Matthew 15:3, New Living Translation

“Jesus replied, ‘And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?’”

We all know about the time when many will call good evil and evil good. We know because we are living in such times. The world has made it very clear as to what time we are living in, and God has also clearly outlined His warning for mankind. If you do not know what I am writing about today, then I urge you to open the Bible and begin to read and seek understanding from the Lord. 

One thing we read in the word is that man has continually sought to lift themselves up and make their own rules and moral laws. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, man has desired to place their man-made principles before God’s principles. No matter if we call them traditions or say it is a part of our culture, whenever we believe a manmade command is greater than the Lord’s commands, it’s called legalism.

Let’s consider what Jesus said to the Pharisees when they asked, “… Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders...” (Matthew 15:2, NIV) Jesus replied, “…Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’” (Matthew 15:6-9, NIV)

The world is never in agreement with God, the question for you is this: are you only in the world or are you of the world? If you are not of the world, you must make effort and seek discernment from the Lord to recognize and understand how the Kingdom of God works. You cannot keep one foot in the principles of the world and expect to walk in the likeness of Christ at the same time. The Son only does what the Father does! He will never compromise the Father’s will and law in order to gain the approval of the world.

Jesus’ woe seven times towards the Pharisees who were hypocrites. He also warned against the wicked generation. Whether we are talking about people who look down upon the lost and believe they are righteous, or those who water down God’s word in order to justify their own desires, both are in direct violation of the commandments of God.

If we desire to go further, then the next question should be “How”. How can we rise above the standards, the traditions, and the culture of the world and stand upon the principles of God? Here is the answer: 

Only repentance and faith will enable us to stand against the cultural headwinds!

My dear brothers and sisters, there is only one Way that leads to Truth and Life. His name is Jesus and He is not from the world. Let’s boldly stand on His principles as we live in this world!