1 Corinthians 11:2

Scripture: 1 Cor. 11:2 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.

Teaching: Even though the modern day organizers of the Bible tend to break this verse from verse 1 to start a new section, Paul actually has not changed topics from chapter 10 (and, the chapters and verses were not originally in the letter when Paul wrote it — they were added much later). Paul is still speaking on Christian liberty, and as he has instructed the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ, Paul now commends the Corinthians for what they are doing well in this endeavor (before he gives a couple examples of what they need to correct later in this section). 

Paul commends the Corinthians for holding to the traditions that he delivered to them. If you’re reading this as a Protestant, your senses might have just been alerted. It’s true, that great error in the Church came from blindly following tradition rather than the Lord, which was part of why the Reformation occurred. But, tradition itself is not a bad thing — it can be good and helpful if it is aligned with God’s Word. It can help in spiritual formation and sanctification; it can edify one’s belief in physical and real ways. Traditions like baptism, the Lord’s Supper, singing praise and worship to the Lord, gathering together, and breaking bread together (Acts 2:42) are good traditions. These are traditions because they offer some flexibility in their applications. Baptism must be full immersion, but one can be baptized in a river, a pool, a tub, or any other form of water. The breaking of bread in fellowship doesn’t literally have to be bread. The Lord’s Supper makes no distinction on what form the bread and pressed grapes takes. 

Here’s the key to observing tradition: if how we observe the tradition changes the message from Scripture, then it has strayed from its purpose. In all things, we should be submitting to the Lord and honoring the things His Word has instructed us to do in the ways He has said to do them. Paul commended the Corinthians for how they had clung to the traditions he gave them from God’s Word. 

Teaching: Tradition can be a four-letter word to some Christians, but in reality, there are traditions that are Christ-honoring because His Word calls for them. That is the key distinction — that we do the things Christ called us to do in the ways He called us to do them, and not add to it or put our own spin on things. Thus, honoring tradition in the proper ways is an endeavor rooted in proper Scriptural interpretation. The Church isn’t a place of tradition, it is the house of God; a place where worship of the Lord is its purpose. Insofar as tradition honors and obeys the Word of God, Christians engage in it. It is worth spending time reflecting on the traditions we engage in to see if they are obedient to Christ; to do this, one must dig deep into Scripture, which is a blessing in itself.