Mankind has long embraced the lie from the garden, where the serpent suggested that by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, humans could determine for themselves what is right and wrong, no longer relying on God for guidance. This attitude, rooted in the desire for freedom to choose without God's instruction, has permeated every culture on earth. It was evident among the Israelites in Canaan, as seen in Judges 21:25, where everyone did what was right in their own eyes, forgetting God as their true King. This defiance of authority and lust for personal power develops in every person from childhood, leading them to reject God's desired method of worship while still claiming to love Him. Over centuries, distorted gospels have evolved from the imaginations of men, incorporating this lie as a foundational component. These teachings, often presented as biblical truths, are nothing more than traditions of men. False gospels, emerging after the time of the original apostles, have twisted the true message of the kingdom of God. Such perspectives have led to a rejection of God's standards, allowing individuals to fill gaps in understanding with their own ideas, unable to see reality from God's perspective. In Western cultures, like those in New Orleans, this rejection of God's laws is evident, where personal choice overrides divine instruction, and everyone does what is right in their own eyes. The diversity of beliefs and practices often stems from these man-made traditions, which misuse and misinterpret scriptural teachings to justify personal preferences, further straying from the truth God has set forth.

Brethren, we must be vigilant when confronted with the many diverse teachings about God that permeate the world. Anything that contradicts God's truth is nothing more than the traditions of men, often stemming from early church leaders influenced by the one who deceives the whole world. These traditions have twisted Paul's words about sin, the law, and grace, creating a different gospel that opposes Christ's message of the kingdom. This warped perspective, born from Roman legal traditions and Greek philosophy, has led to a dangerous separation between faith and obedience to God's way. Many sincere people, desiring to love Jesus, unknowingly embrace doctrines rooted in these traditions of men. Such teachings often take Paul's words out of context, presenting them as stand-alone statements that suggest God's law no longer matters under grace. Yet, this is not what Paul taught. These traditional views misrepresent verses like Romans 10:4, claiming Christ ended the law, when in context, Paul shows that Christ is the outcome and goal of the law, not its abolition. Inaccurate teachings force scripture to align with pre-existing beliefs, leading many to break God's law while believing their hearts are right with Him. We live in a world filled with false doctrines and half-truths that distort God's word to fit human desires. When we encounter these traditional teachings, the most important response is to seek out the truth directly from God's word. We must test everything, as the Bereans did, searching the scriptures daily to confirm what is taught. No matter how long we have been in God's church, we are never immune to the deceptions of tradition. God will judge us based on how we respond to His truth, not on the traditions of the world or what we may have been taught by others.

Breaking with tradition is hard, and nowhere more so than in religious holidays like Easter and Christmas, whose paganism and inaccuracies many professing Christians refuse to face, much as Israel did in Isaiah's day. The truth forces a choice between ignoring it and risking God's condemnation, or accepting it and risking relationships with family, friends, and society. Most people shrug off the inconvenient truth to avoid rocking the boat, but a real Christian embraces truth out of reverence for God, fearing Him rather than men (Luke 12:4-5). Those who are of God hear His words, and those who love Christ keep His commandments (John 8:47; 14:21, 24). The Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition is the chief example. Jesus gave the sign of Jonah as the only proof of His Messiahship: three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:38-40), which is 72 hours. Burial from Friday sunset to Sunday sunrise yields only about 36 hours. If the tradition were true, Jesus would have been a liar and sinner, and there would be no Savior. Since He did rise and live, He did not lie, so the tradition is a chronological impossibility. Even John 20:1 shows the tomb was already empty while it was still dark on Sunday, so sunrise services have no biblical basis. Because He was buried at about sunset, He would have been resurrected at about sunset three days later.

Tradition, defined as an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior, is not bad in itself; the question is its source and purpose. Jesus warns against blindly following the traditions of men (Matthew 15:1-9; Mark 7:1-13), but Christians are to keep the traditions God has placed in the church. Jesus' rebuke of the Jews was not for following traditions as such, but for prioritizing the unfounded traditions of the elders, rooted in the Oral Law, over God's commandments. In Mark 7:9 the two are closely interlocked: "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition." Over the centuries such human traditions have perverted God's Sabbath, a commandment that reveals His customary pattern of thought and behavior and gives real rest only when kept according to His original purpose and intent. A tradition that has its source in God's commandments and reflects His thoughts, actions, and behavior is good, even if conceived by a human being, and may be called God-inspired. Paul's instruction in II Thessalonians 2:15 to hold fast the traditions taught supports this. Unlike Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, who could not explain why his traditions began, Christians should know the origin, purpose, and intent of what they keep, discerning what is of God and what is not.

Traditions are not inherently evil, since humans are creatures of habit, but sin enters when what man wants to do, or has always done, is given more credence than God's instructions. Christ speaks emphatically against honoring man's tradition over the Word of God. Christmas illustrates the problem: Rome co-opted the winter solstice bacchanalia and inserted the presumed birth of the Messiah, and it is wholly indefensible once one looks beyond the traditions of men and searches the Bible. Without clear instruction from God, such as exists for His annual holy days, observance is left to personal interpretation and the shifting traditions of an ungrounded culture. Nothing defines how Christmas should be kept, so people argue endlessly over Santa Claus, gifts, mistletoe, and whether one era's customs are more correct than another's. Contrary to popular Christian belief, no one is free to worship God in any way he sees fit. The story of Cain and Abel teaches that God does not accept worship contrary to His instructions, and the result is disastrous. God has already defined how He is to be honored: in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Truth is absent from Christmas, and its spirit does not bear the fruit of Galatians 5:22-23. Whatever the specific applications, the underlying reason for such a season is man, not God, and it springs from man's insistence on doing things his own way without regard to truth.

