Lest there be any doubt that the tradition of the apostles form the “old paths” for us and the established pattern by which brethren lived and interacted with each other, consider the following passages.
Consider the evidence given in 1 Corinthians 11:1-2 that reads,
“Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you that ye remember me in all things, and hold fast the traditions, even as I delivered them to you” (cf. Phil. 4:9).
The traditions to hold fast were “delivered” to them by Paul and they were to imitate (mimic) him. The context of verse one probably goes back to 10:31 where Paul uses himself as an example of seeking the salvation of others rather than pleasing himself. The self-seeking individual would choose to exercise personal liberty without considering that it may cause another to stumble. So, he encourages them to mimic him as they had already done in the past by holding fast the traditions that he had given them. Later in the same chapter, as Paul writes of the Lord’s supper, he begins in verse 23, ”For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you …” Two observations stand out: (1) since the traditions are, by definition, that which is “handed down” (Gr. paradosis), whatever Paul was passing on that he wanted them to mimic was passed down to him by the Lord. Continuing the reading, we learn that (2) they were not at liberty to choose which traditions they wanted to follow. Paul wrote, “Remember me in all things.” He then proceeds to hand down the will of God regarding headship.
This tradition passed down to them was not tailor-made to fit only their peculiar needs and problems. The pattern of teaching was not a smorgasbord of teaching from which they could choose. Instead, it was divine ordering applicable to God’s people everywhere. That there was uniformity of teaching is clear from 1 Corinthians 4:14-17. It reads,
“I write not these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though ye have ten thousand in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. I beseech you therefore, be ye imitators of me. For this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who shall put you in remembrance of my ways which are in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in every church.”
He also writes,
“But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called everyone, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches” (1 Corinthians 7:17).
We plan to write more on defining the word church used in these passages at some later time. I hope you will look for further blogs that deal with the matter. Though it may not meet your satisfaction, I hope you will allow me to use the word “place.” Not only is Paul’s teaching consistent with his practice, but his teaching was consistent with what he taught “everywhere in every place” (cf. 1 Cor. 11:16). Paul taught the same thing in every locality where saints lived. Here, we have uniformity of practice that grows out of uniform teaching (cf. 1 Cor. 11:16; 16:1). The practice forms the standard that Corinth was to imitate. In light of the fact that the apostles, which included Paul, were guided into all the truth by the Holy Spirit (John 14-16), whatever they taught is reflected in the way they set up the work of saints in a given location. In case Paul stayed longer than intended, he wrote Timothy so he would “know how he should behave himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:14-15 ). Notice two things about this passage. First, his behavior in the house of God speaks to his being in the spiritual family, not to a physical “church house.” Second, the behavior was Timothy’s personal behavior, as can be shown by the content of the letter. He was to be an example to the believer. Similarly, Paul left Titus in Crete to set in order what was lacking and ordain elders in every city (Titus 1:5). This supports the thought that there was a definite arrangement, pattern, or tradition that Paul wanted Timothy and Titus to teach and put into practice. That the letter to Corinth was part of the pattern to be followed is clear from the comment, “the rest I will set in order when I come” (1 Cor. 11:34). In the areas of interaction with fellow Christians, the principles of love, edification, preferring of others, giving, physical work, the practice of encouraging each other daily and the remembrance of Christ and the fellowship of the body in the taking of the Lord’s Supper are some of those guiding principles.
In arranging an atmosphere wherein all are edified, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:33b-34, “As in all the churches of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches.” Aside from all other considerations about women in this passage, Paul clearly states that all saints are given the same tradition. This argues in favor of the uniformity of tradition. And, while Paul regulates spiritual gifts when saints come together to be edified, he offers no outline for a ritual service in this text. It was about the edification of all the members by the mutual sharing of each gift.
Finally, consider 2 Thessalonians 2:15:
“So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions (paradosis) which ye were taught, whether by word, or by epistle of ours.”
Here’s an example of a command to hold the traditions of the apostles whether oral or written. Obviously, we were not there to hear Paul, personally. Are we to assume that what Paul wrote was different from what he said? This is hard to imagine, given the fact that what was written was explained by the New Testament writers as being adequate for understanding God’s will (Ephesians 3:1-5; cf. 2 Tim. 3:16-17). This tradition left for us in the pages of the New Testament form the pattern to be followed. The same book expresses the harmony of thought in 2 Thess. 3:6-7. It reads,
“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks disorderly, and not after the tradition which they received of us. For yourselves know how ye ought to imitate us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you.”
The pattern included Paul’s personal example of living regarding physical work. 2 Thessalonians 3:8-9 continues:
“… neither did we eat bread for naught at any man’s hand, but in labor and travail, working night and day, that we might not burden any of you: not because we have not the right, but to make ourselves an exsample unto you, that ye should imitate us.”
Again, we find him setting forth this same pattern of work in Acts 20:35 when addressing the elders of Ephesus. It reads,
“In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
In three separate examples, he leaves a clear pattern of work that provides for himself and those with him. Some question this being a pattern, stating that he had the right to receive wages and accepted brethren’s gift from Philippi more than once. They were right to offer this gift (not salary), but Paul exercised his right to refuse even a one time gift so that he may provide a living demonstration of his teaching. His choice is an example of what he taught regarding work. Just as Jesus had done before him, he was not requiring brethren to do as he says but not as he does. That is the worst kind of teacher (beware, parents).
Others ask why anyone today would want to be like the first-century churches or imitate Paul. It is important to clarify that we do not want to return to the first-century culture or follow the example of Corinth, duplicating the same sinful conditions that existed at that time. We are only desirous of confirming as our pattern the tradition of the apostles, minus the cultural norms of their day. Many deny that a pattern exists at all and that we are wrong to appeal to their examples to form our tradition. Among some who deny the existence of a divine pattern, they admit that we are obligated to obey only direct commands given in Scripture. Yet, 2 Thessalonians 2:15 is a command to follow the tradition of the apostles. Will they now arbitrary choose which commands we are to obey? It seems that we have a clear ruling regarding the authority of apostolic examples.