“Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle“
whether by word or our epistle
The Word of God is something transmitted to Christians, whether by oral or written means. Christians get stability and perseverance in their faith either from the teaching of Scripture or from reading the Scriptures themselves. Whether it is sitting in church receiving oral teaching from your pastor or at home reading the Word, hold onto these practices.
Before the Holy Spirit completed the canon (the list of books that belong in the Bible), God gave certain prophets the ability to know the contents of Scripture before it was written. Before the New Testament was completed, certain prophets communicated the truth of the New Testament orally. People could confirm their authenticity by the miracles they performed. When the Holy Spirit completed the canon, there was no need for any further oral transmission of New Testament revelation,
Many cults and distortions of genuine Christianity have come on the scene today because of not holding on to the unadulterated Word of God. The only trustworthy teaching that we can trust is the Word of God. We cannot trust modern-day prophets or anyone who speaks from their own authority.
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3 ).
Principle:
There is an onus upon the believer to rightly divide the Word of God.
Application:
Christians who are serious about the Word of God uphold apostolic tradition. No Christian can stand in his Christian life without the constant application of the principles of Scripture to experience. Christians who leave the principles of the Word of God head for instability in their convictions and their walk with the Lord. They will be weak in their Christian life.
“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39).
Many formerly stable Christians fall for satanic lies. There are more fakers in religion than in business. God’s people are so naive and gullible that they are susceptible to every spiritual disease that spreads across Christendom. Satan quickly sweeps them into error, and they are lost to the cause of Christ.
All cultic fakers use the Bible. They quote the Bible, but they take it out of context. They do not rightly divide the Word making the distinctions necessary to understand it correctly. We must study the Bible in its context, line upon line, to be faithful to what it says.
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
God holds us accountable for what we hear. He also holds us accountable for what we believe. God expects us to rightly discern the truth after having heard the faithful exposition of His Word.
All of us know more than we convert into our lives. Our lives are always in the process of catching up with what we know. There is a danger in simply learning principles without translating truth into experience. Either error is wrong.
