Following Christ or Traditions

Question: Am I following Jesus or following a religious tradition? Trevin Wax asks the question at Following Christ « Kingdom People

One of the greatest realizations a person can come to in the early stages of Christian faith is that Christ’s command to follow him means we should follow him and him alone. His call is one of unconditional surrender and total allegiance to his Name.

Yet, even in the name of Christ, we are often, even unknowingly, influenced to follow another master:

• Religion may have us follow forms of tradition that we have grown comfortable with.
• Churches may have us follow charismatic pastors and preachers and the teachers whose words and concepts tickle our ears.
• Popular culture will court us to follow singers, glitzy stars, and the writers who entertain us.
• Evangelicalism might want us to buy into the latest fad in the Christian subculture.

Yet, Jesus didn’t say, “Follow them”; he said quite clearly, “Follow me.” The true disciple puts his loyalty, not with a group or another human or a new idea, however good those things may be, but only with his master who has called him by name.

(Yes, I noticed the irony of posting this right after the previous one.)