Traditions And Faith - What Does Christ Teach About Traditions

Galatians 1:8 - But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema. 

Protestant Christian Understanding: That the Roman Catholic Church has done just this with Papacy, Mary etc …  Tradition cannot change the Word of God. Paul said, "Though an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached, let him be accursed."

Catholic Christian Understanding: Mathew 16, Luke 22 and John 21 are exactly what the bible taught on the Papacy.  The Catholic teaching on the Papacy is biblical as proven in the answers previous to this one.  The Papacy and Mary are absolutely biblical and are also taught in the bible itself.  

It is agreed that Tradition cannot change the Word of God, that is fact.  However, the bible itself flatly contradicts that "sola scriptura" is biblical. Sola Scriptura itself is an example of a Tradition of man.  Jesus said in Matthew 15 to Pharisees, "You make know the Word of God for the sake of your merely human traditions."  Catholics totally agree with that.  BUT there is a positive Apostolic tradition which Christ intended to be carried on to the end of time.  The traditions are of man was what he condemned and what Peter released the Christians from in the Old Law. 

Apostolic tradition can be found when Paul praises the Corinthians 1 11:2 for tradition and says "I commend you for maintaining the traditions and what I have taught you."  Again, not all tradition is wrong, just man-made tradition that is not inspired by God is wrong.  Paul in 2nd Thessalonians 2 where he says, "hold fast to all traditions by mouth or by letter."  Paul specifically mentions "mouth" and "letter" meaning what they heard through tradition and what they read through letters.  

Technically the bible itself is a tradition, if you are against tradition then you are equally against the bible.  Even the word bible itself means "something handed on" from the Latin verb.  The Word of God came in spoken form to all in the old testament and the bible never existed.  The bible did't exist as we know it today in the new testament until hundreds of years after Christ's death, so what happened to all those people who didn't have it during that time if the Bible is the only guide to salvation?  God taught in many forms, not just writing down, although that was part of it.  Christ said "by my words you will be vindicated and by my words you will be condemned."

In fact, John the Apostle completely contradicts sola scriptura when he says twice in the Gospel John 20:31 and in John 21:25, "There are many other things that Jesus said and did that I have not written down here.  I have written enough to show He is the Christ, Son of the living God, but if I wrote it all down, the world couldn't hold the books."  In these verses John clearly shows that he prefers the oral tradition more than written.  Another example would be in 2nd John 12, "I have more things to teach you, but I do not wish to do it with pen and ink.  He says I hope to come to see you so we can talk face to face so that our joy may be complete.  And again he makes the same point in 3rd John 13,  "I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink, I hope to see you soon and we will talk together face to face."

Paul preached much more than he wrote and it was said that all he taught could not have been written down and even Paul says in Romans 10:17, "Faith comes by HEARING the Word of God.  I thank you that you received our preaching as the Word of God."

The whole idea that everything we need is in written form is contradicted by the bible itself, thus making it unbiblical.  Paul himself rejects the idea that Tradition is bad or is not supposed to be used.  He said "HOLD FAST the tradition you have gotten by letter and have heard."  

The OUR FATHER prayer is a tradition, no question.  Does that mean we should not pray as Christ instructed us to pray?  That is exactly what this objection would be suggesting.  

Another great example of how we all have accepted a teaching of Christ through tradition is the teaching we accept that He gave to the Apostles, " It is more blessed to give than to receive."  This is a concept that we all, as Christians, adopt and all agree are the words and teaching of Christ.  But it is found absolutely no where in the bible itself, yet Paul reflected it and taught it as Christ instructed.