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If we are God’s people, it is only natural to keep God’s commandments. Today, many Christians, who claim to be God’s people, keep human rules, which are not found in the Bible, instead of God’s commandments. Here are some examples of human rules.
1. Sunday Worship
God appointed the Sabbath as the day of weekly worship (Ex 20:8). However, today, many people keep Sunday worship instead of the Sabbath. Sunday worship originated from the pagan worship of the sun god. It is not in the Bible. It is a human rule.
2. Christmas
People commonly believe that December 25 is the birthday of Jesus, and most churches hold celebrations on this day to commemorate His birth. However, Christmas on December 25 is not actually the birthday of Jesus; it originated from the birthday of the sun god. Thus, it is merely a human rule.
3. Worship of the Cross
God commanded us not to worship idols, and also told us not to make any image or worship them (Ex 20:4–5). However, today, most churches set up and venerate the cross as a symbol of the church. The cross is just a symbol of paganism that was introduced into the church as Christianity became pagan.
4. Regulation of Veil
The Bible teaches that male members must not cover their heads during prayer or worship, and female members must wear a veil during prayer or worship (1 Co 11:1–16). However, most churches today follow doctrines they themselves have created rather than following the regulation established by God. In the Catholic Church, male clergy such as the Pope, cardinals, and priests wear hats during prayer and worship. In Protestant churches, female members pray or worship without a veil on their heads. These practices are human rules different from the teachings of the Bible.
5. Thanksgiving Day
Today, many churches keep Thanksgiving Day as an important holiday. However, Thanksgiving Day is not a biblical feast ordained by God; it is a rule created by humans. Thanksgiving Day originated in 1620 when the Pilgrims, who had emigrated from England to America, gave thanks to God for their first harvest the following autumn. This tradition continued and eventually became an American public holiday proclaimed by President Washington in the 18th century.
Let’s see what the Bible says about those who keep the human rules.
“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ ” Mt 15:7-9
Jesus said that we worship God in vain if we obey the human rules. Can those who worship God in vain be saved? No matter how earnestly they believe in God, those who keep the human rules can never be saved.
The LORD says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.” Isa 29:13–14
What do those who follow the human rules lose? They lose wisdom and intelligence. No matter how smart a doctor of theology or a pastor is, if they keep human rules, they cannot correctly understand and realize the truth of the Bible. This is because God has concealed wisdom and understanding from them. It is only natural that they cannot find the path of salvation because they cannot understand the truth of the Bible.
Human rules are made up by evil ones aligned with Satan. If we keep human rules, we cannot keep God’s commandments or serve God correctly, so we can never receive the promise of salvation or the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, we must keep God’s commandments that God has commanded us to keep, instead of human rules, so that we can be blessed.
- Food for Thought
- What are some examples of human rules?
- How did Jesus say people worship God if they follow human rules?