Should Believers Rely on Scripture Alone or Also on Tradition?
1) Direct answer
Believers must rely on the Bible alone as the final authority. Any “tradition” that adds to, takes from, or stands beside the Word as equal authority is to be rejected. Customs may exist, but they carry no binding power unless they are plainly taught in Scripture.
2) Scriptural explanation
- The Bible says all Scripture is God-breathed and sufficient to thoroughly furnish the man of God (2 Timothy 3:16–17). If it furnishes us completely, nothing else can be required.
- Jesus rebuked those who made “the word of God of none effect” through their tradition (Mark 7:7–9,13).
- We are warned not to add to or take away from God’s Word (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:5–6; Revelation 22:18–19).
- Even if an angel preached something different, we must not receive it (Galatians 1:8–9).
- “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).
- The Spirit guides into all truth (John 16:13), but Jesus defined truth: “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The Holy Spirit will only quicken what is written.
- Some point to “traditions” in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 and 1 Corinthians 11:2. Those were the apostles’ own teachings given to the church and now preserved in Scripture. The only traditions we “hold” are the apostolic instructions recorded in the Bible.
3) Simple clarifying logic
Now notice: if Scripture is complete and God-breathed, then putting tradition beside it creates a second authority—and two authorities will soon contradict. That’s how the commandments of men nullify the commandments of God. You see, the Word judges tradition; tradition never judges the Word. If a practice agrees with Scripture, we receive it because it is Scripture. If it is not in the Word, it cannot be binding on the believer.
4) Reinforcing statement
Man lives “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Stay with the Word. The Bible is the absolute.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Perfect Faith
63-0825E §27
Therefore, He relied upon what God had made Him. And if He did that, then can't we rely upon what God made us as believers? "These signs shall follow them that believe!" He had faith in what He was. And if you are a believer, you have faith in what you are: you are a believer! And if you've got faith in God, the Bible says over here in ... "If our hearts condemn us, then we can't have faith; but if our hearts don't condemn us, then we have faith, we have confidence towards God." If you want to read that, found in S...
The sign of the uniting time
63-0818 §49
Now but this woman, an infidel, who said that "The Bible's unconstitutional, to read it in public schools," and things like that. Now they also... Have you noticed again, they're trying to say now, and great studiers of the Scripture, said that much of the prophecy that was prophesied in the Bible was absolutely wrong, and never did come to pass. And you've heard of that and read it. And they're trying to say everything; you see, they're trying to destroy the effect of that Word. If they can only destroy and substi...
Broken Cisterns
65-0123 §21
Now, Jeremiah was called also the weeping prophet, and because I believe what made this prophet weak, weep rather, was because him being a prophet (and the Word of the Lord comes to such) and seeing the people walk after their traditions, and thought they were all right; and no way at all to turn them, for they were going straight to exile, because we know you reap what you sow, regardless of who you are, what you are. And we as a nation have reaped, or sowed rather, and we've got to reap. And speaking tomorrow, th...
Going beyond the camp
64-0719E §59
They deny his word, deny his baptism, deny his power, deny his signs, and with a creed or tradition again of wearing turned around collars and everything, making themselves creeds and so forth, they're trying to, upon good works... They wasn't ordained to life to begin with. They had nothing to believe with. "He that knows me, knows my Father! As the Father has sent me, so send I you!" The God that sent Jesus went in Jesus, and the Jesus that sends you goes in you. "He that believeth in me, the works that I do shal...
Why little Bethlehem?
63-1214 §57
When it says "These signs shall follow them that believe." The creed or denomination says, "Oh, it isn't so. But the real man who's born in Bethlehem, says, "Amen!" "The works that I do shall you do also." The denomination says, "It's a bunch of work-up emotion." But the real Bethlehem dweller says, "Amen," because he's satisfied that it's angel Food. "If ye abide in me and my words in you, ask what you will, and it'll be done for you." Amen. Oh, the high and prudent will never see it. We hold so much to our tradit...