Traditions and Truth

Scripture – Acts 11:4-10: ⁴Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened: ⁵“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. ⁶I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air. ⁷Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ ⁸“I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹“The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ ¹⁰This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

Reflection: – This vision Peter describes seems strange to us. However, it carried an unmistakable message for Peter – one that called him to change his whole life.

One of the tensions we constantly face in the church is that between Biblical truth and church traditions. This is true for long-established mainline churches, and it’s true for the newest emerging churches today. It doesn’t take long for traditions to establish themselves – even if it’s a tradition of being non-traditional.

Now, traditions themselves are not bad things. It’s just so important that we recognize them for what they are. Once they begin losing their meaning they can become burdensome and boring. Peter was able to let go of a life-long tradition because the Lord told him it was time. And we have all benefited from his faithful response.

When you think about the beliefs that guide your life, what role do Biblical truths play versus traditions?