Nullify the Word of God

The word tradition has many definitions. The accepted definition is "the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice." Christian theology defines tradition as "a body of teachings, or any one of them held to have been delivered by Christ and His apostles but not originally committed to writing." It is this end of the theological definition that strikes me the most. It says, "but not originally committed to writing." Christians have a habit of creating traditions that have little to no basis in the Bible. When a person challenges these traditions, they can be met with a dismissive attitude rather than one of love, which results in reasoning from the scriptures like Bereans. A couple of these subjects are the sovereignty of God and Mary, the "mother of God."

God's Sovereignty

Everyone agrees that God has ultimate power and authority over His creation. However, to what degree does God extend His authority and power? A widely held belief is that "everything that happens is, at the very least, the result of God's permissive will." Once people accept this definition of God's sovereignty, the problems begin. If everything that happens is the result of God's will, then we end up making God responsible for all that occurs in the world. Can we blame God for every natural disaster, all acts of violence, each problem, and crisis suffered by all 7.8 Billion people on earth? Where do God's "permissive will" end and our individual responsibility begin? God not only loses His claim to be a righteous, kind, and loving God, but He now becomes responsible for evil and the author of confusion. When everything is God's fault, nothing is humanities doing. In my opinion, God can know and control everything but chooses not to exercise that ability all the time for reasons that are His own. One of those reasons, I believe, is so He can enjoy having a relationship with His people, which I think are seen in scriptures like Genesis 2:19 and Genesis 18:20-21, to name a couple. 

Pastor Aaron Budjen was asked about his perspective on the topic of the sovereignty of God. "There isn't really that much to say," Budjen began. "And I know that is going to sound really disappointing. Especially because the subject of the sovereignty of God, for a lot of people, is a huge subject ... The belief that people have concerning the sovereignty of God, and I have a belief that God is sovereign, [centers around] what does that mean? ... We need to have a total definition of that. Most people are saying that according to the sovereignty of God, God is in control of absolutely everything to the extent that there is no maverick molecule in the universe. I say that the sovereignty of God is such that God has control over what He wants to have control over. And there is a lot that I can tell that He is not asserting control over." We do not know how God decides what He controls and what He does not. We do not know the criteria He uses to determine when to intervene in our lives. God has not revealed enough about His sovereignty for us to come to the conclusions about it that we would like to have. If His "permissive will" is to control everything, then we have problems explaining His love, free will, personal responsibility, and so much more. 

The Mother of God

In a Christian forum, a series of questions were asked. Those questions were, "Is there salvation without Mary?" "Is she the mother of our salvation?" Is she "our hope?" The answers are yes, no, and no, respectively. However, to give a more thoughtful response, I replied with, "And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior (Luke 1:46)." If Mary is the "mother of our salvation," she would not have admitted her need for a Savior." Without delay, this triggered the response of someone who believes that the answer to all those questions is no, yes, and yes. When they responded to me, they added one more statement, which was that Mary is the "mother of God." The reasoning is that since Jesus Christ is God and Mary is His mother, she is the Mother of God. The Bible does not support this logic. But, it is supported by religious dogma. Religious dogma often overrides biblical truth. There is no problem with having a disagreement about scripture, but how much of the Bible is undermined in defending dogmatic beliefs. 

Regarding Mary being the mother of God, here is part of my answer. "She is not the mother of God. Jesus was God before Mary gave birth (i.e., John 8:58). If she is the mother of God, then she is greater than God. If she is the mother of God, who was it that impregnated her? Did she make herself pregnant? Why did God have to send an angel to tell her she was pregnant? She should have already known. If she is the mother of God, why did Jesus say, "The Father and I are One (John 10:30)?" Why didn't Jesus include Mary? Why isn't Mary mentioned when the scriptures talk about God as Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit? How come Jesus said, "I only speak what the Father tells me to speak (John 12:50)?" He didn't mention Mary. I could go on. Jesus also said, "Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters (Mark 7:13)." Obviously, traditions are more important than the word of God."

