Sunstone,
Most things come down to this; God had His word written down, and promised to protect His word from every generation, Psalms 12:6;7. The Bible tells us to put our trust in God, meaning what is written in the Bible, Proverbs 3:5,6. God says not to trust in men because no Salvation is in men, Psalms 146:3,4. In fact, Cursed is the man who trusts in men, Jeremiah 17:5, but blessed is the man who puts his trust in Jehovah God, Jeremiah 17:7. We are told not to put trust in our heart, because it can lead us wrong, Jeremiah 17:9,10, Proverbs 28:26.
We know that men come to different conclusions about things, depending on their education, even books that are written are obsolete before the get to the book shelves. Depending on a persons position, he sees things differently, because men think one subject is more important, at least to them. Peoples opinions change constantly, and no person can be expected to have a perfect memory, so passing on knowledge about God’s purposes, cannot be left to men to transmit God’s word accurately, down through the generations.
Jesus answered the question about traditions at Matthew 15:1-20, 18-20, Mark 7:7,8.
A very important point to remember, we are going to be judged by what the Bible says. Would you want to be judged by man’s memory about what God said, or by what He says, in His word, the Bible, Isaiah 40:8, 2Timothy 3:16:17, 2Peter 1:20,21, 1Peter 1:25. Even in the first century, many of the things taught by the Pharisees were traditions of men, not what was written in the Bible. Jesus was under obligation to obey the Bible, not men! Just as we are!!!