Christmas is a bundle of contradictions, steeped in traditions of men that obscure the truth. Many are aware that Jesus was not born on December 25, yet they uphold this date, a fusion of the Roman Saturnalia festival with a celebration of His birth, established in the early fourth century to ease converts into Christianity. This practice, rooted in paganism, contradicts the honesty He taught, as He instructed against bearing false witness and emphasized that our words must be true, for anything beyond this is from the evil one. The call to put Christ back into Christmas is a contradiction, as He was never part of it to begin with. Scripture offers no command or suggestion to commemorate His birth, yet professing Christians worldwide observe days and festivals not found in God's Word, while neglecting the observances He commanded. Even the figure of Santa Claus, a modern creation with roots in folklore and a Christian saint, lacks any biblical basis, further illustrating the human tendency to embrace traditions over truth. The term Yule, linked to a pagan midwinter festival, reveals another layer of contradiction, as practices like the Yule log trace back to heathen customs of driving away evil spirits. Despite the well-documented pagan origins of Christmas, the tradition persists because human nature justifies self-contradictory practices for enjoyment and perceived benefit, often attaching a religious significance to them, whether real or imagined. This reflects a rebellious inclination to follow personal desires over God's instructions, as He warns against adopting pagan ways in worship and declares that many honor Him with their lips while their hearts are far from Him, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men and rejecting His commandments to keep their traditions.

Little thought, if any, is given to how God views the traditions and means that men have adopted to worship Him. Few consider whether the adoration aimed at Him is fitting or well-received. The recognized symbol of Christianity today is the cross, assimilated from pre-Christian paganism and assumed to be an acceptable token. Yet, God expresses great displeasure with worship aids He calls idols, as they essentially replace Him or falsely represent Him in the minds of those who use them. People assume that He accepts such a symbol, and woe to anyone who dares to state otherwise. Similarly, few contemplate whether the Father and the Son are pleased with the worship offered to Them on the assumed birthday of Jesus Christ. Professing Christians have celebrated Christmas since the fourth century, assuming it must be pleasing to God since it is so pleasing to men. However, Jesus Christ declares that those who would worship God must do so in spirit and truth. Christmas contains no truth beyond the fact that the Son of God was born of a woman. There is no example of the early church celebrating the birth date of Jesus Christ, nor is there divine instruction to do so. Instead, the Bible instructs Christians to commemorate His death each year at Passover, which many avoid. Peter reminds his readers that they were redeemed from the aimless conduct received by tradition from their fathers, describing it as a useless way of living inherited from forefathers. Christmas qualifies as such aimless, fruitless conduct received by tradition over the millennia. Paul also expressed concern for Gentile Christians observing days, months, seasons, and years from their pre-Christian lives, tied to the weak and beggarly elements of this world. Jesus Christ died to redeem mankind from practices of paganism that hold little truth. Despite the known pagan origins of Christmas and its alignment with solstice celebrations, there is still belligerence and defensiveness when its appropriateness is questioned. Its defenders assume that since it is done to honor God, He must feel honored. Yet, the Son is not well-pleased with these gestures, for every falsehood requires His life be given as payment, and repeating it yearly only adds insult to injury.

Mankind has an innate desire to worship God, but often seeks to do so according to the dictates of his own mind, resulting in a wide variety of religions and mass confusion about the true path. God established orthodoxy in the Garden of Eden, yet Adam and Eve, persuaded by the most unorthodox being, presumed to change His standard by eating from the forbidden tree. This presumptuous act, despite their direct relationship with God, reveals the perverse strength of human nature to assert control over life. God warns against adding to or subtracting from His commands, as seen in Deuteronomy 12:32, which instructs to observe His commands without alteration. Yet, humanity often follows traditions initiated by someone presumptuously thinking to improve life, leading to vain and futile practices, as described in I Peter 1:18. The Christian must resist being molded by the world's conduct and attitudes, avoiding the drift into presumption that begins with carelessness and neglect. Significant evidence shows that much of modern liberalism in religion, including the addition of Christmas and Easter to Christian worship, was deliberately planned and executed. These observances, built around events not aligned with scriptural timing or command, are presumptuous additions accepted without thought by many. Such practices continue to evolve, as seen in ecumenical efforts that abandon former doctrines for unity, further illustrating human presumption in religious matters. Adding to or subtracting from God's Word is a serious matter, not a light sin of ignorance, as Deuteronomy 12:30-32 calls it a snare, and Jesus in Mark 7:7-9 declares it vain to reject God's commandments for human traditions. Revelation 22:18-19 warns that those who alter God's Word will not be in His Kingdom. Presumptuous sins, committed willfully and defiantly, differ from unintentional errors, carrying a grave attitude of knowing yet disregarding what is right. God does not take being presumed upon lightly, and His past reactions to such sins have been sudden and severe, reminding us to heed His standards with care.

Long before the coming of Christ, pagans used the cross as a religious symbol, with many variations in the ancient world. According to historian Alexander Hislop, Tammuz was closely tied to the Babylonian mystery religions started by Nimrod, Semiramis, and her son Horus. The original form of the Babylonian letter T, resembling crosses used today, was the initial of Tammuz. Satan the devil, aware long before Jesus was born that He would die by crucifixion, made the cross a widespread symbol of worship in an attempt to deceive the world and lead people into worshipping a false Christ. God instructs His true followers to worship Him in Spirit and in truth, calling us to forsake this world's false religions, rituals, and pagan symbols, including the cross. As we anticipate the soon and glorious return of our Savior, true Christian soldiers must rid themselves of anything impure or unclean, ensuring that Christ's Bride, His true church, is found holy and without blemish at His coming.

