winds of
doctrine that float around us. Let’s be
careful to hold to the word of God as our standard and final authority on all
matters of life and faith. Let’s be
careful to judge every doctrine by the word of God. Let’s be careful to judge every supposed move
of God by the word of God. Let’s be
careful to realize that everything which we need for life and godliness is
found in the word of God. Let’s be
careful to learn everything that we can about the nature of God from the word
of God. The scriptures teach us that the
God we serve is omnipotent (nothing is too difficult), omniscient (He knows
everything and in fact He cannot even learn), omnipresent (there is nowhere
that He is not present in time or space), holy, righteous, loving,
long-suffering, etc., etc..