1. Not Every Tradition Comes from God
How can we determine whether a religious tradition comes from God or was introduced by men?
This is an important question because not every tradition has the same authority. Some traditions come from the teaching of Jesus Christ and His Apostles, while others developed later in Christian history.
To distinguish between them, we must examine Sacred Scripture, the teachings of the early Church, and the historical origins of the beliefs and practices being handed down.
Jesus Christ established His Church and entrusted His teachings to the Apostles. After His Resurrection and Ascension, the Apostles continued His mission, preaching the Gospel, establishing Christian communities, and passing on the faith they had received from Christ.
The Catholic Church teaches that this apostolic faith has been handed down through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This raises an important question: If a Christian community was established centuries after the Apostles, how can we determine whether its teachings faithfully preserve the faith entrusted to them?
To answer this question, we must first understand what the Bible teaches about Apostolic Tradition and the authority Christ gave His Church.
2. The Bible Commands Christians to Hold Fast to Apostolic Tradition
Some Christians believe that only what is written in the Bible has authority and that religious traditions should be rejected. However, Sacred Scripture itself teaches that the Apostles transmitted the faith both orally and in writing.
Saint Paul writes:
“Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.”
— 2 Thessalonians 2:15 (NABRE)
Notice that Saint Paul mentions two ways the Apostles transmitted their teaching: through oral instruction and through written letters.
The Apostles did not communicate the Christian faith exclusively through written documents. They also preached, taught, instructed, and established Christian communities. Their oral teaching was an essential part of the transmission of the Gospel.
Saint Paul also instructs Timothy:
“And what you heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will have the ability to teach others as well.”
— 2 Timothy 2:2 (NABRE)
Here we see the transmission of the faith from one generation to another. Paul teaches Timothy, Timothy entrusts the teaching to faithful people, and they pass it on to others.
This illustrates the principle behind Apostolic Tradition: the faith is received, preserved, and transmitted rather than reinvented by each generation.
Of course, this does not mean that every religious custom introduced throughout history automatically possesses apostolic authority. Saint Paul was referring to the teachings he had entrusted to the faithful.
Therefore, the important question is not simply whether a tradition is old, popular, or religious. We must ask whether it faithfully preserves the teaching of Christ and His Apostles.
3. Jesus Christ Founded His Church
Jesus did not leave His disciples without guidance or establish a faith without a community entrusted with preserving and proclaiming it.
He declared to Saint Peter:
“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”
— Matthew 16:18 (NABRE)
Jesus promised to build His Church and declared that the gates of the netherworld would not prevail against it.
He also entrusted His Apostles with the mission of teaching all nations:
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.”
— Matthew 28:19 (NABRE)
He continued:
“Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
— Matthew 28:20 (NABRE)
The Apostles were entrusted with the responsibility of teaching what Christ had commanded, not inventing a different Gospel according to their own preferences.
The Catholic Church understands this mission as continuing through the Apostles’ successors, the bishops, in communion with the successor of Saint Peter, the Pope.
This is why apostolic succession is so important in Catholic teaching. It concerns the continuation of the apostolic ministry and the faithful transmission of the Gospel entrusted to the Church by Christ.
4. The Church Is the Pillar and Foundation of the Truth
Saint Paul gives us another important passage:
“But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.”
— 1 Timothy 3:15 (NABRE)
The Church is described as the “pillar and foundation of truth.”
This does not mean that the Church may invent new divine revelation or contradict the Gospel. Rather, the Church has been entrusted with preserving, proclaiming, and faithfully teaching the truth revealed by God.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are closely connected and communicate the one divine revelation entrusted to the Church.
Catholics therefore do not believe that the Christian faith began when the New Testament was written. The early Christians were already preaching the Gospel, celebrating the Eucharist, baptizing believers, and transmitting the teachings they had received from the Apostles.
The New Testament was written within the life of this early Christian community. The Apostles and their collaborators committed the Gospel to writing while the Church was already living and proclaiming the faith.
The question is not whether Christians should accept every tradition without examination. Rather, it is whether a teaching belongs to the faith entrusted by Christ to the Apostles and faithfully preserved by the Church.
5. How Can We Distinguish Apostolic Tradition from Human Traditions?
The Bible itself warns us that human traditions can sometimes conflict with God’s commandments.
Jesus rebuked certain religious leaders because their traditions undermined the word of God. In Mark 7:13, He teaches that human traditions can render God’s word ineffective.
Jesus was not condemning every tradition. Saint Paul explicitly instructed Christians to hold fast to the traditions he had taught them. Rather, Jesus condemned traditions that contradicted or displaced God’s commandments.
This distinction is essential.
How, then, can we recognize authentic Apostolic Tradition?
First, examine whether the teaching is consistent with divine revelation. A teaching cannot be accepted as authentic Apostolic Tradition if it contradicts what God has revealed.
Second, examine its historical connection to the Apostles and the early Church. Who taught it? When does it appear in Christian history? How was it transmitted? Is there evidence that it belongs to the apostolic faith?
Third, consider the Church’s authoritative teaching. Catholics believe that Christ entrusted the deposit of faith to the Church and gave her the responsibility of faithfully interpreting God’s revelation.
Fourth, distinguish between doctrine and custom. Not every practice that developed after the Apostles is a false tradition. Some devotions, liturgical practices, and forms of worship developed over time while remaining consistent with the apostolic faith.
The age of a practice alone does not determine whether it is true or false. What matters is its relationship to the faith handed down from the Apostles and the authority under which it is taught.
