Traditions of Men v. Commandments of God

In 2011, I specifically remember starting a venture of self and God discovery. I’ve heard it said and I know it to be true. The more you pursue knowing Jesus, the more you learn who you are. We live in a culture and society that promotes self-awareness, self-actualization, and self-identity. In general, I am not opposed to these ideas, I just think the world has taken the wrong route in this path of discovery. In order to truly know ourselves, we must first learn our Creator, the one in whose image we bear.

Even though I knew my belief in God was not in question, I began to question everything I believe. Looking back, I have no doubt this was a God-planted idea that came to me. I began to ask questions and search for answers. Why do I dress the way I do? Why do we gather religiously how we do? What does the Bible actually say about patriotism? So on and so forth. Too many questions to list here (and is not really the point of today’s post). I am so thankful for this journey over the past ten years. I know my relationship with and faith in God has grown exponentially because of it.

I also remember around the same time (although I cannot remember exact dates), my pastor began to teach and preach on Thursday nights about Abraham. How God called Abraham to a land he did not know with an unknown destination. The point pastor emphasized was that it was okay, even healthy, to ask God the tough questions and search out his boundaries. Abraham did not know what the boundaries would be of the land God was leading him into. He only knew God had called him and would show him His boundaries throughout the journey process. Carry this over into the spiritual realm. God is completely fine with us asking Him questions and even questioning things we have always been taught. How else will we know it’s God and not just the voice of a man (or woman).

That brings me to today’s scripture reference: Mark 7:6-9, 13.

ESV – And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! …thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” 

MSG – Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull’s-eye in fact: ‘These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it. They act like they are worshipping me, but they don’t mean in. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy, ditching God’s command and taking up the latest fads.’ …You do a lot of things like this.”

It is imperative that we know the voice of God for ourselves, that we know His Word through revelation of His Spirit. The scriptures were originally written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. It still today takes the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to understand them.

I’ll end with this. It is ok to ask questions. It is ok to question what you have always been taught. Just make sure you are asking the One who is Truth and knows the correct answer. We go astray when we ask other men (and women) their opinion on another man’s opinion. That is not to say we can’t gather information from others, just hold God in the place of final authority and knowing.

Dreams

A few years ago, I began to pay close attention to my dreams, recognizing that God was speaking to me in them. Now, I do not believe every single dream is spiritual in nature. But, in my personal experience, I have learned to tell which of my dreams has spiritual significance and which do not. As such, I have begun to record my dreams in a journal; the dreams I recall and feel a spiritual aspect to. I recorded a couple dreams this morning, which led me to reread the dreams I have recorded over the past 7 or 8 months. I am so thankful I wrote them down because I know I would not have remembered them all. As I read through them this morning, I could feel the Spirit bear witness to their importance. I’m so thankful to know the amazing, powerful true and living God!

Acts 2:17 [Joel 2:28] And in the last days it shall be, God declares, ‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.’ (emphasis mine)

Genesis 20:3, 6 But God came to Abimelech in a dream…  Then God said to him in the dream…

Genesis 31:10 I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream…

Genesis 31:11 Then the angel of God said to me in the dream…

Genesis 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream…

Genesis 37:5, 9 Now Jospeh had a dream… Then he dreamed another dream…

Genesis 40:5 And one night they both dreamed…

Genesis 41:15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream…”

Numbers 12:6 I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream.

Judges 7:15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshipped.

I Kings 3:5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream…

Ecclesiastes 5:3 For a dream comes with much business…

Jeremiah 23:28 Let the prophet who has a dream, tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully.

Daniel 2:3 And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”

Daniel 7:1 Daniel saw a dream and visions…

Matthew 1:20 An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream…

Matthew 2:12, 13 And being warned in a dream…  An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream

Matthew 2:19, 22 An angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt… and being warned in a dream…

Matthew 27:19 For I have suffered much because of him today in a dream…

Job 33:15-18 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then He opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings, that he may turn aside from his deed and conceal pride from a man; he keeps back his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword.

Acts 4:12

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (ESV)

And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.(ASV)

And in no other is there salvation: for there is no other name under heaven, given among men, through which we may have salvation. (BBE)

Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone. (CEV)

Jesus is the only one who can save people. His name is the only power in the world that has been given to save anyone. We must be saved through him!” (ERV)

Neither is there salvation [rescue or safety] in any other: for there is none other name [authority, character] under heaven given among men, whereby we must [necessary, binding] be saved [deliver or protect]. (KJV)

and there is salvation in no other One, for neither is there any other name under Heaven having been given among men by which we must be saved. (LITV)

And there is salvation in no other One; for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (MKJV)

There is no one else who has the power to save us, for there is only one name to whom God has given authority by which we must experience salvation: the name of Jesus.” (TPT)

and there is not salvation in any other, for there is no other name under the heaven that hath been given among men, in which it behoveth us to be saved.’ (YLT)

Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one. (MSG)

God’s Love Language is Obedience

Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD commanded the man, saying, “you shall surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 6:5-6 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

 Genesis 12:1, 4 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go…” So Abram went…

Hebrews 6:15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words I command you this day shall be on your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your children…

Joshua 1:8-9 The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

I Samuel 13:14 The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart…

Acts 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, “I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.”

John 14:15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ~Jesus

John 14:21, 23-24 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.

John 15:10-14 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love… [~Jesus] These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.

I John 2:3-5 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says, “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.

I John 4:19-20 We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God who he has not seen. And this is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

I John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep is commandments. His commandments are not burdensome.

When we come to learn and understand that God’s commandments are for our good, they bring joy, and are not burdensome it becomes so easy to love Him the way we are meant to.

Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

For your consideration. Megean Eggert. 2.5.21.