Christmas observance, steeped in the traditions of men, is a custom that has no foundation in the teachings of Christ or the apostles. It gravitated into the Western Church from paganism in the fourth century, not from the Bible or the early Church. Historical authorities reveal that Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church and was adopted from pagan customs, particularly those centered around the winter solstice and the birth of the sun-god on December 25th. Despite being cloaked with Christian names, this celebration remains rooted in ancient idolatrous practices that God commands His people not to follow. The Bible explicitly warns against adopting the ways of the heathen, as seen in Jeremiah 10:2-6, where the decorating of trees with silver and gold is described as a vain custom of the people, equated with idolatry. God instructs that such practices are not to be learned or followed by His faithful. Furthermore, the exchanging of gifts at Christmas, often justified by the wise men's offerings to Christ, stems not from Scripture but from pagan traditions like the Saturnalia, where presents were interchanged among friends, a practice unrelated to honoring Him. God's Word is clear in Deuteronomy 12:30-31, commanding against worshipping Him in the manner of pagan customs, declaring such acts as abominations. Jesus Himself taught that true worship must be in spirit and truth, not based on the traditions of men, as reiterated in John 4:24 and Matthew 15:9. Christmas, as a tradition of men, stands in direct opposition to God's commandments, and He will not accept worship that adopts pagan ways, no matter the intent to honor Him. The choice to follow these customs, ignoring His clear instructions, is a rejection of His authority, for which there will be a day of reckoning.

The celebration of Christmas, steeped in pagan roots and unholy traditions, stands as a prime example of the traditions of men that obscure the truth God desires in worship. Many are unaware of the pagan history behind Christmas trees, mistletoe, and ancient midwinter celebrations of a mother-goddess with a midwinter baby, yet these origins contribute to spiritual confusion. God requires truth in worship, and Christmas, with its blend of falsehoods and deceptions, fails to meet this standard. It is a quagmire of deceptive traditions, historically tied to pagan Roman festivals like Saturnalia and Brumalia, and later syncretized with Christian themes under the influence of emperors like Constantine, who renamed the winter solstice celebration of the sun god as the birthday of the Son of God. This mixture of pagan rites with worship is an abomination to God, who hates lying and finds such practices detestable. Scripture warns against trusting in lying words, as seen in Jeremiah's admonition to the people of Judah who mixed pagan celebrations with their worship of the Lord. Similarly, today's celebrations of Christmas incorporate lies and misrepresentations, turning hearts away from God through decadence, greed, and revelry. God explicitly commanded the Israelites not to worship Him in the ways of other nations, as recorded in Deuteronomy, emphasizing that combining idolatrous practices with true worship corrupts it entirely. Jesus Christ Himself condemned the traditions of men that nullify the commandments of God, declaring that worship based on human doctrines is vain. The traditions surrounding Christmas, such as gift-giving rooted in pagan customs rather than biblical truth, exemplify this error. God does not accept worship that mingles the holy with the pagan, and He calls His people to worship in spirit and truth, starting with Him as the foundation rather than human reasoning or desires. True worship must be based on the revelation of God's Word, not on manmade holidays that lead to spiritual darkness.

Christmas serves as a prime example of the traditions of men, illustrating the human tendency to incorporate practices not found in God's Word into worship. Despite claims of Judeo-Christian roots, many celebrate Christmas, a festival nowhere mentioned in the Bible, revealing a disconnect between professed beliefs and actual practices. This celebration, with its pagan origins, is often dismissed as harmless by clergy, yet it raises the question of whether such additions glorify God or align with His commands. God explicitly warns against adding to or subtracting from His Word, as seen in Deuteronomy 12:29-31, instructing not to learn the ways of the heathen or incorporate their customs into worship. Jesus Himself confronted this tendency among the religious Jews of His time, condemning their additions as vain and hypocritical, showing that such human ingenuity hinders the journey to God's Kingdom. Similarly, Christmas, introduced into Christianity centuries ago as a means to win converts from paganism, lacks divine authority and diverts focus from the truth God has revealed. The fruits of keeping Christmas do not enhance spiritual life or glorify God; instead, they lead people away from true worship. Peter notes that God has redeemed us from such traditions inherited from our fathers, and Jesus, as the Alpha and the Omega, determines truth and judges our adherence to it. Adding foreign practices like Christmas to worship is syncretism, a snare that risks spiritual death, as warned in Revelation 22:15. Therefore, it makes a significant difference whether or not we keep Christmas, as God desires us to follow only what He has commanded, without presumption or distortion.

Halloween, as a custom of the nations, embodies the traditions of men that God warns against in Jeremiah 10:1-5. God Himself calls such practices abominations, detestable acts of idolatry and false worship that honor spirit beings other than Him. He cautions us not to be ensnared by the appealing lures of heathen customs, which are designed to trap the unwary with their attractive characteristics. These traditions, including Halloween, often captivate human nature before one becomes aware of the hidden dangers they pose. Many cultures worldwide celebrate holidays akin to Halloween, sharing a common theme of honoring or remembering the dead or unseen spirits. In English-speaking countries, Halloween derives from the Celtic festival of Samhain, a time when the boundary between physical and spiritual worlds was believed to weaken, allowing spirits to cross over. The Celts appeased these spirits with food and treats to prevent tricks or curses, a practice echoed in modern trick-or-treating, which mimics extortion by spirits. During Samhain, societal norms were suspended, leading to chaos, revelry, and lawlessness, elements that persist in Halloween's modern celebrations. When Roman Catholicism converted the pagans, it attempted to overlay Christian meaning on Samhain by moving All Saints' Day to November 1, allowing old customs to continue under a Christian guise. However, Halloween today retains no Christian essence, reverting to pre-Christian Celtic practices with recognition of the spirit world through figures like fairies, witches, and demons. Activities such as divination, séances, and hooliganism further reflect its pagan roots, aligning with the traditions of men that God explicitly denounces. The Bible consistently condemns spiritism, witchcraft, and the occult as forms of idolatry and spiritual prostitution, leading to separation from God and destruction. God's truth exposes these unfruitful works of darkness, revealing the evils inherent in Halloween and similar practices, guiding us to walk as children of light in righteousness and truth.

