I will agree with this.
However, Jesus evidently intended on establishing a church (Matthew 16:18), and whether the church should believe only in the Bible or not is the real issue here. Paul commended the Corinthians for listening maintaining the traditions he gave them, and told the Thessalonians to do the same (1 Corinthians 11:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 3:6). So, when the scriptures hint that there is more to Christianity than just the scriptures, what are we to do?
Interestingly, some words of Jesus found their way into the Bible, not directly, but through a quote from a non-Biblical source (Acts 20:35).
It must be remembered that the writing of the books comprising the New Testament was not completed until about 70 years after Christ’s death, and that Testament’s canon was not established until the 4th century. We wouldn’t even have names for the gospel writers if it wasn’t for tradition.
Believing in the bible isn’t a real issue, it’s what a person, groups of people, or in this case, a church wants to agree as what place the bible has in their own agendas. The usual case of men seeking the right to judge what is good for themselves.
Jesus being the Word of God in the Son of man supercedes the law or “Torah” because He being the Word of God, that is LORD, gave the law to Moses. But if what Jesus did and said was contrary to the Torah then He wouldn’t have been the Christ we now believe in, because the Torah is a witness to who and what He is, and is of the same. If the scriptures come by man’s relationship with God through His Word then if Jesus comes then it’s a fulfillment of what God has already said and this case what the Lord has already said. Hence He said and did.
Therefore since a Christian is to have fulfillment of the Life Christ has and has granted us, it would have to be according to the same as Jesus the Christ which is the fulfillment of what He said to men He entrusted.
As far as tradition, I do believe the Lord Jesus gave the authorities greif over that subject: Mt:15:2: Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
Mt:15:3: But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
Mt:15:6: And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
Mk:7:3: For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
Mk:7:5: Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
Mk:7:8: For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
Mk:7:9: And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Mk:7:13: Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
Also I would point out:
23: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
This not to go on about the Catholic church is this or that or something like that, it’s to point out what value tradition has in the sight and Judgement of the Lord. If one’s comfort is to practice as and be a Catholic or Mormon or any other denomination with their own traditions fine, but the Lord warns that those traditions have no bearing on what He says. No matter your own habit and traditions and doings, one cannot change what the bible says or means because it is intended for the proving of such things. So that they are not contrary to the Ways of the Lord.
So if you are looking to justify tradition forget it. Beside what is tradition but more rules to follow, and what is the effectiveness of a tradition unless a group of people like maybe a nation agrees to do a certain thing in the same circumstances. Like fireworks on the fourth of July, or a star or angel on top of a Christmas tree? And who maintains tradition, and according to whose memory? So it’s a rule depending on its importance followed and taught, according to who is entrusted with the accuracy of that same rule. Until someone writes in down and it is maintained that way.
And back then before beginning of the catholic church, how would one verify that some one was peaching and teaching the fulfillment of God’s Word in Christ? Could it have been signs and wonders? Could it have been copies of the Torah and other documents that are now OT? Maybe similar to the days of the Book of Judges.
