Traditional Faith

Bible Bites

Scott Beyer
04/07/23 - Bulletin

“Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.” (1 Corinthians 11:2)

There is a time to hold to traditions and a time to let them go. Traditions are simply customs and beliefs handed down from one generation to the next. There are times in the Bible where God warns against traditions – for example when the traditions of the Jews became more valuable than following God (see Mark 7:13) or when Paul warned against the power of tradition to lead us astray by human philosophy (see Col 2:8).

However, there is a time to hold to tradition. The teachings of the apostles and prophets is tradition – how the church should behave and how Christians should live are traditions handed down through Scripture from one generation to the next, and we need to hold to those traditions exactly as they were delivered to us. We have a rich heritage of faith we inherit from the generations which have gone before us and called upon the name of Jesus Christ. Let us, unfettered by human tradition and philosophy, hold to the traditions of God found in the New Testament.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:1-8

Questions to ask:

How is Paul feeling as he writes today’s passage? What is his mood?
What are the central themes in Paul’s preaching and teaching which are being emphasized, or how are the central themes in this epistle being emphasized in today’s reading?
How does our reading show Paul’s people skills, especially how he handles conflict?
What in this passage would change the lives of the believer(s) being addressed? How does it make me a better disciple?
How does this show the “good news” of the gospel? How can I share that with someone else?

This year, #Biblebites are following the life and writings of Paul. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2023-vision