There can be no work on the Sabbath, but what constitutes work? Oral Law was necessary to define things like work, and the definition needed to have authority. People could not be allowed to make their own rules. Jewish scholars say that Oral Law was given to Moses and has been passed down orally. Christians would have to reject this claim since Jesus rejected how the Jewish authorities interpreted things like work.
Judaism has Oral Law, and Christians have sacred Tradition. These are both how the scholars of the religion interpret the Bible. Oral Law and sacred Tradition both consist of interpretations that are said to have the same authority as the Bible. It was necessary to give authority to sacred Tradition to maintain order and unity.
Messages From God
While it was necessary to give authority to sacred Tradition, it seems ridiculous to claim that a scholar’s interpretation of the Bible has the same authority as the Bible. God is the foundation for all existence. Humanity’s view of the word of God is not equal to the word of God.
The Bible is a collection of books that are believed to contain messages from God. Most books in the Bible scholars agree should be in the Bible. There are a few books in dispute, none of which has a big impact on Christian theology. Whatever books you put in your Bible, they should all have authority over the opinion of everyone who is not a prophet of God. There hasn’t been a prophet in a long time.
Many protestant churches believe in Sola scriptura, which claims that no interpretation of the Bible has the same authority as the Bible. Yet these churches have their own sacred Tradition. Their doctrine includes some interpretations they have developed, and some interpretations they inherited from the Catholic church.
Some traditions have been around so long no one realizes they are only interpretations of the Bible. If you read it carefully, the Bible does not actually say that only Christians will have eternal life in Heaven.
Like Oral Law, Sacred Tradition can be Wrong
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus is the only way to the Father, but who is going to the Father? This does not tell us that we must be a Christian. It only tells us that those who go to the Father, will go there because of Christ. That could include atheists.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
To believe in someone is to believe in their integrity and character. It is to believe in their essence. Believing in Jesus is not a question of believing the teachings of Christ as interpreted by the church. To truly believe in God, we should believe in who God is. God is absolute Righteousness. A person who has never heard of Jesus can believe in righteousness without knowing anything Jesus said.
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Saved from what? The Bible has great support for the idea of temporal judgment. Any reference to judgment in the Bible could be referring to the Day of Judgment, but it could be referring to temporal judgment.
The following are some examples of interpretations that have been around a long time. These are examples of sacred Tradition viewed as Biblical, but coming from passages that can be interpreted differently.
- Tradition says that Jesus takes responsibility for our sins. This means of atonement has no clear Biblical support, and it contradicts clear Biblical text. The idea that Christ takes the punishment for our sins has become so engrained in Christian tradition that Christians no longer notice that Jesus taking the punishment for us is not fair. It is not justice.
How Jesus Redeems Us
- Some church traditions don’t make a lot of sense. The devil has been cast out of Heaven and is in a battle with God? But God is the foundation for all that exists. A battle with God is like a character in a novel doing battle with the author.
The Casting out of Satan
- Creation is a test according to church tradition. There is good and evil in the world, and in the end, there will be judgment. What we do in this life will determine our eternal destiny. The purpose of creation is therefore a test, but this is only an assumption. In the Bible, God does not clearly tell us why He created Heaven and earth.
Why God Created the World
- In Sodom, it was homosexuality that led to the destruction of the city. A different interpretation better explains some details in the story.
Why God Destroyed Sodom
- In Genesis chapter 6, sons of God came to the earth. They would have to be fallen angels if they came down to the earth. But details in the story indicate that these sons of God were righteous angels.
Angels Came to the Earth
The idea that Jewish scholars got some things wrong at the first coming of the Messiah is foundational to Christianity. Christians should therefore consider the possibility that they have gotten some things wrong.
