He (Peter) said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.” Acts 10:28
Tradition is a “long-established belief or custom” impacting how people live and do things. Peter broke a tradition that all Jewish people and even believers held to, and he had to defend his actions on several occasions. But Peter did not just break the tradition for the fun of it. God clearly instructed him through a vision to do the unthinkable. Peter resisted the Lord initially since he knew the repercussion; but yielded fully and did not wait for any board, council, or close associates to approve his planned visit to a Gentile’s home. Sometimes we create problems for ourselves by breaking traditions for no apparent reason. We can break a tradition if its practice directly contradicts the Bible. We can break it also if the principle of Philippians 4:8 is applied, and that tradition falls short. Hearing a voice today as Peter did must square up with God’s Word. Happy Independence here in the US.
