Everybody has traditions. Tamales on Christmas Eve. The same seat every Sunday. Most are good, harmless, even precious. The problem starts when a tradition picks up authority and sits next to the Bible as its equal.

Paul was zealous for the traditions of his fathers. His world had two camps. One added to the Word. The other cut pieces out of it. And Jesus answered both of them the same way. He opened the Scriptures.

When tradition and God's Word disagree, which one wins?

1. The Source. Paul's gospel didn't come from tradition at all. It came by revelation of Jesus Christ.
2. The Fence. The Pharisees added to the Word until the fence became the law.
3. The Scissors. The Sadducees threw out the tradition and lost the Word anyway, by cutting.
4. The Sword. Tradition trained Saul's conscience and put a sword in his hand.

Tradition is what's handed down. Scripture is what God handed over. When the two disagree, the Word wins. Every time. Nothing added. Nothing taken away.

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