6. What About Churches Established Centuries Later?
Christian history matters because the origins of a church can help us understand its claims about apostolic authority.
The Catholic Church teaches that she continues the Church founded by Christ through apostolic succession and the preservation of the deposit of faith.
Other Christian communities have different historical origins and understandings of their relationship to the early Church. Many Protestant communities emerged during the sixteenth-century Reformation, while others arose in later centuries.
It is reasonable to ask how the teachings of these communities relate to the faith of the Apostles.
If a Christian community began centuries after the Apostles, we should ask several important questions:
- What is its historical relationship to the early Church?
- How does it understand apostolic succession?
- How does it interpret the teachings handed down by the first Christians?
- Does it preserve the apostolic faith, and on what basis does it claim authority for its teachings?
However, historical accuracy requires an important distinction: a later founding date does not, by itself, prove that every teaching held by a later Christian community is false or that it has no connection to apostolic teaching.
Many Protestant communities, for example, affirm doctrines also professed by Catholics, including the divinity of Jesus Christ, His Resurrection, and the Holy Trinity.
The Catholic argument is not that everything taught outside the visible Catholic Church must be false. Rather, the Catholic Church teaches that the fullness of the means of salvation entrusted by Christ subsists in the Catholic Church.
This claim rests on the Catholic understanding of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, apostolic succession, and the Church’s teaching authority—not simply on the date a particular denomination was established.
The central question remains: Which Church has faithfully preserved the apostolic faith entrusted by Jesus Christ to His Apostles?
7. The Apostolic Faith Must Be Preserved, Not Replaced
The Apostles did not receive permission to replace the teachings of Jesus with their own ideas. They were witnesses to His life, death, and Resurrection, and they were commissioned to proclaim His Gospel.
Saint Jude urges Christians to defend the faith they have received:
“Beloved, although I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I now feel a need to write to encourage you to contend for the faith that was once for all handed down to the holy ones.”
— Jude 1:3 (NABRE)
The expression “once for all handed down” emphasizes the importance of preserving the faith entrusted to the Christian community.
Saint Paul also warns the Galatians against accepting a different Gospel:
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed!”
— Galatians 1:8 (NABRE)
These passages remind Christians that the Gospel cannot be replaced with a different message.
The Church may deepen her understanding of revealed truth and express her teachings with greater clarity, but she cannot contradict the divine revelation entrusted to her.
From the Catholic perspective, this continuity is one of the essential reasons Sacred Tradition and apostolic succession matter.
8. Why Apostolic Succession Matters
Apostolic succession refers to the continuation of the apostolic ministry through the bishops, who succeed the Apostles in their pastoral office.
The New Testament provides examples of the Apostles appointing leaders and entrusting them with responsibilities for the Christian communities.
Saint Paul instructs Timothy to preserve and exercise the ministry entrusted to him. In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul also directs Timothy to entrust his teaching to faithful people who will be able to teach others.
These passages form part of the biblical foundation for the Catholic understanding of the transmission of apostolic teaching and pastoral responsibility.
Apostolic succession is not merely a list of names extending back through history. In Catholic teaching, it is connected to the faithful transmission of the Gospel, the celebration of the sacraments, and the unity of the Church.
A claim to apostolic origins must therefore be considered alongside the faith actually taught and preserved.
The Catholic Church understands the bishops, in communion with the Pope, as continuing the apostolic ministry established by Christ. Through this ministry, the Church is called to preserve the deposit of faith and proclaim it faithfully to every generation.
9. The Real Question Is Not Whether a Church Has Traditions
Every Christian community has traditions in the broad sense: practices, interpretations, forms of worship, and ways of expressing its faith.
The real question is whether a particular teaching faithfully preserves what Christ entrusted to His Apostles.
Is it consistent with Sacred Scripture? Does it agree with the apostolic faith preserved by the early Church? How has it been transmitted through Christian history? What authority does the community claim for it?
These questions deserve careful study, prayer, and an honest examination of the historical evidence.
For Catholics, the answer is found in the relationship between Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Church’s teaching authority.
Christ did not entrust His Gospel to isolated individuals to reinvent independently. He established His Church and commissioned the Apostles to teach all nations.
This does not mean that every Catholic custom dates back to the first century. Some Catholic devotions, feast days, and liturgical forms developed over time. Their development does not automatically make them false, just as their age alone does not automatically make every practice authentic.
What matters is whether they remain faithful to the apostolic deposit of faith and are rightly understood within the Church’s life and teaching.
Conclusion: Seek the Faith Christ Entrusted to His Apostles
Jesus Christ founded His Church and commissioned His Apostles to teach His commandments to all nations. The Apostles transmitted the faith through both oral teaching and written instruction, and Christians were called to preserve what they had received.
Saint Paul’s words remain a powerful reminder:
“Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.”
— 2 Thessalonians 2:15 (NABRE)
We must not accept every religious tradition without examination, nor should we reject Apostolic Tradition simply because it was transmitted orally rather than written directly in Scripture.
Instead, we should seek the truth by studying the Bible, examining the history of the early Church, and understanding how the apostolic faith has been preserved.
For Catholics, the Church founded by Christ continues her mission through apostolic succession, Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The question we should all ask is not simply, “Does my church have traditions?”
It is this:
Am I following the faith that Jesus Christ entrusted to His Apostles and commanded His Church to preserve?
That is a question worth examining with humility, prayer, and a sincere desire to know the truth.
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