In the last issue of this article I introduced the idea of TRADITION. The big question that must be answered is: What is SACRED TRADITION? As I shared, Tradition is not CUSTOMS.

Before introducing a definition for TRADITION, I would like to share what it is not. It is not unbiblical, nor is it the same as customs. It is not man-made, nor is it a body of teaching distinct from the Scriptures.

The basic meaning of TRADITION is revealed within the Church, for, in its essence, TRADITION is the living experience and witness of the Spirit among God’s people. Two things are necessary for TRADITION to be truly TRADITION: (1) the true presence and leadership of the Holy Spirit, and (2) the Body of Christ, that is the CHURCH – the vessel of the Spirit. TRADITION is ultimately a continuity of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church; it is the presence of God in the Church giving it guidance and illumination.

This view demands our attentiveness to the Spirit’s voice within the shared consensus and agreement of brethren who have gone before us. This is why it is so very important to take into consideration what the Fathers and Mothers of the Church thought and believed. To ignore their testimony would be to ignore the ministry of the Holy Spirit in their midst. TRADITION can be heard by anyone in whom Christ’s Spirit abides, but a person with such a sensitivity would desire to identify with the Spirit’s working among others as well. The spiritual man or woman is not an isolated individual, for the Body of Christ (Church) is not one member but many. Only as we recognize that our union with Christ also means a recognition of our union with His members can we be complete and true Christians. To borrow Paul’s phrase to the Corinthians on this point, we cannot say to the Spirit-led Christians of the past “I have no need of you.” To do so would be to forfeit much of the spiritual blessing and wisdom the Spirit would have us enjoy.

This is why our Church, together with the Catholic and Orthodox Churches and a few other Christian Churches, say that the Scriptures cannot be the only rule to guide us. TRADITION, which shares how the CHURCH has, over the centuries, understood the Scriptures is very important. Our Church looks to the Fathers as one source to truly understand Scriptures.