Many years ago, I read a story of a newlywed couple. She was preparing a ham for their first Sunday dinner as a married couple in their new home, and he was wanting to help. (Remember, these are newlyweds.)
As she took the ham out of the wrapping, she placed it on a cutting board and carefully cut of a portion of the end. Her husband, new to the ways of the kitchen, asked his bride why she cut off the end. “That’s what my mother always did, so I have, too.” The bride began to wonder herself why the end was lopped off prior to cooking, so she called her mother and asked her.
“That’s the way my mother always cooked her hams,” was the mother’s reply. Even more curious, the bride phoned grandma and put the same question to her. Grandma’s wise answer was simple: “I cut it off so it would fit into my small pot.”
Many times, we do things because that’s what we’ve always been told. Those we relate to and fellowship with act in a similar fashion to us, and we seldom if ever question the why of what we do. Some traditions are based on sound reasons; others were started because they simply needed to fit the pot.
In the Bible, there are commandments and there are traditions or practices. The commandments are meant for the ages, but the practices were only relevant to that time or place and are no longer to be considered necessary. Knowing the difference can allow us to engage in greater fellowship with those who worship similarly to us but also worship differently. Once we understand each other, we can build the bridges that join us in the unity of Spirit that Christ prayed for in John 17.
The Differences between Commands and Practices
“Now that I, your Teacher and Master, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:14-15).
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love one another. By this will all men you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).
On the night Jesus knew He was to be betrayed, the Bible says that Jesus showed the full extent of His love for the disciples. They had gathered in an upper room to celebrate the Passover. It was to be a night of fellowship and solemn remembrance, the observance of the most sacred of Jewish faith. As the men gathered, there was an unspoken need. Without saying a word, Jesus got up from the host’s seat at the table, removed His outer garment, rapped a towel around His waist, filled a basin with water and began washing the disciples’ feet.
History tells us such a menial task was beneath the dignity of a Jewish slave, yet Jesus voluntarily began the ministry of cleaning His disciples’ feet of the dust and dirt that is accumulated in the course of a day walking dusty streets wearing sandals. He had a reason for doing so. Jesus always had a reason for the things He did. Peter protested, but his objections were quickly overcome, and Jesus finished the task.
Having removed the towel from around His waist and putting on His outer garment, Jesus sat down again in His customary place. I’m not sure if all eyes were upon Him or upon the ground, but certainly Jesus had the attention of every man present.
It was at this time that He told them He had set them an example to wash one another’s feet. Was this example also a commandment? I don’t think so. Jesus repeatedly uses the word “should” not “must.” In the context of the passage, Jesus seems to be teaching us that we need to consider our position in Christ in such a way that we see any opportunity to serve as one we should offer. Jesus uses this teaching moment to show His followers that we must never think ourselves above a particular task, no matter how menial or undignified. Jesus saw a need; He met it. As Teacher and Lord, He sets us an example.
However, in vs. 34-35, Jesus makes it very clear that the idea of loving one another as He loves us is not an example but a command. This unconditional love we are to have for one another is mandatory for His disciples. This love is the distinguishing characteristic of all followers of Christ—“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
The difference between a command and a practice is that the command is expected of us—if we love Christ, we obey His commands (cf. John 14:23), while the example is not. There are some churches that practice foot washing as part of their worship; many other churches don’t. Neither church is being disobedient to Christ; neither one is being more Christ-like in their worship. A church that does not practice the love of Christ, on the other hand, is in serious need of repentance and renewal (cf. Revelation 2:1-7).
Other Examples of Practice instead of Commands
I was having a discussion with someone who mentioned she wanted to find a new fellowship, one that was obedient, including observing the Lord’s Supper or communion on a weekly basis. I knew the church where she worshiped, but I had never heard anyone say that the weekly observance was in response to a command. Wanting to know where she was coming from, I asked her where the Bible commands this. She pointed to Acts 3:42 as one verse that commands it. That verse reads, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
This verse begins a summary of the early practice of the church in Jerusalem immediately following Pentecost. This was a fellowship of believers which had grown from 120 people in an upper room into a body of over 3000 as a result of the events of Pentecost. The church was suddenly made up of people who had never literally walked with Jesus and heard His teachings. Instead, the new members were having to rely on the teachings of the apostles. It was a crash course on what it means to follow Christ, and the new converts were eager to learn.
Many of these converts were from all over the Roman Empire who had come to Jerusalem for the observance of Pentecost. Now, they stayed behind in Jerusalem, most of them unemployed and running low of funds. It’s only reasonable that they church began providing meals for the new members, relying on gifts from the early followers of Christ and others to sustain them.
