On the Issue of Church Traditions

By Tang You-zhi

To different people, faith imparts different feelings and interpretations, which are not necessarily consistent. Some people are willing to accept Biblical truth and believe in Jesus Christ, but they may not agree with the organizational structure or the worship rituals of the church. They felt that these are influenced by many human factors and there is no need to follow them.

The tradition of church rituals

Rituals have to do with tradition. Due to the long history of Christianity in the West, there exist many traditions in the church. Not all traditions are based on the Bible, but all were influenced by the prevailing culture. Whether or not one should honor these traditions often becomes the focus of heated discussions. Indeed, the apostle Paul had felt the need to bring up these issues for discussion and to provide guidance.

In his letter to the church in Colossi, Paul admonished, "See to it that no-one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ..." This was a phenomenon in the early churches, where there were a lot of Jewish Christians. These Jews retained the traditions of their Hebrew religion, which to them were habitual and it was only natural for them to follow. However, they were also living in a Greek and Roman world, and their minds were more or less influenced by the prevailing culture. Some paradoxical logics from the Greek philosophy were what Paul described as "hollow and deceptive philosophy". These logics did not provide any help, but rather a hindrance to one's faith by confusing the believers. Furthermore, many church practices were "human traditions", which were not worthy of strict obedience. For example, to the Jews circumcision was so natural and so fully justified, that when a Gentile became a Christian he had to undergo circumcision. But superficial rituals perform by man on the outside were useless and ridiculous. What truly frees us from the desires of the flesh is our experience of salvation through Jesus Christ; to die with Him, to be buried with Him, and to be resurrected with Him. The appearance and substance of our new life is what is valuable. To the today's believers, the issue of baptism may be subject to discussion. When one believes in Christ, one must be baptized into the church; while this was the Bible's requirement, its true meaning is worth our investigation. We are neither Jewish nor Westerners. We believe in Jesus Christ, not a foreign religion, and we need not practice in accordance to Western traditions.

Baptism is an external ritual. Since it is external, how can it influence our inward life? And since it is a ritual, there can be different forms and methods, as there is no absolute standard.

Baptism uses water, which can only wash away external dirt. How can it deal with the dirt of sin, which is internal? In church history, some churches regard the ritual as a "sacrament"; that is, the water was sanctified through blessing, and actually possesses the power to cleanse away sin. The cup and bread used in Holy Communion were turned into the Lord's blood and flesh after blessing. In a Catholic church, the father breaks and distributes the bread but keeps the cup for himself only, so that the Lord's blood will not be spilled and wasted. Certainly, these doctrines were incorrect. The Christian churches with correct faith treat both baptism and Holy Communion as ordinances. This implies that the ordinance was sanctified, but the substances used do not undergo any transformation. Some called Holy Communion "the Lord's supper", or "the breaking of bread", which symbolizes the ritual with spiritual meaning to help one meditate its inner significance.

Perhaps you will question the necessity of such rituals because they are just symbolic anyway. However, human nature requires something tangible to touch or to take from which inward feelings can be developed; over time, it becomes a tradition. The Lord Jesus set up the last supper so that His disciples can remember Him. It is therefore not sufficient to just imagine the supper; the ritual supper must be held repeatedly, such as weekly, monthly, or quarterly, so that believers may always remember Him.

As for baptism, it is not something performed repeatedly on individual believers, but rather a ceremony performed when one joins the church. Is this really necessary? In truth the requirement is not absolute. When Jesus our Lord was crucified, two robbers were also crucified along side with Him. One robber mocked Jesus, but the other responded to Jesus' love and repented. He asked Jesus to accept him into His kingdom. Jesus told him, "Today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43) Obviously, this robber was never baptized.

The Salvation Army does not have the rituals of baptism and Holy Communion. When new members believe in the Lord, they take an oath under a symbolic flag. This is another ritual, a tradition; not a mistake that deserves criticism.

