Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
Jesus said that it is evil to "teach for doctrines the commandments of men". In fact, he said that doing so would make one's worship of God in vain. What a fearful thought, to worship God and at the same time to fail to realize that all our singing, our praise, our prayers, are in vain!
We believe that Jesus, as always, told the truth. It IS evil to teach as doctrines the commandments of men. But Jesus did not say that commandments of men themselves are evil. On the contrary, commandments of men have an important place in our lives, for they are part of God's work on earth to secure our blessing and safety. Jesus was simply warning his followers not to do as the Jewish leaders had done. They esteemed the commandments of their elders as if they were equal in value to God's doctrines, and that tragic error ruined their faith.
The commandments of men include the laws of a country, and Peter warned the saints to "submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake." The commandments of men include the rules of a household that members of a family, in particular children, are expected to observe. Commandments of men may even include cultural etiquette; the love of God will allow none of us to behave as though we are superior to all the customs of behavior in our own societies. Finally, the commandments of men include the pastoral guidance for the body of Christ on specific matters in each generation.
In each generation, styles change. The body, if it is spiritually healthy, will change with the styles. A healthy body strives to be as much like the world as it is possible to be, without sin. The man of God in each generation must guide the body of Christ through those changes, hearing from God and communicating the right course for the family of God on earth. A truly spiritual man teaches the saints to be neither the first to take up a new fashion nor the last to lay it down. The body of Christ never attracts attention to itself because of its manner of dress, either by grabbing after the latest fashion or by clinging to the fashions of saints of a previous generation. The Son of God in heaven longed to be made like us, to be as much like us as God would allow, and he became one of us, "yet without sin." This is what everyone desires who is like Jesus: to be like those who are lost, except for their sin.
So, the commandments of men are an essential part of spiritual good health, but they can, and should, change as the world changes in its futile pursuit of happiness. The doctrines of God, on the other hand, never change. This is a critical difference between the commandments of men and the doctrines of God. It is evil to elevate commandments of men to the level of the unchanging doctrines of God. Even if those commandments of men are inspired by God for the saints at a given moment in time, they are in force only as long as that situation remains the same. And in this world, situations always change.
Concerning laws of a country, Paul taught that rebellion against the commandments of men was tantamount to rebellion against God and that those who resisted the ordinances of men would "receive damnation to themselves". Laws of all nations change, but as long as a nation's law is in effect, it is rebellion against God for a citizen of that nation not to obey it. Much more is this true in the Kingdom of God. If God creates within a man's heart the wisdom to give commandments to the saints to deal with changing situations of this life, it is sin for the saints not to hear and obey that man. Those commandments carry with them the full authority of the Lord even though those commandments may be at a later date altered to meet a new situation. From my experience, it appears that changes in the commandments of men for the saints only gradually develop and are to be made with the fear of God. Young people need to understand this.
The commandments among the saints of previous generations are not to be scoffed at. It is foolish to consider ourselves superior to those who went before, merely because we are not led by the Spirit to forbid certain things that those old pastors forbade to their flock. They were not foolish men; they were godly and good men. The commandments they gave to the saints saved them from many a heartache and prevented worldliness from infiltrating and poisoning the hearts of many saints. Souls were saved who listened to them.
Many Pentecostal ministers in the early part of the 20th century taught their congregations against wearing neckties, buying insurance, drinking soft drinks, and several other things that we would consider harmless today. But they were not fools. Those commandments had purpose at that time, and every member of the body who refused to submit to those commandments at that time grew spiritually weak. The only ones who grew in grace were those who submitted to the government God placed over them. The commandments of those men for the saints were of God, even though almost all of those commandments have since been altered. After their time, God sent wisdom to leaders who recognized when it was time to move away from certain positions so that the testimony of the saints would not be hindered. But until those leaders came and, by the will of God, altered the commandments of their predecessors, it was sin for any believer to stubbornly "demand his rights", so to speak, and pursue a different course.
None of us is greater than all of us. We are a part of each other, and if the body as a whole believes that certain things are ungodly, it is ungodly for any of us to think we know better. I have never seen a whole congregation who knew the truth err in judgment, though individuals within that congregation may entertain some occasional wrong ideas.
I have seen precious saints be turned over to the spirits of this age because they thought they were wiser than the whole body and strong enough to stand alone in the matter of styles and customs. On one occasion, Paul needed to explain to the saints in Corinth the truth concerning styles of hair length for men and women. But understanding that some would remain self-willed, regardless of his patient and wise explanation, he finally resorted to what was obviously to him a very strong argument for submission to what was commonly held to be right. He concluded by saying, "We have no such custom, and neither do the called of God." In other words, Paul was demanding of the rebellious, long-haired men and the rebellious short-haired women, "Do you want to be a part of the body of Christ, or do you not? Make up your minds!"
Now, I am not saying that modern customs of shorter hair for women is wrong or that longer hair for men is wrong. It makes no difference to me how long or short any child of God's hair is, as long as the length of his or her hair does not make that person stand out in a crowd or otherwise detract from the work of God. If you want to know what the will of God is for your hair, or your shoes, or your hat, or your clothes, go for a walk down the street on an ordinary day and look at what the world is wearing. The will of God is for you to adopt the style that blends naturally with whatever the world is wearing at any one time in history.
There was no halo around Jesus' head. He escaped notice on many occasions as he blended with the crowds. If he were walking among us on earth today, there would be no particular stylishness about him. He would wear ordinary clothes, and his hair would be of ordinary length. Moreover, God gave His Son a body that was not even handsome. There was nothing about Jesus physically that attracted anyone. Those who were drawn to him were drawn to him because of the power of God, the love of God, and the wisdom of God that was in him. If there is anything about you other than those same kinds of things that still attracts others to you, there is something still of self-will and rebellion remaining in you, and you are not yet as happy in Jesus as he wants you to be.