When it comes to traditions, whether it be the traditional belief about the sovereignty of God or the religious tradition that Mary is the mother of God, the word of God is nullified by the handing down of these traditions. We have to address these conflicts as more than just differences of opinion or the variance in the interpretation of the Bible. When traditional beliefs undermine the clear teaching of scripture, they become enemies of the Gospel and biblical truth. We must nullify the traditions if they hinder us from handing down the Word of God. 

Blurred Vision

"So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs." Exodus 7:10-12

The news report reads, "Glen Thorman, fire chief for East Jordan, Mich., claims a motion sensor camera captured an image of what appears to be an angel floating above his truck ..." The report quotes one individual as saying, "You can kind of clearly see what looks, or could be interpreted as, wings and a head, but at the same time since it’s not clearly in focus and since it is what it is, there may be room for interpretation.” It is difficult to make out what is in the photo because the image photographed is out of focus. But, it has the appearance of what most people believe angels look like; a figure dressed in white with a pair of white wings. Another news story talks about the 101st anniversary of what has come to be known as "Our Lady of Fatima" or the "Miracle of the Sun." The story begins, "Mary appeared to three peasant children near Fatima, Portugal, six times between May 13 and Oct. 13, 1917, and asked for prayers for world peace and an end to World War I, for sinners and for the conversion of Russia." Visions of Mary are called Marian Apparitions. The apparitions have happened numerous times over the years in both public and private situations. As one article puts it, "Apparitions of Mary are held as evidence of her continuing active presence in the life of the Church, through which she "cares for the brethren of her son who still journey on earth." Last, but not least are those that claim to have seen visions of Jesus Christ. Aside from the biblical accounts of people having real encounters with Jesus or those who claim to have seen Him during their salvation experience, there are others that seem to stretch the imagination, to say the least. A recent article on this subject starts out by saying, "The image of Jesus has been seen in potato chips, bananas, french toast and now the flames of Fargo." Yes, it says potato chips, bananas, french toast and now inside flames. While these seem outrageous, they are, in fact, true stories. If you want a more serious example of what some believe to be an image of Jesus, we have the Shroud of Turin. According to the website of the same name, "The Shroud of Turin is a centuries old linen cloth that bears the image of a crucified man. A man that millions believe to be Jesus of Nazareth." As of 2010, there were an estimated 2.2 billion Christians worldwide. I am sure most of us would claim to believe in the existence of angels, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and, of course, Jesus Christ Himself. While I do not doubt that the people in these stories believe what they saw, there is one question that bears answering; "How do they know what angels, Mary and Jesus looked like in order to claim they saw them?"

While there are some details given as to what angels looked like, there are no details of what Mary and Jesus looked like other than a general description of Jesus given in Isaiah 53:2; "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.” When it comes to angels, one must first realize that angels are spirit beings. They do not have any specific physical form. But, when they do take a physical form, it varies as to what characteristics they take. Some take human form (Genesis 18:1-19; Joshua 5:13-14; Mark 16:5). Other times they appeared in a fashion similar to the apparent angel photographed above the gentleman's truck, with one major difference; they were terrifying in there appearance. They would announce themselves with "Do not be afraid (Luke 2:10)." When the Angel of the Lord rolled back the stone at the tomb of Jesus, "The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men (Matthew 28:4)." There are angels described as having human-like features; faces, hands, feet. But, they are also described as having six wings (Isaiah 6:1-2), instead of the two-winged versions that are common in most supposed "appearances." As for Mary, there are no descriptions of her physical appearance. We only know she was "highly favored (Luke 1:28)." But, that is a description of how she was seen in the eyes of God, not what she physically looked like. As for the description of Jesus given from Isaiah 53:2, this is a general description stating that there was nothing special about His appearance, but not any specific characteristics about it. My point in saying all of this is that since we don't know what angels, Mary or Jesus looked like, we cannot say that what people claim to see is real. In fact, in many of these cases, the images people claim to see are eerily similar to the classical, man-made depictions we have come to appreciate from art and literature. This makes me suspicious as to whether these appearances are of the Lord if they even happened at all. What we need to caution ourselves against is automatically believing that something we believe to be supernatural is of God. It could be of the god of this age; the devil. We read in Exodus where Aaron threw his staff on the ground in front of Moses and it turned into a snake, as God said. Yet, we also see Pharoah's magicians who did the same thing using their "secret arts." They also duplicated the Plague of Blood as well (Exodus 7:22). The devil also has angels; more commonly known as demons. Remember the devil is known as the father of lies (John 8:44), he deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9), masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) and had one-third of the angels follow him in his rebellion against God (Revelation 12:4). The devil uses all his ability to keep people from the truth of God and believing his lies. Therefore, be wary of any supernatural event you witness because while it may be from the Lord, it may actually be from the enemy trying to keep you trapped in error you don't even know you are in bondage to.