As the holiday season approaches, it becomes evident that the traditions many of us grew up with in Christianity do not align with what we read in God's word. These traditions, often tied to nostalgia and emotion, were believed to be celebrations of Jesus Christ, yet they create a disconnect when compared to Scripture. We were not rebelling or rejecting God, but once compelled to study the Bible for ourselves, the contradictions became clear. Christianity teaches worship of God, but not in the way He requires, treating His commands as optional or outdated. Jesus Himself questioned this disconnect in Luke 6:46, asking why people call Him Lord but do not do what He says. The issue lies in the authority of human tradition over God's authority. Modern Christianity often embraces man-made holidays and practices while labeling obedience to God's law as legalism. Yet, Scripture is clear in Deuteronomy 10:12 and 1 John 5:3 that loving God means walking in His ways and keeping His commandments. Throughout Scripture, God warns against worship that is foreign to Him, describing it as strange or profane, as seen in Hosea 5:7 and Ezra 10:2. Such unauthorized worship, even with good intentions, is unacceptable, as Nadab and Abihu learned in Leviticus 10:1 when they offered profane fire not commanded by God and faced severe consequences. God determines how He is to be worshiped, and good intentions are not enough. Deuteronomy 12:31-32 reinforces this, commanding not to add to or take away from His instructions. History reveals how human traditions infiltrated Christianity, with church leaders distancing themselves from God's laws and replacing them with man-made practices. By 325 AD, Roman authorities substituted God's Sabbath with Sunday worship and Passover with Easter, redefining obedience as legalism, as warned by Paul in Colossians 2:8. Deuteronomy 12:30 further cautions against adopting the worship practices of other nations, yet within decades, foreign customs were blended into Christianity, becoming unrecognizable to God as strange and abominable worship. This blending of systems is what Scripture identifies as pagan worship, not merely idolatry but any worship outside God's instruction. Modern Christianity rests on a foundation of human tradition rather than God's authority, rejecting the system He established. God pleads in Revelation 18:4 for His people to come out of these worldly systems, not to join a new religion, but to return to His true Sabbath and the faith once delivered, walking the path of Abraham, Moses, and the apostles. The issue is not isolated practices like Christmas or Easter, but an entire system of worship that no longer seeks God's guidance on how He desires to be worshiped. The true church teaches submission to God's authority, not loyalty to tradition, bringing everything under the scrutiny of His word. God calls for a life fully obedient, worshiping according to His terms, a daily decision to focus on His will rather than the nostalgic trappings of human traditions that satan uses to draw us away from Him.

The controversy over observing Passover or Easter fundamentally hinges on adhering to Scripture versus embracing Roman Catholic tradition. The Roman Church's preference for Easter is rooted in an intense prejudice against the Jews for their role in Christ's crucifixion and the prevalent celebration of Easter among pagan cultures throughout the Empire. By the second century, an anti-Jewish sentiment had infiltrated the church, leading many Greek-speaking Christians to reject Hebrew law and entertain Gnostic ideas that promoted spiritual license. The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 further intensified this fervor, causing widespread avoidance of association with Jews and Jewish practices across the Empire. Consequently, the church of the second century diverged significantly from its first-century origins, becoming largely Gentile, observing Sunday instead of the Sabbath, and growing in power and political influence. This apostate church found it easier to assimilate new converts from Greco-Roman paganism and frontier deities by syncretizing the Christian Easter celebration with pagan spring festivals, often linked to the fertility goddess Ishtar or similar variations. From these heathen influences emerged non-biblical Easter traditions such as the Easter Bunny, dyeing eggs, and giving candy. In contrast, the Christian Passover remains a solemn observance, not a celebration, commemorating the agonizing sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the redemption of sins and the opening of fellowship with the Father. Christians must be vigilant to adhere strictly to God's Word, avoiding the addition or subtraction from His commands, lest they stray from His way by altering His revelation.