With such background, why do most churches still adopt baptism by water? The answer is that our Lord acknowledged this tradition. Besides, He set an example Himself by being baptized by John the Baptist, so that we can follow.

Baptism started out as a religious ritual for the Jews. There was a prophet John the Baptist who preached the need of repentance, and he called for baptism as a way to express one's determination to repent. Jesus also received baptism from him. John knew very well that Jesus did not need to repent, as He was without sin. In addition, he was also aware that Jesus is the Messiah coming to the world as the lamb of atonement, to be sacrificed in order to pay for the sins of the world. Thus Jesus was greater than him; how inappropriate would it be for him to baptize Jesus?

Jesus stated His purpose very clearly. He wanted to be baptized in order that He might fulfill all righteousness. Jesus regarded baptism not just as a formality, but that it possessed profound spiritual significance. According to Jesus, there is no righteousness among men; it can only be given by God through grace. Righteousness refers to one's position and standing; no longer a sinner, but is justified. Righteousness is also deeds and testimonies; virtuous nature and good deeds can illuminate like light. Matt. 5:16 stated, "let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." When these two aspects are coupled with ritualistic expression, we see that Jesus was talking about ritualistic righteousness. We can discern, therefore, that Jesus received baptism because He wanted to be identified with the people of this world; that is, sinner.

Two other points deserve further discussion. First, He came out of water after He was baptized. So it was likely that His whole body was immersed in water. Therefore baptismal immersion became a tradition for some churches. Secondly, His baptism signified His initiation into priesthood. Following His baptism, there was a voice coming from heaven that confirmed His obedience to God: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." (Luke 3:22).

As for the ritualistic aspect, baptism seems to gain more significance through immersion than any other form. According to the apostle Paul, who said in Romans 6:5: "if we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." When Paul discussed baptism, he wanted the believers to realize that Jesus received baptism to identify Himself with sinners. We as believers ought to follow Him, identify with Him, and unite with Him in order to fulfill the purpose of the baptismal ritual. Immersion symbolizes death with the Lord and burial with the Lord; coming out of water symbolizes resurrection with the Lord, and gain a new life.

When one believes in the Lord, one has to demonstrate one's experience in salvation and forgiven sin by baptism. With this step, the church then accepts the person to become a member of the body of Christ, to join the church as an organization, and to become part of the spiritual entity. Believers must lead a spiritual life related with the church. Such is the second stage as stated in the Great Commission given to us by our Lord (Matthew 26:19).

According to tradition, therefore, baptism comes first followed by Holy Communion. It does not mean that the church wants to keep communion away from believers who have not been baptized. In church history, there were Anabaptists who claimed that some people did not know for sure if they were saved at the time of baptism, and that they should always be sure that they believe before baptism. For the same reason, many churches adopt a similar approach by emphasizing "Believer's baptism". To keep things in proper order, the church puts a lot of emphasis on communion and qualifies communion participants through baptism. Baptism does not save people, in that regard it is symbolic. It is desirable to keep and maintain baptism as a valuable church tradition.

The tradition of church organization

Is it necessary to have church organization? To properly answer this question, we must start with the nature of the church. There are many definitions of the word church, of which one has a profound content: the church is the body of Christ. Paul stated several times in his epistles (Eph. 4:4, I Cor. 12:12) that the church is the body of Christ. He is the head and the believers are members of the body. The body's functions are multi-faceted, well coordinated, and interactive, so that it can move without hindrance.

Christ is the Word of God becoming flesh; His body was crucified, and three days later He was resurrected from death. Forty days later His resurrected body was taken up to Heaven. His body, the church, remained on earth. The church is the Word of God continuing to be flesh.

Why did the Word become flesh? The reason is that God wanted His Word to be real; a real flesh and blood body to be seen, heard, and touched. John the Baptist said: "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." (John 1:18). The Word of God is life; He is the origin of life, and the Lord of life. This life is manifested through His flesh.

