TRADITION VERSUS TRUTH

A humorous quote concerning certain sections of the media came to my attention recently. It said, ‘Just because it didn’t happen doesn’t mean it’s not true’. With the object of selling newspapers or to keep up the ratings, some media outlets aren’t that concerned with the product they are selling. Whether the story is true or not is not the priority, it’s the selling of the product that is paramount. When it comes to religion, there are so many people who aren’t all that concerned with the veracity of what they believe as much as they are concerned with upholding the tradition of believing it, and the convenience it brings with it. A friend of my mother’s whom she once witnessed to, replied by saying, ‘I’m going to believe what my mother believed’. The priority for her is not to believe the truth but to believe what her mother believed the truth to be. Tradition has replaced truth. Convenience brings with it comfort, and in certain circumstances, a buffer zone between a person and reality. Fidelity to a relative’s beliefs or the beliefs of one’s cultural and racial traditions is what is important to the religious person. For some cultures, it is the very foundation of their race. Seeking the truth, and being determined to believe it come what may, is simply not popular and therefore not on the agenda. For many, believing the truth and accepting the ramifications that come with it, is so feared that they stubbornly hold to what they believe the truth to be, regardless of how clearly they are shown that what they believe is anything but the truth. Scriptural evidence and cold hard facts that cannot be denied are turned away from, and that religious comfort zone which millions today are most happy with, is all that is sought. Just as the Lord Jesus did not come to this world to bring peace but a sword, so too, the truth comes to disturb and unsettle and ultimately to utterly turn a person’s life upside down. God’s truth, God’s Gospel, is the truth that everyone needs. Once you have it and have been given the faith to believe it, all else is seen for what it really is and is subsequently rejected out of hand. The true believer’s sole comfort is His God and the truth about Him. Repent and believe the truth. Believe the Gospel and you will be saved.


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