Young people, as you grow and establish your own lives, you will face pressures from family, friends, and society to conform to the traditions of men, particularly through Satan's counterfeit 'holy days' and pagan holidays. These celebrations, such as New Year's, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, St. Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and even birthdays, are rooted in ancient pagan practices that are abominations to God. New Year's, originating in Babylonia, was tied to sun-worship and revelry, known as Saturnalia among the Romans, marked by excess and immorality. Christmas, linked to the worship of Baal and Tammuz, incorporates pagan symbols and customs that deceive many through the guise of family tradition. Easter, derived from the Babylonian celebration of Ishtar, involves rituals and symbols like eggs and rabbits that have no connection to God's truth. Halloween, tied to Celtic festivals invoking the devil's help for divinations, promotes practices like witchcraft and spiritism, which God explicitly condemns. St. Valentine's Day, stemming from the fertility festival Lupercalia, focuses on material expressions and targets children and families to perpetuate its customs. St. Patrick's Day, rooted in pagan symbols of regeneration, is another celebration steeped in worldly tradition rather than God's way. Even tattoos, a modern trend, trace back to paganism and spiritual invocations across cultures, serving as a snare to God's people. Birthdays, too, originate from astrological practices and pagan rituals, involving customs like candles and wishes meant to connect with spiritual forces, contrary to God's will. Satan, the master deceiver, uses these traditions to exploit human weaknesses, especially our love for children and family, manipulating guilt to draw even God's elect into compromise. He knows how deeply we desire to please our loved ones, using this to push participation in these pagan observances under the pretext of harmless fun or family bonding. God, however, commands us to separate from these worldly customs, as seen in Deuteronomy 12:30-32, where He warns against adopting the ways of other nations to worship Him, for they are detestable to Him. Jeremiah 10:2 further instructs us not to learn the ways of the Gentiles, emphasizing that we must remain distinct as His people. Satan's strategy is evident in how quickly paganism re-emerged after the Flood through Nimrod and Semiramis, establishing idolatrous practices that persist in today's celebrations, deceiving mankind within just two generations. God calls us to be holy, different, and peculiar, untainted by the world's traditions, as reiterated in I Peter 1:15, to be holy as He is holy. We must not conform to this world, as Romans 12:2 urges, but be transformed by renewing our minds to discern His perfect will. Ephesians 4:17-19 warns against living as the Gentiles do, in ignorance and hardness of heart, while Philippians 2:15 calls us to shine as lights in a perverse generation, blameless and uncontaminated. John 17:15 reminds us that while we live in the world, we must be kept from the evil one, not mixing God's true religion with pagan practices. Our actions, speech, and treatment of others must reflect holiness, showing kindness, humility, and forgiveness, as Colossians 3:12-14 teaches, binding us in love. God desires us to be like Christ, yielding to His Spirit, striving for good character, and maintaining God-centered attitudes, free from the deceptive traditions of men.

The Good-Friday-Easter-Sunday belief is a tradition that few professing Christians have ever tested, though the Bible commands proving all things. There were no eyewitnesses to the resurrection, and even the apostolic fathers had no source of information except the biblical record, so any tradition that conflicts with God's revelation must be dismissed. Jesus' only sign of His Messiahship was three days and three nights in the tomb, which the Bible defines as 72 hours. Yet tradition places Him in the grave from Friday sunset to Sunday sunrise, about 36 hours, and commentators and higher critics explain away His plain words, even claiming He was in the tomb only half as long as He expected. Such tradition leaves Jesus a failed sign and makes Him an impostor, which is why Satan has promoted it. Tradition rests on the assumption that the Sabbath after the crucifixion was the weekly Sabbath, but John calls it a high day, an annual Sabbath, so two Sabbaths fell that week. The truth is that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday and rose late Saturday afternoon. Jesus warns against making the word of God of none effect through tradition (Mark 7:13). Easter and Christmas likewise have no biblical sanction and are of pagan origin.

Many individuals, upon leaving God's church, return to celebrating Christmas, claiming a Christian perspective, yet they rely on humanly reasoned opinions. The celebration of Christmas, rooted in pagan history with customs like Christmas trees and mistletoe, contributes to spiritual confusion. Despite awareness of these unholy origins, people justify its observance, ignoring that God holds us accountable to His Word. Truth is paramount to God, as Jesus Christ declared in John 18:37 that He came to bear witness to the truth, and only those who seek truth hear His voice. Celebrating lies through holidays like Christmas prevents one from truly hearing Christ's inspired Word. The natural mindset of mankind, especially at the end of the age, is to embrace lies, as Paul warns in II Thessalonians 2:9-10, where unrighteous deception leads those who reject the love of truth to perish under strong delusion. Christmas, a quagmire of deceptive traditions, flourishes in a materialistic world despite its well-known non-Christian background, blending pagan rites with Christian themes. God hates lying, as stated in Proverbs 6:16-19, finding it abominable, and a mixture of truth and falsehoods in worship renders the entire practice a lie. Historically, Christmas was not observed by early Christians until the fourth century when Emperor Constantine, converting to Christianity, aligned the pagan winter solstice festival of the sun god with the birth of the Son of God on December 25th. This syncretism, documented in historical records, shows how pagan worship was given a Christian name, further corrupting true worship. Jeremiah 7:1-10 warns against trusting in lying words and mixing pagan rites with worship, as the people of Judah did, provoking God's anger by following traditions over His commands. Jesus Christ Himself condemned such practices in Mark 7:6-9, calling out hypocrisy in honoring God with lips while hearts remain far from Him, teaching human commandments as doctrine and rejecting God's commandments for tradition. This renders worship vain, as seen in the celebration of Christmas, which turns hearts away from God with its decadence, greed, and lies. Galatians 5:19-21 lists the works of the flesh evident in worldly traditions, contrasting sharply with the fruit of the Spirit manifested in God's holy days. Scripture repeatedly instructs against adopting pagan customs in worship, as in Deuteronomy 12:29-32, where God commands Israel not to inquire after other gods or worship Him in their ways, emphasizing strict adherence to His commands without addition or subtraction. The Israelites' recurring problem of mixing idolatrous practices with worship, akin to modern celebrations of Christmas, shows the danger of human traditions superseding divine truth. God does not accept worship conceived through human reasoning; it must be in spirit and truth, as John 4:24 declares. Ultimately, starting with God and accepting His revelation in Scripture, rather than human traditions, is essential for true worship. The inspired Word of God supersedes all human customs, and as I Timothy 6:20-21 urges, we must guard the truth committed to us, avoiding profane contradictions falsely called knowledge, such as Christmas, which leads people astray from the faith. God's holy days, revealed in His Word, foster true godly character, unlike the paganisms of worldly holidays that misdirect from His path.