The meals that were provided were referred to as “the breaking of bread.” The term is also used in v. 46, indicating that the members also had meals in each other’s homes. Is this a command that believers should partake in the Lord’s Supper every time they have fellowship together or come together in worship? Obviously, there are those who say that it is a commandment.
However, looking at the verses, we see a description of events that were taking place in the new church that had suddenly sprouted in Jerusalem. Nowhere in Acts 3:42-47 is it suggested that the weekly observance was commanded. It could be argued that the breaking of bread in this passage doesn’t even refer to the Lord’s Supper at all.
When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on the night of His betrayal, He told us to observe the meal in remembrance of Him, but He didn’t give a specific frequency or time. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 11, also fails to mention a frequency of observance.
In other words, the observance of the Lord’s Supper is a commandment from Christ given the night that He initiated the supper. But how frequently we observe communion is merely a practice.
Why Is It Important to Know the Difference?
My understanding of commands and practices is that commands are usually relating to the way we live in our daily lives, while practices are concerned more in the way we worship or do church. While both are important, I think we are expected to live a certain way while given the freedom to worship in the ways we feel most comfortable.
When Jesus gave a command, He expected it to be a part of our way of living from the moment we professed our faith in Him. Jesus said He came to fulfill the Laws and the Prophets, and His expectation is that we would carry on that fulfillment as we lived Spirit-led lives. Jesus reminds us that we obey out of our love for Him, not out of a sense of legalism but relationship.
The commands of the Bible stand the test of time. They are designed to shape the way we relate to God and to each other. The commands are given in order that we might know what is and isn’t expected of us. They are given to guide us in our daily living. The Ten Commandments are an excellent summary of how we relate to God (through the first four commandments) and how we relate to one another (the final six commandments). The Beatitudes that introduce the Sermon on the Mount also give us an idea of how to live.
Practices, on the other hand, may not stand the test of time. As society changes, our practices of worship will change as well. Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 11 are good examples of how practices change. For instance, in 11:3-16, Paul talks about prophesying and praying. He says for a man to do so with his head covered dishonors the man; for a woman to do so dishonors herself if her head is not covered.
(I would note that here Paul is not saying a woman should not pray or prophesy in public worship; merely that her head should be covered. He addresses women leading in worship elsewhere, but here, he doesn’t seem to have a problem with it.)
Today, it is unusual for women to wear covers over their heads when they come to worship. He also questions whether or not men should have long hair and lead in worship. When I was a young man, long hair was fashionable for men of a certain age (teens and younger men). As I grew older, short hair became the style for young men. I remember walking through a grocery store several years ago. I noticed the men my age had hair that was longer than my dad would have worn his hair, but much shorter than I would have ever worn in my college days. Nonetheless, our hair was longer than almost all the teenage boys who were sacking groceries. I do remember in the 70’s when Billy Graham let his hair grow longer in the back. I walked out of that grocery store thinking, “We’re still the long-hairs.”
The point is that we no longer really consider the length of a man’s hair or the covering of a woman’s head. Those practices have changed with the times, as they will no doubt continue to do so.
If the order and the way of worship was truly important, I believe the Bible would have given explicit instructions on how to worship, but it doesn’t. The Bible is really silent on the matters of worship aside from broad instructions of praise and thanksgiving and the signing of hymns.
Speaking of the signing of hymns, the hymns we sing and the way we present them have radically changed over the past few years. Strong conservative churches that would never even consider charismatic practices today have praise teams and electric instruments. Instead of hymn books, we use overhead screens and power point presentations.
Is it good? Is it bad? It’s neither, just different. Some of us prefer the old ways of praise; others enjoy the new ways.
Several years ago, we had moved and just joined a new church. The minister of education asked me if I’d help out with Vacation Bible School. I asked him, “Why are you having VBS?” His expression told me that that wasn’t a question he was expecting. Sometimes, though, we need to ask ourselves why we do the things we do, both as a church and as individuals. Honestly and objectively assessing the reasons we do certain things will allow us to consider whether we obey a commandment or carry on a tradition. If the latter, asking why can allow us to reaffirm the reason, alter the reason to better fit the needs, or do away with the practice entirely.
Conclusion
In the Bible, there are commands and practices. The commands we are given are fairly certain and straight forward. The principles are less so. The main point of the practices of worship is that each of us finds worship that allows us to fellowship with God and offer ourselves to Him both in community of church worship and individually in our daily devotions. The commands God gives us are things He expects us to do; the practices are left up to us, as long as the practices do not violate the commands.
We should celebrate the Spirit that brings us together, while celebrating the practices that allow us to express ourselves as individuals in the presence of God through His Spirit.
© 2017 Glynn Beaty