Sitting at the Lord's Feet

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”" Luke 10:38-42

To sit at the feet of someone is to be in a position of devotion or worship or to pay homage to or be reverential to them. When Jesus arrived at the home of Martha, we read where her sister, Mary, "sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said." You would think that everybody would be like Mary and worship the Lord; hanging on every word He spoke. Yet, there is Martha working away "distracted by all the preparations that had to be made" and being upset that Mary wasn't helping her. She was so upset that she was looking for Jesus to support her in her frustration to the point that she snapped at Him for not caring that she was working so hard. What did He say to her in response? "You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed -- or indeed only one." In other words, the important thing is to do what Mary was doing and focus on Jesus; worshiping Him, devoting time to Him, paying homage to Him and listening to what He has to say. This brief interaction between Martha, Mary and Jesus is a perfect picture of the contrast between law and grace, the Old Covenant and the New Covenant and between works and rest. Martha is an example of the Old Covenant; focused on works, judging others who are deemed to not be working as hard as she is, being bitter and angry and all the while missing out on what God has to say. Mary, in contrast, is an example of the New Covenant; resting from works, being available to the Lord and what He is saying to you and, unfortunately, being criticized by your brethren for doing so. There are those that have been left busy and barren by the Christian life. As one Christian author put it, "But, straying from Christ Himself as our life, we have no other option than to substitute furious activity and service.  It has gotten to the point where to be a member of many churches today, you don't need to pass a doctrinal exam; you need to pass a physical!" Martha was so busy focusing on tasks she felt needed to be done that she was completely missing out on cultivating her relationship with the Lord. In fact, it was Jesus who would many times say things to His followers that instructed them to focus on Him and not whatever worldly tasks needed completing.  "For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me (Matthew 26:11)." "Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God (Luke 9:60) .” "As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow Me, Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” And at once they left their nets and followed Him.…(Mark 1:16-18)." These are all examples where Jesus reminded us to focus on Him and not the current tasks we are performing.

When it comes to the modern Christian experience, how often are religious activities deemed to be the main focus of the Christian life? The "right things" to be engaged in are things like your church commitment; being at church Sunday morning, Sunday night, Monday night for visitation, Wednesday night service, plus other times for innumerable committee meetings.  Even things that you may want to do become burdens because they are cast as tasks to do rather than things you want to do; extensive Bible Study, memorizing hundreds of Scriptures, witnessing to everybody you meet, praying for everyone and everything, etc. Jesus is exalted and you are exhausted. Then you have to submit yourself to the Martha's of the world; fruit inspectors and members of "accountability" groups who make sure you are keeping up with all your responsibilities, tasks and promises. And if they deem your effort to be inadequate, judgment will soon follow. You literally want to tell them to, "Get off my back and sit down!" In Romans 12:1, it says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." Our "true and proper worship" is to offer our bodies as a "living sacrifice." In other words, we are to make ourselves available to the Lord to live His life in and through us as He sees fit to do it. This sounds a lot like Mary "sitting at the Lord's feet" listening to what He says. When you are resting from your works and getting to know Jesus, who you are through faith in Him and allowing Him to direct you, guess what happens? All those things the Martha's of the world criticize you for not doing will get done anyway. Instead of a Christian life of works where you are focused on doing things for God, you will begin to want to do those things because of God! As you bear the fruit of the Spirit the Lord produces in and through you the by-product will be to study the Bible more, memorizing Scriptures, witnessing to others, praying more and wanting to fellowship with like-minded believers (i.e. church activities). And you will begin to understand what Jesus meant when He told Martha, "Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." It is better to focus on Jesus instead of works because what you learn directly from God about Him, your identity in Christ and your relationship with God will not be taken away from you. The love of God, His forgiveness, His indwelling life and your inheritance in Christ is yours for eternity and can never be taken away. And this all begins when you rest from your works and sit down at the feet of the Lord. "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.  (Hebrews 4:9-11)." Do not follow the example of Martha. Be like Mary and rest.

