Hebrews 6
Mike Barnett,
Hebrews 5:11-14
says:
11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to
explain because you are slow to learn. 12In fact, though
by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary
truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not
acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But
solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to
distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 6:1-20 says:
1Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about
Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance
from acts that lead to death,[a] and of faith in God, 2instruction
about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and
eternal judgment. 3And God permitting, we will do so.
4It is
impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the
heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5who
have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because[b]to their loss they are crucifying the Son of
God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
7Land 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. 8But
land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being
cursed. In the end it will be burned.
9Even though
we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your
case—things that accompany salvation. 10God 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. 11We
want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make
your hope sure. 12We do not want you to become lazy, but
to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
13When
God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to
swear by, he swore by himself, 14saying, "I will
surely bless you and give you many descendants."[c] 15And so after
waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
16Men swear
by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts
an end to all argument. 17Because God wanted to make the
unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised,
he confirmed it with an oath. 18God did this so that, by
two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have
fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and
secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20where
Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high
priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
1. To mature spiritually in Christ a
Christian must go beyond “milk” teaching which is a metaphor
for the doctrine of salvation and eat “meat” which is a metaphor for the
doctrine of sanctification.
·
Salvation is
the gift of being saved from sin by grace through faith – this is milk teaching!
Ephesians 2:1-8 says:
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not
by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do.
·
Sanctification
is the responsibility of becoming more like Jesus in character, thought, speech
and behavior – This is meat/solid food teaching!
1 Peter 1:13-16 says:
“Therefore, prepare your minds for
action: be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you
when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil
desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is
holy, so be holy in all that you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am
holy.”
·
The author of
Hebrews is using the analogy of a baby needing milk in the early stages of
development, but as he/she grows the young child will need to transition from
milk to solid food for nourishment - Likewise the Christian will also need to
transition from drinking spiritual milk to eating spiritual meat to keep
growing in Christ.
Acts
17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and
they received the Holy Spirit.
·
The Jews were
used to baptisms and water based rituals from the Old Testament.
·
Jews also
believed in baptism or “washings” and sometimes practiced the laying on of
hands.
·
Some Jews believed
in the resurrection and judgment.
·
However new
converts in Christ received distinctive teaching on each of these subjects.
·
For example
the laying on of hands represented the gift of the Holy Spirit given at
Pentecost.
·
Likewise the Resurrection
of the Dead was a fundamental teaching that distinguished both Judaism and
Christianity from the surrounding pagan world.
·
Needless to
say the Jews were already exposed to many of these doctrines because they
existed in some elementary form in Judaism.
·
One doctrine
that was completely new was salvation by grace through faith – AND NOT BY
WORKS.
·
Salvation by
grace though faith in Christ is an elementary “milk” teaching because God does
all the work in saving and redeeming a person’s soul! V. 2
·
Obviously
these converted Christians who came from Judaism struggled with salvation by grace
through faith – perhaps because they were used to working for their salvation.
·
The “laying
on of hands” where Christians receive an anointing from God is elementary “milk”
teaching because God does all the work in calling, anointing and empowering the
“Christ follower” for ministry. V. 2
·
There is no
Christianity without the belief in the resurrection of Jesus and for the
believer one day when Christ comes again – this is considered to be an
elementary “milk” teaching because God
does all the work in resurrecting the dead. V. 2
·
Both
believers and unbelievers will be judged for their life lived here on earth
which will determine whether they live in Hell or Heaven for all eternity –
this is an elementary teaching because God does all the work in judging
humanity in the last days. V. 2
·
In general, “milk”
teachings in the Bible are those doctrines where God does all the work. V. 2
·
Repentance,
faith in God, and baptism are choices the believer makes but still are considered
to be elementary, “milk” teachings because God does all the work in convicting
and guiding the young believer to make the right choices. V. 2
John 16:5-15 says:
5"Now I am going to him who sent me,
yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6Because
I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7But
I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go
away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and
judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe
in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going
to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in
regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12"I
have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But
when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will
not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you
what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by
taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All
that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take
from what is mine and make it known to you.
·
In general,
meat/solid food teachings in the Bible are those doctrines where the believer
has responsibility to do at least part of the work like denying self and
following Jesus!
·
Obedience is
a choice and the Christian who is choosing to obey God is eating solid
food/meat!
·
The believer
who is not obeying God’s Word, but is listening to God’s grace is drinking in
milk!
·
“If you love
me, you will obey what I command”. John 14:15