The flesh is the organism of life, and organism must be expressed by organization. Such is the function of an organization, which cannot be ignored. On the one hand, this organization appeared to be managed by people; on the other hand, this organization is permitted by God. With organization and system comes order; with order comes harmony and unity. Otherwise, there would be chaos. This is the reason Paul admonished believers in the Corinthian church: "But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way." (I Corr. 14:40)

Paul talked about order in the context of spiritual gifts. Gifts come through the grace of God, given to individuals, who then perform various tasks such as worshipping the Lord and serving people. Gifts may vary from one to another, all believers have gifts given to them according to the will of God. All believers have some gifts, and yet none possesses all gifts. Therefore believers must humble themselves to work together, and trust each other like members of the same body. This way the various functions of a church may be carried out effectively and in an orderly fashion. The more we practice the gifts given by God, the more the church may grow and be prosperous. However, if we do not use the gifts, we will lose them. Thus a well-organized church with strong leadership will enable the church to develop and become effective in ministry, evangelism and caring.

Regarding leadership, is it a special class of privileged individuals who emerged from the church organization? Of course not. Leadership has to do with God's gifts. It is stated in Ephesians 4:11-12: "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." Here Paul was referring to building up full time ministers. Some are apostles who helped build up the early churches; some are prophets who deliver God's messages for their times; some specialize in evangelism; some are pastors in the church, caring for the believers' spiritual life and Biblical education, equipping believers to build up the church. The church is not just an organization; it is the Lord's body, a testimony to His life.

The leaders of the church are mainly pastors and deacons. Most of the pastors are full-time ministers while most of the deacons have jobs outside the church; they are called "tent-makers", or one who serves while carrying on an outside job. Broadly speaking, all believers are deacons because the word deacon originally means servant. Even ministers are also servants; he is only leading through serving. Every leader ought to have the mentality of a servant.

The organizational structure of the church has evolved through history. The church has deacons and elders. Above pastors there were bishops (overseers). Such hierarchy is by no means bureaucratic, but it is necessary for effective management. In fact the terms pastor, elder and bishop are synonyms to begin with (Cf. Acts 20:17, 26). Pastor is a gift (Ephesians 4:11); elder is for spirituality (I Peter 5:1-3), as an example for believers; and bishop refers to his office (I Tim. 3:1). Above all, a mature spiritual life is the most important.

Church organization is often related to its faith. Different churches put emphasis on different aspects of their faith. The basic doctrines are the same; however, due to different time, place and cultural factors, churches become denominations over time. From a historical perspective, denomination is a necessity with its strengths and weaknesses; the test of time forces them to improve as they evolve. We don't have to criticize denominations, rather we should learn from their strengths, encourage and even cooperate with each other. There is no room for competition among churches, only room for cooperation. The Lord's kingdom is greater than the denominations and churches combined. Therefore we must learn to tolerate and appreciate.

Epilog

Christianity is a historical religion; from the Hebrew history recorded in the Old Testament, to the first coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, a historical figure. It has been two thousand years since He was resurrected and the early churches were established. The older the history, the more frequent the changes, and the more her tradition become abundant and rich.

Some traditions have become unnecessary; and we should not continue to emphasize their importance and refuse to evolve. They are, like the apostle Paul stated, 'human traditions'. However, some traditions carry with them a deep spiritual significance that must be preserved. Breakthroughs must be built upon good foundations. Good traditions must be kept and manifested, as we should not deny their value.

Some believers remain critical about church traditions due to a lack of Christian background. Sometimes they bring up confused questions because of their particular historical environment or nationalistic sentiments.

However, our faith is not religion, but life. Life is mobile and dynamic. D. Bonhoeffer, the German theologian martyred for his stand against the Nazis, has promoted "the Religionless Christianity". His point is well taken. If we do an objective analysis on the continuity of tradition, we will not be influenced by the subjective mentality of post-modernism.

The author is a renowned pastor and writer among Chinese churches. He was once the president and professor of a seminary before his retirement.