The traditions of men often stand in contrast to the commandments of God. Jesus Himself addressed this issue when speaking to the Pharisees, as recorded in Mark 7:6-9, declaring that they honor Him with their lips while their hearts are far from Him, worshiping in vain by teaching doctrines that are merely human commandments. He rebuked them for laying aside God's commandments to uphold their own traditions, such as the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such practices. This reveals a critical truth: God does not accept just any form of worship, but dictates how we are to approach Him. We cannot choose our own ways or days to honor Him, for true worship must align with His appointed times and commands, not the inventions of human tradition.

The celebration of New Year's Eve, steeped in pagan origins, stands in stark contrast to God's ordained timing for the new year. According to Exodus 12:1-2, God declared the month of Abib or Nisan as the beginning of months, marking the true new year, which for 2016 would be April 9. Nowhere in Scripture does God instruct us to celebrate with parties or revelry; instead, He provides this as a time marker, followed by significant observances like Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. Historical accounts reveal that New Year's Eve celebrations trace back to ancient Mesopotamia, over 4,000 years ago, as a festival renewing the world, intertwined with elements now associated with Christmas. The ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a week-long event of drunken revelry, gift-giving, and even human sacrifice in honor of Saturn, spanning from mid-December to January 1st. Over time, as Christianity spread under Emperor Constantine around 375 AD, pagan customs were absorbed rather than abandoned, despite initial resistance from church leaders. The merriment, greenery, lights, and gifts of Saturnalia were repurposed to align with Christian themes, yet the pagan essence remained. Further, during the Middle Ages, Roman customs merged with Teutonic heathen rites, adding elements like the Yule log from sun worship and mistletoe from Druidic sex worship. The date of New Year's shifted temporarily to March 25 for Germanic fertility rites before Pope Gregory reinstated January 1st in 1582 with his calendar reforms, imposing it across the Western world. This date also became associated with anti-Semitic actions under Pope Gregory and earlier popes like Sylvester, whose influence led to Jewish persecution on New Year's Eve, known among some Jewish communities as Sylvester. Scripture warns against adopting such heathen ways. Jeremiah 10:2 instructs us not to learn the ways of the heathen, while Leviticus 18:3 commands against following the customs of Egypt or Canaan. In the New Testament, Christ in Mark 7:7 condemns worship based on the commandments of men, emphasizing vain traditions. Romans 12:2 urges us not to conform to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind to discern God's perfect will. I John 2:15 warns against loving the world or its ways, and Revelation 18:1-5 calls God's people to come out from the immoral and lustful practices symbolized by Babylon, which echo the nature of New Year's Eve celebrations. New Year's Eve, rooted in pagan fertility rites, sun worship, and later marred by acts of hatred, offers no redeeming value. It serves today as an excuse for drunkenness and foolishness, bearing bad fruit that common sense and God's Word both advise us to avoid. God remains unchanging, as Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8 affirm, and His call to separate from worldly traditions stands firm.

God commands only special sacrifices for the new moons; He never tells Israel to assemble, abstain from work, refrain from preparing food or trading, or feast. Yet Israel did all of these. Feasting on the new moon was a social custom, as David's expectation of sitting at the king's table shows (I Samuel 20:5-6), and probably grew from families choosing those days for an annual thank offering because the days carried no Sabbath restrictions. God did not disapprove of that custom, but He did not command it. Amos 8:5-6 implies that Israel's wealthy ceased business on the new moon, yet they cheated the poor with false balances. They had attached their own stringent ideas to God's law while missing its intent of justice, mercy, and righteousness, and such strictness did not impress God. Israel's zeal assumed that if a little was good, more was better, but Deuteronomy 12:32 and Proverbs 30:6 warn against adding to God's Word. Isaiah 1:14 shows God came to hate their new moons. The same caution applies today: the new moons are a useful tool for marking time toward the festivals, and anyone who establishes a custom for keeping them must remember it is his own custom, not God's.

The veneration of Mary, as seen in Roman Catholicism, stems from traditions of men that trace back to ancient pagan practices. This false worship, originating from the heathen religious system created by Nimrod and Semiramis, centers on the symbol of the Mother and Child, a motif endlessly repeated across cultures and millennia. In various nations, the Mother was often revered as the Queen of Heaven, bearing fruit despite being a virgin. In China, she was known as the Holy Mother; in Germany as Hertha; in Scandinavia as Disa; among the Druids as Vigo-Paritura, the Mother of God; to the Greeks as Aphrodite; and to the Romans as Venus, with her son as Jupiter. The Canaanites, and at times even the Israelites, worshipped Ashtoreth, also called the queen of heaven. In Ephesus, she was known as Diana. This pervasive false worship spread from Babylon to various nations, eventually becoming established at Rome and throughout the Roman Empire. Such traditions of men, rooted in idolatry, stand in direct contradiction to biblical principles that affirm only God the Father and Jesus Christ as worthy of worship.

Humanity frequently deviates from God's explicit instructions by adding to or subtracting from His words through personal or collective traditions. This pattern appears in the Pharisees' decision to fix the date of Pentecost on a calendar rather than counting each year from the day after the Sabbath as commanded, an approach that nullified the effect of God's Word. The same issue surfaces when a long-standing Monday observance of Pentecost gave way to Sunday once the correct meaning of a single Hebrew term became clear, showing that even firmly held customs must yield to scripture. Those who retained the Monday date continued a tradition instead of submitting to the precise wording of the command. The instruction that each person must count for themselves further highlights how reliance on a calendar or external custom can set aside the requirement for individual obedience. These examples illustrate that traditions of men repeatedly test whether individuals will live by every word God has given without alteration, a standard that remains essential for those seeking to follow all of His instructions exactly.

