The Bible denies that it is sufficient as the complete rule of faith. Paul says that much Christian teaching is to be found in the tradition which is handed down by word of mouth (2 Tim. 2:2). He instructs us to "stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thess. 2:15).
This oral teaching was accepted by Christians, just as they accepted the written teaching that came to them later. Jesus told his disciples: "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me" (Luke 10:16). The Church, in the persons of the apostles, was given the authority to teach by Christ; the Church would be his representative. He commissioned them, saying, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19).
And how was this to be done? By preaching, by oral instruction: "So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ" (Rom. 10:17). The Church would always be the living teacher. It is a mistake to limit "Christ’s word" to the written word only or to suggest that all his teachings were reduced to writing. The Bible nowhere supports either notion.
Paul illustrated what tradition is: "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures. . . . Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed" (1 Cor. 15:3,11). The apostle praised those who followed Tradition: "I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you" (1 Cor. 11:2).
The first Christians "devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching" (Acts 2:42) long before there was a New Testament. From the very beginning, the fullness of Christian teaching was found in the Church as the living embodiment of Christ, not in a book. The teaching Church, with its oral, apostolic tradition, was authoritative. Paul himself gives a quotation from Jesus that was handed down orally to him: "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).
If there a body of “oral Tradition” that stands on equal authority with the written Scriptures where may we find these traditions and would not these traditions of necessity be in FULL AGREEMENT with the written word?
“Paul illustrated what tradition is: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures. . . . Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed” (1 Cor. 15:3,11). The apostle praised those who followed Tradition: “I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you” (1 Cor. 11:2).
What traditions were those? What traditions did Paul pass on to them orally that are not found in written Scripture?
How do we know?
“He commissioned them, saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19).
They were to make disciples for Christ by teaching what Christ had taught, commanded, so is there some tradition or set of traditions that Christ taught that must be taught IN ADDITION to what the written Scriptures teach as
Christ's commandments? If so what are these traditions?
Scripture does not teach that. There's no support for the claim that much Christian teaching is to be found in the tradition which is handed down by word of mouth.
2 Timothy 2:2You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
He instructs us to "stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thess. 2:15).
And I will ask again. What traditions are those, how to we know they're from Paul, and how do we know that those claimed traditions were passed down faithfully? What source do you use to verify the teachings and their veracity?
The apostle praised those who followed Tradition: "I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you" (1 Cor. 11:2).
On the contrary, the believers were commended for searching Scripture to verify Paul's teachings to see if they were so. They didn't take even Paul himself at his word but rather checked out what he was saying, comparing it to Scripture.
Acts 17:11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
So if someone quotes scripture to you (by word of mouth) or you read it from scripture it’s different teaching then is contained in scripture? Can you prove that what they taught by word was different than if the people had read it in scripture? You would need to prove that if your contention that “oral teaching” is teaching something that isn’t in or isn’t backed up by scripture. Now if you can’t prove that is what he was saying then what you content is just “traditions of men”.