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Prejudice and Tradition
When
it comes to divorce and remarriage, prejudice and tradition form our beliefs
far more often than most people realize. We may recognize their effect on
others—keeping them from viewing the Bible the same way we do—but how many of
us realize the strong impact prejudice and tradition have on us personally?
Consider
a noted Bible character by the name of Saul, later known as the apostle Paul.
How could Saul, a good and honest man, have taken so long to see and learn the
truth about Jesus? After Christ’s
ministry and even after the church was established, Saul was dragging
Christians from their home and casting them into prison (Acts 8:3). He also
consented to the murder of Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 8:1). It
was not until he was on his way to Damascus
to further persecute Christians that the Lord personally took action to change
Paul's thinking and behavior. Paul gives the account as recorded in Acts chapter
22.
He said, I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia,
yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to
the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye
all are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and
delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear
me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters
unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to
bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem,
for to be punished. And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was
come nigh unto Damascus
about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And
I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I
am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
Well,
Paul goes on to report specifically how he was converted, but that is another
matter. I want us to note how much evidence it took before Paul was able to see
the truth about Jesus. He had stood there and heard the words of Stephen who,
having been filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke convincing words. No doubt Saul
had seen miracles performed by the apostles, if not Jesus himself. And it is
hard to believe that a man of his character and ability was not aware of the
many prophecies that pointed not only to Jesus as the King and Savior, but also
explained the nature of his kingdom (Is 2:1-4). Yet, Paul was angry with those
who opposed his religion–so angry that he was unable to see the truth, and so
angry that he sought to punish and destroy those who opposed his religious
convictions.
Remember
that Paul said to the Jewish Council: "I have lived in all good conscience
before God until this day." Thus, his error was due to ignorance. He said,
"I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (1Tm 1:13). This is not to say that
he had not been presented with ample evidence to change his mind. No doubt he
had. Saul had to have seen a mountain of evidence to support the fact that John
the Baptist and Jesus were telling the truth, but he could not see because of
tradition, which greatly influenced his thinking. It actually took a miracle to
help him see! But being honest, when he did see the truth he laid hold on it
and defended it to the death.
In
view of this perplexing fact regarding Saul, I implore the reader to seriously
consider the power of tradition and recognize that it could have such a hold on
you that you could be wrong on some serious matters and not know it. Brethren
today are, with good consciences, treating other Christians in a manner that is
just as serious as the persecution Paul brought upon the Christians of his day.
Now,
God is not going to come to you in a miraculous way to convince you of
anything, but if you want the truth you will find it (Jn 8:32). The search for
truth in the Bible requires that one follow certain rules of hermeneutics. Are
you doing that or rejecting the rules that would require you to give up some
belief and/or practice?
Whatever
subject we are studying we need to study with the idea that we may have learned
or been taught error. However, I fear that many, like the Jews during Old
Testament times, are not looking for truth but merely study, speak and act in
defense of tradition. The difference regarding Paul’s not being able to see and
people’s failure to see the truth on various issues today is that Paul had been
following the truth, but things suddenly changed. What is generally or
traditionally taught on various subjects today never was factual. We need to
put aside prejudice and tradition and study God’s word with an open mind,
having a willingness to change like Paul did when we see that we have been
wrong.
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