Christianity today resembles a patchwork quilt stitched together from pieces of all kinds of traditions. People call themselves His followers yet follow traditions that violate God's commands in precisely the ways He taught against. Man-made holidays like Christmas often leave people with huge bills, family conflicts, and disappointed children. New Year's Day brings hangovers and broken resolutions while Halloween dwells on demonism and abandoning self-control. These events offer no new understanding of God, His Plan, or wholesome living. Some argue that God's way of life is bondage without realizing the cycle of bondage to destructive lifestyles these man-made events keep them in. This viewpoint is an example of man's attempt through twisted reasoning to force Scripture to conform to preconceived beliefs.

Christ warned the Pharisees against laying aside the commandments of God to hold the traditions of men, citing Christmas and Easter as lies that mix falsehood with divine truth. This syncretism produces a foul mixture that rejects God's way of life, just as ancient Israel did after Jeroboam I replaced the true worship with golden calves, a feast in the eighth month, non-Levitical priests, and Sunday observances. The nation imported foreign cults, swore by the sin of Samaria representing Canaanite deities, and walked the way of Beersheba, believing pilgrimages alone conferred righteousness. Such practices created religion with form but no substance, where people attended shrines, offered sacrifices, sang, and tithed yet continued cheating, stealing, and oppressing without grief over sin or change in conduct. Leaven from the world entered all their traditions, doctrines, and customs, rendering them vain despite sincerity, as Jesus later cautioned against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. This displacement of truth by error occurred gradually through human nature and satanic influence, eroding holiness and producing a people who bore no spiritual resemblance to their holy God. The broader message shows that true religion requires a relationship with God, submission to His law, moral integrity, and social responsibility within the covenant community. Without these, even zealous ceremony fails to transform character or maintain fellowship, leaving participants unchanged and subject to divine rejection. The church must therefore hold fast the pattern of sound words, come out from worldly attitudes and inclinations, and pursue holiness through obedience rather than drift into the same syncretic patterns that doomed Israel.

The Jews had set up their own standards. They were working according to their own ideas and traditions. Their working according to their own ideas and traditions was only a promotion of their own form of rightness and not the righteousness that God demanded. People have substituted their own laws and customs for God's commandments. They ignore God's Word. They refuse to consider God's Truth with its light and its knowledge. Most people avoid worshipping God and every form of biblical instruction with respect to these matters. They argue that all that is necessary is for us to be sincere but that is not all that is necessary. Worship of God is not acceptable if it is not based on truth. Because any zeal that the world has for God is not according to truth, it establishes its own object of worship. To those who believe that sincerity is more important than truth, we must say what Paul said to his contemporaries, that having done all, they are simply establishing their own righteousness. It is not God's way. It is not God's idea of righteousness, but simply their own. People today, however, like the Jews of Paul's day, take their orders from everywhere except from God's Word. They rely on the philosophy and statements of certain popular social engineers and live according to their own ideas rather than according to the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Man would rather do anything else than surrender himself to God. His natural mind rebels at the thought of submitting to God's law. The carnal mind means every single person's mind. This brings us to the absolute necessity that God call a person out of the world and that he receives the Holy Spirit, the mind of God. Then he is able to understand the commandments of God. People have substituted their own laws and customs for God's commandments, thinking that, if they are sincere, they can still receive salvation by doing nothing more than believing that Christ exists. If it looks right or it feels right to them, it becomes their law. This is nothing short of self-righteousness, and we already know where doing what seems right to us leads, unless we repent of this kind of thinking. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. The descendants of the Israelites have always had a problem of zeal and sincerity that does not lead them to salvation. Many sincere, religious people are wrong in their beliefs. Jesus and the apostles foretold, not a universal, widespread popular growth of the true New Testament church, but a falling away from the truth on the part of the great majority. Many of these people are sincere, but they are sincerely wrong, because of their enmity against God. Our all is not enough, if its sincerity is misguided. Zeal and sincerity without true knowledge, which comes alone through Jesus Christ, are vain and futile. Sincerity without truth is worthless, but sincerity based on truth has the right direction and the zeal to pursue the right goal. Sincerity with truth helps us seek first the kingdom of God the kingdom of truth. Let us have a zeal for God according to knowledge and according to truth.

Sunday observance is a tradition of men, not an ordinance of God. Nothing in Scripture indicates that God intended to move the day of worship from the seventh day, and no apostle, prophet, or other messenger ever explained such a change, which would have ignited an unthinkable doctrinal firestorm in the first century. Protestant theologians justify breaking the fourth commandment by claiming to honor the day of Christ's resurrection, but that reasoning fails. The timing of the resurrection proves Jesus is the Messiah through the sign of Jonah, three days and three nights in the grave, and says nothing about which day is holy. Ironically, the same theologians who claim a Friday death and Sunday-morning resurrection invalidate the very sign Jesus gave. Jesus was in fact resurrected on the Sabbath, a day already holy, so even by their own logic the day would be the seventh. Whether through assumed church authority or careless handling of God's Word, church leaders have for centuries, like the Pharisees before them, led millions into error by making the commandment of God of no effect by their tradition (Matthew 15:6). Christ calls His followers to keep His commandments, including the ten given at Sinai (John 14:15; I John 5:2-3). Men changed the day on their own initiative, without respect for God's Word, but when Christ returns, all who claim Him as King will again hallow the Sabbath.