Blessed Art Thou Amongst Women

A novena is an act of religious pious devotion originating in ancient Christianity, often consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days in belief of obtaining special intercessory graces. I was recently made aware of a religious tradition called, "The Novena of the Virgin Mary of Fatima." Apparently, one is to pray a "Hail Mary" and upon completion of this make a request. Now, I am well aware of making our requests to God, but have never heard of making requests to Mary. But, when one understands the words of the "Hail Mary," you can see why this is done. Within the words of the "Hail Mary" you will find these words; "Holy Mary, Mother of God." Yes, Mary is considered to be the Mother of God! Therefore, why wouldn't somebody who believes this make requests to her? However, anybody who understands the Bible knows that this idea that Mary is the mother of God is pure blasphemy. Of course, the argument would go, "Well, Jesus is God and Mary is His mother, hence she is the Mother of God." However, there are more than a few things wrong with this. First of all Mary was a regular human being just like the rest of us. In fact, it was Mary, herself, that recognized her need for a savior. "And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant (Luke 1:46-48)."" Mary says her spirit rejoiced in God her Savior! If she is the mother of God, then why does she need a savior? Next, she refers to herself as God's servant. If she is the "mother of God" wouldn't the roles be reversed; wouldn't God be her servant? In fact, she would be a god if she could give birth to one! However, scripture is clear; God has no beginning and no end. "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (Psalm 90:2)." Also, "God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see (1 Timothy 6:15-16)." Everlasting means that which endures forever; either that which has no beginning and will have no end. Furthermore, to say something is immortal means that something is literally incorruptible. Therefore, something that has no beginning, no end, endures forever and is incorruptible can only be attributed to God and definitely does not need saving. Mary is neither God nor His mother.

The second Person of the Trinity, Jesus, did have a beginning to His earthly ministry when he was conceived in Mary’s womb and was born, but from eternity past He had always been the Son of God. So what happened when Jesus decided to leave heaven and become a man? "Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being (Philippians 2:6-7)." Some translations say that Jesus "became nothing" when he became a human being. This gives us more insight as to why Mary was humbled by the task God had blessed her with. We are nothing compared to God, yet He chose to become like one of us and used Mary as His earthly vessel. Mary was the mother of Jesus, not the mother of God. As one author puts it, "A mother by definition precedes her child and at some point is more powerful than her child. So to call Mary the “mother of God” gives the misleading implication that Mary preceded and at one time was more powerful than the Lord God Almighty." It is well within reason to believe that an almighty God could become a human and go through the process necessary to be born from a woman, enter this world as a baby and grow up in this world. His ability to do that does not make the woman He chooses to be His vessel for that process His mother much less someone to pray to in order to get our requests granted. It is interesting that God seems to have already answered the question about who we make our requests to; we make our requests known to Him and Him alone, not Mary or any other created being. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6)." It is not biblical to say that Mary was the Mother of God or to make requests to her. The sad and scary part about all of this is the thought of what else does someone believe about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation and the Christian life who thinks Mary is God's mother and someone to pray to? Are they even Christian? After all, this novena is a tradition and it was Jesus who said to the Pharisees, "Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that (Mark 7:13)." I believe it is safe to say that many of the Pharisees missed out on an eternity with God because they chose their traditions over their Messiah. Do not be guilty of the same eternal mistake just to hold on to your traditions.