Tradition: Apostolic or Church of Christ?
Joe R. Price

A tradition is that which is handed down, something that is transmitted from one to another. The dictionary says a tradition is “the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice” (dictionary.com). Traditions are not inherently bad. Indeed, they serve various helpful purposes. We have family traditions, holiday traditions, social traditions, and many other such things we hand down.

The New Testament speaks of the traditions of the elders and of the fathers (Mk. 7:3-4; Gal. 1:14), the traditions of men (Col. 2:8), and the traditions of the apostles (2 Thess. 2:15). Importantly, we never read of “church traditions” in the Scriptures.

Concerning apostolic tradition, Christians are instructed to keep them just as they were delivered (1 Cor. 11:2). Christians are exhorted to “stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle” (2 Thess. 2:15). The traditions delivered by the apostles are synonymous with “the word of the Lord” and “the things we command you” (2 Thess. 3:1, 4). The apostolic traditions are so essential that we must withdraw ourselves “from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us” (2 Thess. 3:6). To hold the apostolic traditions means to “follow” the apostles and the pattern of truth they preached and lived (2 Thess. 3:7; Phil. 3:17; 4:9).

From time to time brethren warn us against “church of Christ tradition.” We accept their warning with a hearty “amen,” since “church tradition” is not taught in the word of God. We must not lay upon others the heavy burden of human traditions and call it God’s will (Matt. 23:4).

Sometimes the warning against “church of Christ tradition” fails to distinguish between apostolic traditions (revealed truth) and “the traditional way we do things in churches of Christ.” We are warned not to become “traditionalists” (i.e., doing things the way churches of Christ have always done them), yet, are not being taught to be traditionalists of the apostolic sort. Without clearly distinguishing apostolic tradition from “the traditional way we do things in churches of Christ,” we run the definite risk of invalidating a God-revealed teaching or practice on no other basis except that we have traditionally done it. We become iconoclasts, intent on destroying every trace of so called “church of Christ tradition.” When the objective is to remove every tradition without regard to its source, trust in and commitment to absolute truth is diminished. Doubt in our ability to confidently know, teach, and obey truth occurs.  So that eventually our faith is defined the very way we warn against as “the way we have always done things.” We will start speaking of “our faith tradition” or “church of Christ tradition” (this language has already appeared). No, there is “one faith,” and it relies on a “thus saith the Lord” (Eph. 4:5).

If what we teach and do is just “our way of doing things,” then “who are we to expect it of others?” We will start objecting to the binding nature of Bible patterns and reject necessary inferences to know and follow truth (Lk. 12:54-57). Our interpretation of the Bible becomes the best we can answer when asked, “what is truth?” Bold gospel preaching will be replaced with the gospel of positivism, interpretive narratives, and various views of equal validity (2 Tim. 4:2-5). Eventually, we will never be so bold as to say we can know anything from the Bible with absolute certainty! (Even though Jesus said we can know and abide in truth, Jno. 8:31-32; Eph. 5:17; 2 Jno. 2, 4; 3 Jno. 3-4.)

Here are a few examples of things being called “church of Christ tradition” by some.

The five-step plan of salvation. Some bristle against “tradition” when we speak of the five steps of salvation. Yet, when we learn what one must do to be saved, five things are necessary: Hear (Jno. 6:44-45), believe (Jno. 8:24), confess faith (Rom. 10:9-10), repent of sins (Acts 17:30), and be baptized to be saved (Mk. 16:16). The apostles handed down this plan of salvation. A memory tool (like 5-steps) does not negate the validity of the Bible pattern. We absolutely know and teach the plan of salvation, not because it is “our tradition,” but because it is apostolic.

Three ways to establish Bible authority. The Bible shows God’s authority being revealed by means of 1) Divine commands or direct statements of Scripture (1 Cor. 14:37), 2) Apostolic approved examples (Phil. 4:9), and 3) Necessary inferences (Acts 20:7; cf. Exo. 20:8). These three were used by the apostles and prophets of Christ in Acts 15:7-21 to show that keeping the law of Moses was not necessary for salvation. The fact that brethren hand down these apostolic ways to establish Bible authority does not mean they originated with the church of Christ. It is not simply “church of Christ tradition,” it is the way God’s people defined and applied Bible authority under apostolic direction. We confidently teach this truth about Bible authority because it is apostolic, not church, tradition (Col. 3:17; Matt. 28:20).

Gospel invitations. How can preaching that does not include calling sinners to salvation be gospel preaching? When Christ preached the gospel He preached liberty from sin, and He invited sinners to come to Him for it (Luke 4:17-21; Matt. 11:28-30). His apostles preached in the same manner (Acts 2:21, 36-40; 3:19; 13:38-43). It is not a “church of Christ” tradition to encourage sinners to respond to the gospel call, it is the essence of apostolic gospel preaching. How does one “make disciples” (teach) without inviting, encouraging, and persuading sinners to obey the gospel (Matt. 28:19; Acts 8:35-37)? Let us not overlook the apostolic tradition that calls on sinners to respond to the gospel. When sinners hear they are sinners, they must also hear what to do to be saved. That is apostolic tradition.

Singing only as our worship music. Is this apostolic or church of Christ tradition? When we sing, we follow what the apostles revealed and handed down (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). Centuries later, men added playing as their tradition.

We must not hold and demand human traditions as the standard by which to determine faithfulness to the Lord. And, we must not undermine apostolic truth by automatically calling what is handed down from them to us as “church of Christ tradition” (2 Thess. 2:15).