Pietro Perugino 1482

1. Truth or Tradition? Pietro Perugino 1482

2. Truth or Traditions? Col. 2 The dimensions of Our Great Commission: • Salvation:“Go and teach all nations” • Identification / Associating: “Baptizing them in the name of the Father…Son…Holy Spirit” • Education / Orientation: “Teaching them to observe…” Mt. 28:18-20

3. Truth or Traditions? It shouldn’t surprise us that Satan seeks to hinder God’s Plan through: • Conflict (Persecution) Acts 8:1 • Carelessness (Passivity) Pr. 24:10-12 • Contamination (Doctrinal Poison)Gal. 5:7-9 “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.”

4. How does Satan “contaminate” God’s Truths? We’re creatures of habit, so “traditions” become “comfortable” and give us “identity”. “Tradition” (parad'osis) means a “transmission.” It comes from paradid'omee which means to surrender, yield up, entrust, and so “transmit.” Some Traditions are Biblical: (Passover, Communion) Some Traditions can be “helpful”: (Holiday Traditions)

5. How does Satan “contaminate” God’s Truths? The idea is that we tend to “trust” the traditions and so “transmit them” generationally! If Satan is successful in “contaminating” God’s truth with man made traditions, then they are “transmitted” generationally and the “traditions” begin to replace God’s Truths!

6. Spiritual “traditions” can replace Spiritual truths. The Jewish Bible consists of the Torah and the Tanakh. By Jesus’ time, the Jews added the Talmud: (6200 pages) • The Mishnah (Rabbinical Traditions) • The Gemara(Interpretations of the Mishnah) Eventually the “Talmud” was elevated above the Torah!

7. “Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. This people draw nigh unto me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” No wonder Jesus said in Mt 15:6-9:

8. “Beware lest any man spoil (seduce) you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments (propositions) of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him!” Paul warned of this in Col. 2:8-10

9. The “Christian” equivalent of the Jewish “Talmud” are “catechisms” written by men. Like the Rabbi’s, the men may be well intended, but their own prejudice or “perspectives” sometimes contaminate God’s Truth! People “learn” the Catechisms (traditions) but often end up ignorant of (ignoring) the scriptures. Christianity has fallen into the same trap!

10. “Religion” is Satan’s masterpiece! His first recorded words were“Yea hath God said?” Gen. 3:1 He then presents a plan for Eve’s Religious Awakening! He’s a master at “mixing” truth and error. “You’ll know the truth and the truth shall make you free”. Jn 8:32 The more we’re aware of and committed to God’s truths, the more we’ll be able to recognize and resist Satan’s lies. There are many areas where Religious Traditions have replaced God’s Truths in the lives of “religious people.”

11. The Catholic Catechism Ten Commandments: 1. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me. 2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. 3. Remember thou keep holy the Lord's Day. 4. Honor thy father and thy mother. 5. Thou shall not kill. 6. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 7. Thou shalt not steal. 8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods. http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/command.htm

12. What’s Missing? God’s 10 Commandments Ex. 20; Deut. 5 Catholic Catechism

13. Tradition! Last Week we learned that every one of the 89 references to Baptism use the word “baptizo”. “To immerse, make fully Wet.” “Sprinkle” (rhantizo) or “Poured” (ekche’ō) is never used in scripture of baptism. So why are millions of baptisms done by sprinkling or pouring? (Usually on babies)

14. “The magisterium of the Catholic Church is the church's authority or office to establish its own authentic teachings.[1][2] That authority is vested uniquely in the pope and the bishops, under the premise that they are in communion with the correct and true teachings of the faith.[3] Sacred scripture and sacred tradition make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, entrusted to the Church [4] and the magisterium is not independent of this, since "all that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealedis derived from this single deposit of faith."[5]

15. Foot notes: 1. Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary 2. Thomas Stork, "What Is the Magisterium?" 3.Catechism of the Catholic Church, 100) 4. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei verbum, 10 5. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 86 That means that the Catholic church freely admits that their “traditions” (as interpreted by Popes and Bishops) Are as sacred as scripture! That’s why many of the church’s teachings have “evolved.” That concept has infiltrated most “religious” Denominations.

16. How did Satan use “Tradition” to end up “Contaminating” God’s Truth of Baptism? Deception. (Col. 2:8; Jude 1:4; 2Tim. 4:1-3; etc) A. The NT wasn’t universally “canonized” until 367 AD. (“Canon” means a reliable standard or rule) 1) Churches were scattered and there was no consistent standard of what constituted God’s Word. 2) There were “epistles” written by early believers and even some “forgeries” claiming apostolic authority. (2 Thes. 2:2)

17. Deception. B. The Early “Church Fathers” opinions… 1) Many of the writings of prominent preachers were circulated to various churches. 2) Their “opinions” and “interpretations” often “stuck” with many believers. a) Justin Martyr (150 AD) Refers To Baptismal Waters As "the water bath of regeneration.“ (1) Many began to interchange the term baptized and regenerated, leading to confusion about salvation! (2) This led to “baptizing babies.”

