‍Jesus condemned the traditions of men, but Catholics put tradition on the same level as Scripture

  Gary Hoge  ·  October 14, 2026

‍Some Christians say that Scripture must be our only source of truth because Jesus condemned tradition. For example, Norman Geisler and Ralph MacKenzie wrote,

‍Jesus made it clear that the Bible was in a class of its own, exalted above all tradition. He rebuked the Pharisees for not accepting sola Scriptura and negating the final authority of the Word of God by their religious traditions, saying “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? . . . You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition” (Matthew 15:3, 6).¹

‍First, Catholics do not regard man-made traditions as equal to Scripture. The Church distinguishes Sacred Tradition, which comes from Christ through the apostles and is regarded as authoritative divine revelation, from merely human traditions, which can be changed or abandoned. Catholics do not believe that a tradition becomes divinely authoritative simply because it is old or has been practiced for centuries.

‍Second, Jesus did not condemn all traditions indiscriminately, just those “traditions of men” that nullified God’s word. For example, the Pharisees had the “corban” tradition by which someone could declare his money or property “corban,” meaning dedicated to God. This could be used as an excuse to withhold financial support from his elderly parents, even while retaining the use of the money or property himself.² By their tradition they nullified the Word of God, which commanded, “Honor your father and mother.”

‍However, there were other religious traditions that Jesus upheld. For example, in Matthew 23:2–3, we read, “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”

‍The Old Testament never establishes an office called “Moses’ seat,” yet Jesus recognized the legitimate teaching authority associated with it. As the Protestant Reformation Study Bible explains:

‍Though Jesus elsewhere condemns the scribes and Pharisees for adding human tradition to the law and for evading the spirit of the law (vv. 13–32; 15:1–9), here He recognizes the legitimate teaching office that they occupied (Deut. 17:8–13).³

‍Thus, Jesus did not regard every religious tradition as illegitimate simply because it was not expressly prescribed in Scripture. He distinguished between legitimate religious authority and traditions that contradicted God’s commandments.

‍More importantly, the Gospel Jesus entrusted to his apostles was initially proclaimed orally for years, before the first word of the New Testament was written. And even after the New Testament books began to appear, the apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, upheld the authority of apostolic Tradition, whether transmitted orally or in writing:

‍Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us (2 Thessalonians 3:6).

‍So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

‍And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

‍And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2).

‍These passages establish that the word of God was not confined to what the apostles wrote. Their oral teaching was also authoritative, and they instructed Christians to preserve it and pass it on. Whether all of that teaching was eventually committed to writing—and Scripture nowhere tells us that it was—is a separate question, but the idea that religious teaching must be written in Scripture to possess divine authority is plainly inconsistent with these passages.

‍The apostolic Tradition to which Paul refers ultimately comes from God and is to be accepted as such. But there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with man-made traditions, provided they don’t contradict the word of God or interfere with our obligation to obey it. For example, the “sinner’s prayer,” altar calls, pews, pulpits, praying with hands folded, Wednesday night Bible studies, infant dedications, and the celebration of Christmas and Easter are all “traditions of men,” but there’s nothing wrong with any of them, and many Christians practice them.

‍So, Jesus did not condemn tradition simply because it was tradition. He condemned human traditions that undermined the word of God. And while ordinary human traditions may be useful, they must never be confused with the authoritative teaching handed down by the apostles. Paul explicitly commanded Christians to preserve that teaching, whether they received it orally or in writing (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Far from supporting the idea that Scripture must be our only source of divine revelation, these passages demonstrate that God’s word was also transmitted through apostolic Tradition.

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^‍1 Norman Geisler and Ralph E. MacKenzie, “What Think Ye of Rome,” Christian Research Journal, Spring/Summer 1994, 35.

^‍2 “Making Void the Word of God,” Ligonier Ministries, https://learn.ligonier.org/devotionals/making-void-word-god

^‍3 Leopold Sabourin, The Gospel According to St. Matthew (Bombay: St. Paul Publications, 1982), vol. 2, 793.