Friday, September 25 –
We continue our reading through the New Testament and our
reading in the book of Hebrews. Today’s
reading is from Hebrews 5:11 – 6:20. After you’ve read the passage, please come
back, and we’ll look at it a second time.
The writer of Hebrews had just finish extolling Jesus, first as the Son of God,
but then appointed by the Father to the role of King and High Priest. In a sudden shift, he pauses that
conversation, and once again, issues a warning to the Jewish believers who were
stuck in doubt. The writer expresses his
disappointment at the level of maturity they have stayed at – which is, they
were not progressing, but standing still.
“ About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you
have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be
teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the
oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on
milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But
solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment
trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (5:11-14).
A child is meant to drink milk for the first few months, but they will not grow
if they stay exclusively on milk. The
Bible has a lot to say about “growing in faith.” The growth we are concerned with is not
religious piety, nor better manners, but a growth in knowledge and
understanding about who God is, and therefore, who we are. Growing up in Christ is not a matter of
memorizing a few Scriptures or attending church regularly (although neither is
a bad idea). Growing in Christ is the
application of Biblical knowledge to everyday life experiences. Older Christians are not necessarily wiser
Christians. While time should be
helpful, it isn’t if there is no application of what Scripture says to
behavior, attitudes, and motivations – “for everyone who lives on milk is
unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child” (5:13). To be “unskilled” in applying God’s truth to
life remains a “child” in terms of faith.
Translated into today’s vernacular – “it’s time to grow up!”
“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ
and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead
works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on
of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we
will do if God permits” (6:1-3).
For ten years, we lived in a small village in Wisconsin. I regularly took my dog for walks in the
country, and quite frequently, we took a route that led us past a most unusual
property. In the middle of an area of
newer homes sat a foundation for a house, with no structure built upon it. I often wondered what happened: Did someone begin it but run out of money? Did someone start it but die? Did a couple start it and divorce? My mind went in different directions, and
when I asked a few people, no one knew what happened. For those ten years, and perhaps even today,
the foundation is there, but the house on it is not! So also, these doubting, fence-sitting
believers were not growing…they were stuck in various past rituals and
patterns. They knew, even believed in
Christ Jesus, but could not apply his life and teachings to their own
lives. What happens when a Christian gets
stuck like this and doesn’t seem to grow?
The context gets very sober as the writer warns them that
they cannot, must not, stay in this no man's land of indecision, and he does so
with a little phrase: “It is impossible” –
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have
tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have
tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming
age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their
loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to
public disgrace” (6:4-6).
These verses have kept theologians and pastors busy for two thousand
years. The question is, what is the
writer saying about these who live in doubt?
Their spiritual immaturity is has led to “drift away” (2:1), and some to
“fall away” (3:12) – all because of “hardened hearts” (3:12-13). If they genuinely become opponents of the
Gospel and turn away from it, they are Apostates. In that case, they had “one time been
enlightened,” i.e., heard the message of the Gospel. They had “tasted” – seemingly had genuinely
said they believed. Had they genuinely
received the Holy Spirit? Some would say
“yes”; and began their lives “tasting the goodness of the word of God.” Twice he says they “tasted.” It’s a kind way of saying, “they tried it,
but didn’t consume it.”
There is, in these words, a dire warning – “do not sit in
judgment upon God’s revelation, for it will sit in judgment upon you!” If they go down the road of Apostasy, they
will not return, and it will be impossible for them to return. F. F. Bruce says, “God has pledged Himself
to pardon all who truly repent, but Scripture and experience alike suggest that
it is possible for human beings to arrive at a state of heart and life where
they can no longer repent. “Those who despise God’s grace, also will
despise God’s Son (6:6), and thus forfeit God’s blessing –
“Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop
useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But
land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being
cursed. In the end it will be burned” (6:7-8).
What do we make of this all? Is it
saying that a person who has been genuinely converted can lose their
salvation? We all know people who, have
begun saying they believed, have since walked away. Are they relegated to this place of Apostasy
permanently, forever doomed? We must
remember the context. The writer is issuing a “warning,” not a decree. He goes so far as to say I don’t believe this
will be what you will become – “Even though we speak like this, dear
friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to
do with salvation” (6:9). He does
not believe they have gone down that road, but he also is aware that some
might. His exhortation seems to be – “if
you think there is another way to righteousness and eternal life, and you turn
from Jesus, you will lose the only thing that can give you righteousness and
life.” The warning is real, but the
actual apostasy had not happened, and he is convinced it won’t. If a person walks away, and it is permanent,
then they were never genuinely saved to begin with.
Growth is how we demonstrate that life in Christ is what we
will always seek. Looking backward, he
described it: 1) Eat solid spiritual food
– the word of God is alive, powerful, and goes to the heart, soul, and mind of
the believer (4:12,13). Partake of God’s
word, read it, study it, listen to it taught, and chew on it (meditate). 2)
Practice the things of God daily.
No one would think it good to eat once a week for two hours and then not
eat the rest of the week. It wouldn’t be
healthy, and it wouldn’t make sense. So
also, take the time to read God’s word, chew on it, but then apply it. Like playing the piano, or any instrument, we
will grow in proportion to the amount of practice we maintain.
Confidence is an acquired skill. No one who begins something new is totally
confident. As a Christian, our faith
does not lie within us, but outside of us, in Jesus Christ, and it is Christ who
fans the flame that burns confidence into our soul -
“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown
him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each
of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for
may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate
those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised” (6:10-12).
He reminds them that God knows their heart and sees their actions, and he is
for them. So, they need not be lazy, or
intimidated, doubtful, but can through faith and perseverance press on to grow
up in Christ – it’s a reworked sentence that he had just written – “Therefore
let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity…” (6:1).
Every believer goes through the cycles of “up and down”
growth. Maturity is not attained in a
straight line but through a series of “ups and downs.” Nothing more illustrates that truth than the
story of Abraham – the Father of all Jews.
Abraham heard God’s call but delayed in responding. When he did respond, he manipulated people to
get their favor and lied about his wife, telling others she was his
sister. When God spoke to tell him what
he was going to do, Abraham said yes, but then decided on his own to make God’s
promise happen – yet that failed miserably (Genesis 11 – 16). In all of Abraham’s failures and lack of
faithful responses, he did not stop God from being faithful to Him. It is in this example that the writer reminds
these Hebrews, God has not changed -
“For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom
to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and
multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the
promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in
all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired
to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character
of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two
unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled
for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before
us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that
enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a
forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order
of Melchizedek” (6:13-20).
He appeals to the story of Abraham to remind them that God has not changed –
“it is impossible for God to lie.” Not
only is God unchangeable, but God’s promises also are never changed. So, be encouraged, even if you are a struggling
saint, God does not fail (6:18). We have
an anchor in the storm of life that will keep us firmly held. Jesus Christ is the anchor for our souls!
Peace
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