18. Deception. B. The Early “Church Fathers” b) Irenaeus (Pastor of Lyons, France AD 177) wrote that the communion bread “contained a divine reality" which later (1214) gave way to transubstantiation (Mass) being forced on Europe. (On pain of death!) “we have received baptism for the remission of sins … this baptism is the seal of eternal life and is rebirth unto God”

19. Deception. B. The Early “Church Fathers” opinions… c) Cyprian, Pastor in Carthage, AD 250 began to make “exceptions” (to immersion) : "of those who obtain God's grace in sickness ... for that they are not to be immersed but affused (poured) with the saving waters." He also wrote: “extra Ecclesiamnullasalus” “Outside the church there is no salvation.”

20. Clement of Alexandria (d. 215), in The Paedagogus wrote: “Christ was made perfect only in the sense of being washed…He was consecrated by the Holy Spirit? The same takes place in our case. Being baptized, we are illuminated; illuminated, we become sons; being made sons, we are made perfect; being made perfect, we are made immortal.”

21. 2. Corruption. (Church became Political) By the 4th Century Rome was crumbling. A. “Religion” became the unifying factor! 1) Constantine became the emperor after a “conversion experience” in 312 (Milvian Bridge) 2) Constantine began to "rule" the church, presiding at the various councils with the title "Pontifex Maximus“. The title for the High Priest of Ancient Roman Religions. It Literally means “greatest bridge builder”. (The Pope now holds that title!)

22. 2. Corruption. (Church became Political) A. “Religion” became the unifying factor! 3) Trouble with the Roman Senate forced Constantine to relocate to Turkey in 330. (Constantinople). a) This “split” the Roman Empire and Created the “Eastern (Greek) Orthodox Church”. b) His absence from Rome gave his Council of Bishops (Led by the Bishop of Rome) a great deal of power and influence over the European empire. By 440 Roman Bishop Leo claimed the title “Pope”.

23. 2. Corruption. (Church became Political) A. “Religion” became the unifying factor! B. The “Pope” began to work with the “Emperors” to use “religion” to Unite the Kingdom. Europe became the “Holy Roman Empire!” 1) He used two primary “tools” to accomplish this. Since there could be “No Salvation outside of the Church” a) Infant baptism became “Law!” Thus the “citizens of the Holy Roman Empire” were also “Citizens of the Church.”

24. a) Infant baptism became “God’s Law!” (1) The imperial “Justinian Code” (AD 529) made rebaptisma heresy penalized by death! "We desire that all peoples subject to Our benign Empire shall live under the same religion that the Divine Peter… We order all those who follow this law to assume the name of Catholic Christians, and considering others as demented and insane,

25. a) Infant baptism became “God’s Law!” (1) The imperial “Justinian Code” (AD 529) made rebaptisma heresy penalized by death! “We order that they shall bear the infamy of heresy; and when the Divine vengeance which they merit has been appeased, they shall afterwards be punished in accordance with Our resentment” Corpus Juris Civilis (The Civil Law, the Code of Justinian),

26. 2. Corruption. (Church became Political) a) Infant baptism became “God’s Law!” b) Excommunication: Based on a perversion of Mt. 16:19 “keys of kingdom” they taught that the Pope had the authority to damn any who disobeyed. (1) Fear of physical torture (inquisition) and spiritual damnation were used to “force obedience!” These two traditions set the stage for the

27. The Council of Trent (1563) declared: CANON I.-If any one saith, that the sacraments of the New Law were not all instituted by Jesus Christ, our Lord; or, that they are more, or less, than seven, to wit, Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Order, and Matrimony; or even that any one of these seven is not truly and properly a sacrament; let him be anathema. Canon IV “If any one saith, that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary unto salvation, but superfluous; and that, without them… men obtain of God, through faith alone, the grace of justification;-though all (the sacraments) are not indeed necessary for every individual; let him be anathema. http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM

28. Catholic Canon on Baptism (Canon 849-878) Baptism, the gateway to the sacraments and necessary for salvation by actual reception or at least by desire, is validly conferred only by a washing of true water with the proper form of words. Through baptism men and women are freed from sin, are reborn as children of God, and, configured to Christ by an indelible character, are incorporated into the Church. http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM

29. “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the consequences of it. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” Joseph Goebbels

30. Conclusion: After the parable of the Sower and seeds, and the Wheat and Tares (Mt 13:24-30) Jesus said: 31-32 ”The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32  Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it …becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.” What did Jesus say the “birds” represented? “The Wicked One” (vs 19)

31. John 16:2 “the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” Mt. 24:9-11 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: ye shall be hated of all nations for my name… And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” 2 Tim. 4:3,4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; … they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” Who (what) was responsible for most of the “killing” during the dark ages?

32. Our American Founders recognized the danger of using the “state” to enforce religious faith and practices. (They knew History!) This is why the principle of religious freedom was so important to them.

33. Any honest reading of the scriptures and “European/Church” History will verify these facts. While the Catholic Church claims “magisterium” gives the Pope and Bishops the right of “sacred tradition”, what does this have to do with “non-Catholic” denominations? “Protestant” denominations have their roots in the Catholic Church! Most of the “reformers” carried some of those “sacred traditions” into their movements.

34. Application: What Satan has done throughout “History” is what he still seeks to do in “your-story”. He seeks to “contaminate” God’s great plan and “spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Col. 2:8

35. Application: It was because Jesus defied the “sacred traditions” of the Jewish Talmud that he was rejected. It was in this context that he said: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

36. Truth or Tradition? Are we willing to allow God’s truth to confront our own “sacred traditions” about: Salvation? Baptism? Discipleship?