Pastor Matt Pierson
The Heart of the Matter: Kingdom Faith or Mere Tradition?
- Jesus doesn’t want us to confuse the traditions of men with the Word of God.
- Jesus wants us to understand the importance of the condition of our own hearts.
“Sanctification (becoming holy), then, is essentially an affirmation of life. The whole purpose of the Christian life is the recovery of the original image of God – in other words, the recovery of the kind of human experience which God intended Adam and Eve to have before the fall.” – Ranald Macauley & Jerram Barrs, Being Human
“It is this totally different attitude to worship that separates the Pharisees from Jesus. Both believed in the prior grace of God. But the Pharisees’ response to this was a passion for detailed precision in worship. For Jesus it meant loving obedience, resulting in an intimate relationship with God, whom he called Abba, ‘dear daddy.’ For the Pharisees it was possible to honor God if the services were properly rendered. For Jesus it was impossible unless people’s hearts were turned to God. Let us not persuade ourselves that this attitude to worship, which characterizes the Pharisees, died in the first century. It is alive and well in many a parish church and chapel.” – Michael Green, The Bible Speaks Today
“Tradition is the living faith of those now dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living.” – Jaroslav Pelikan, The Vindication of Tradition
“Unless the heart is right, holiness is impossible. Without love for God, the quest for holiness becomes legalistic. It substitutes human tradition for God’s law and substitutes human effort for God’s grace.” – Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew, Volume 2
“The heart is the principal thing in the relation of husband and wife, of friend and friend, of parent and child. The heart must be the principal point to which we attend in all the relations between God and our souls. What is the first thing we need in order to be Christians? A new heart. What is the sacrifice God asks us to bring to Him? A broken and contrite heart [Psalm 51:17]. What is the true circumcision? The circumcision of the heart [Romans 2:29]. What is genuine obedience? To obey from the heart.” – J.C. Ryle
“Religion says, ‘I obey; therefore I am accepted.’ Christianity says, ‘I am accepted, therefore I obey.’” – Tim Keller