Judaism sees God's Word through the lens of Hellenism and the traditions of Jewish scholars and teachers through the centuries. The Galatian Christians gave God's Word lip service but did not depend on it as the source of their beliefs and practices. Similarly the Colossian Christians were affected by an ascetic form of Gnosticism that included regulations not found in God's Word but were the commandments and doctrines of men. Gnosticism valued what elders told them or what they learned from angels astrology or chemistry instead of having the Word of God as its foundation. The Catholic Church holds that Scripture is only one of three sources from which its dogma is derived the other two being divine revelation and the writings and traditions of previous Catholic saints. Human words and traditions are considered more trustworthy than God's. Protestantism accepts the traditions of men in such beliefs as the Trinity the immortality of the soul going to heaven observing Christmas and Easter and venerating the first day of the week. The antinomianism of the Gnostics rejected any law or standard of conduct that impinged upon their standard of conduct while holding to manmade regulations of do not touch do not taste do not handle. Mainstream Christianity uses portions of Leviticus and Deuteronomy to point out God's abhorrence of abortion and homosexuality but claims that the same law is done away when it comes to the Sabbath and holy days. They have taken to themselves the knowledge of what is good and what is evil establishing their own standard of righteousness.

The source treats the traditions of men only briefly, as a mark of the spirit of antichrist. Satan infiltrates the church by stealth, making false doctrine appear logical, beneficial, and righteous in human eyes through human reasoning and traditions of men. Pride and self-righteousness drive those who are deceived. Antichrists often profess Christianity outwardly, yet their works deny Christ (Titus 1:16), refusing to submit to and obey Him, and they are intent on teaching and promoting the traditions of men. In conversation, those in mainstream Christianity default to the traditions of men to overshadow any scripture that contradicts them, which the source attributes to the blindness that comes from rebelliousness or from not yet being called. In contrast, the Spirit of Christ, marked by obedience to God's law, enables good works, while the spirit of antichrist is a spirit of lawlessness opposing God's law and way of life. God's people are equipped by the anointing of the Holy Spirit to recognize and reject such deception.

Jesus confronted the religious leaders for teaching the commandments of men as doctrines while laying aside the commandment of God to hold the tradition of men. By rejecting God's command in favor of human tradition, they worshiped Him in vain. Their outward piety masked a refusal to submit fully to the true God's way, and their additions distorted the law, which describes God's character. Christ repudiates every addition, subtraction, or distortion that men elevate to divine authority, because such practices break the second commandment by substituting human inventions for the way God commands worship to occur. This principle appears when people insert unscriptural rituals or observances into the worship of God, as Israel did with the golden calf by redefining His nature according to their desires and then proclaiming the result a feast to the LORD. Modern insertions of holidays and symbols follow the same pattern, allowing sincere practitioners to adapt practices of human origin to Christianity. The result remains a syncretistic form that fails to produce the right relationships, peace, prosperity, and godly character that flow from worshiping in spirit and truth. Such traditions arise because self-willed people refuse to surrender to God's instructions, preferring their own reasoning. This elevates human judgment above revealed knowledge and limits God, forcing reliance on another source. The heart's deceitfulness leads many to justify these additions, yet God searches the heart and rejects worship that proceeds from any source other than His own commands. Dedication to knowing and keeping His way alone removes every human tradition and restores worship that aligns with His holiness and purpose.

Jesus confronted the scribes and Pharisees over their elevation of the tradition of the elders above God's commandments. When they questioned why His disciples did not wash their hands before eating bread, He responded by asking why they transgressed the commandment of God because of their tradition. He cited the command to honor father and mother and the penalty for cursing them, then noted their practice of declaring resources as a gift to God so that support for parents could be withheld. This rendered the commandment of no effect through human tradition. Jesus labeled them hypocrites and applied Isaiah's prophecy that the people honored God with lips while their heart remained far from Him, resulting in vain worship by teaching the commandments of men as doctrines. Such doctrinal departures cut people off from the Father and produced useless religion, as James described when warning that failure to be a doer of the word leaves one's religion empty and that true religion remains pure and undefiled only when one keeps oneself unspotted from the world. The same pattern explains why billions who claim to worship do not actually follow the Creator through Jesus Christ. Division into tens of thousands of organizations arises when human traditions replace the one way Christ established, preventing the unity required for God's Family to function as one.

Compromise opens the door to the traditions of men by allowing believers to blend elements of God's truth with worldly practices and beliefs for the sake of expediency or cultural acceptance. This process begins with seemingly minor concessions that erode convictions, as seen when individuals justify small departures from obedience under the assumption that they are inconsequential. Over time these adjustments lead to larger violations, distorting understanding of God's ways and producing religious syncretism in which truth is combined with error to create new systems that appear acceptable to the majority. The pattern appears clearly in Solomon's life. Although he possessed wisdom from God, he violated the restrictions given to Israelite kings by multiplying horses from Egypt, taking many foreign wives, and amassing excessive wealth. Each compromise reinforced the next, ultimately turning his heart toward idolatry and child sacrifice through the influence of his wives. The same dynamic operates in the broader history of religion when pagan customs are incorporated into worship. Practices such as the December 25 celebration, originally tied to the birth of the sun god, were later attached to the birth of Christ, along with symbols like evergreen trees and wreaths that originated in sun worship and fertility rites. These additions represent the traditions of men layered onto biblical teaching, resulting in confusion and a diluted faith. The text connects this development to the present need for steadfastness. When believers yield to the desire to live like surrounding cultures, they risk adopting the same syncretism that has produced mainstream forms of Christianity marked by altered doctrines and observances. Separation from such blending remains the required response, because any amalgamation misrepresents the original message and weakens the ability to hold fast to the faith once delivered. The warning is that small compromises, if unchecked, progress inevitably toward full departure from truth and the loss of eternal life.