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
·
The author of
Hebrews encourages Christians to move on toward maturity by experiencing
victory over temptation through the saving work of Jesus their high priest –
MEAT IS SAYING NO TO SIN AND BEING THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST! V. 5:11
·
The Christian
has exchanged their robe of sin for Jesus’ robe of righteousness – the Hebrews’
author is urging Christians to keep the robe of righteousness on and not to
take it off to sin!
·
If God
permitting the Hebrews’ preacher would like to go on to teaching and applying
meat.
·
Of coarse God
is permitting. But the preacher can only go as fast as the congregation
(hearers) will allow him.
·
Vs. 4-5
describes people who have been converted and are genuine Christians.
·
The phrase:
“tasted the heavenly gift” refers to the experience of salvation that these
people continually enjoyed.
·
The heavenly
gift refers to God’s gift of salvation through Christ.
·
The people
the preacher described enjoyed this gift.
·
The heavenly
gift and Holy Spirit are closely related.
·
Believers
experience salvation only through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
·
At conversion
the believer received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
·
V. 4-6 “If
they fall away” implies that it is possible even for these genuine Christians
to totally reject Christ.
2. A “CHRIST FOLLOWER”
WHO INTENTIONALLY CHOOSES TO TURN AWAY FROM GOD WILL BE CUT OFF FROM HIM. Vs.
4-6
Hebrews 6:4-6 says:
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[a]to their loss they are crucifying the Son of
God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
·
There is much
debate among theologians regarding this passage.
·
However these
verses are interpreted, their original purpose was to motivate the first
century Christians in the face of persecution and pressure.
·
Phrases like
“enlightened”, “tasted the heavenly gift”, “shared in the Holy Spirit” and
“tasted the goodness of the word of God” make it clear that the author is
referring to truly converted persons.
·
The Greek
word for “fall away” in V. 6 implies a willful and purposeful decision to
reject Christ.
·
Most Bible scholars
agree that repentance is impossible for persons who make such a choice.
2 Peter
17Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this,
be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless
men and fall from your secure position.
·
These
passages are not referring to unconscious sins but sins committed in willful
defiance of God.
·
·
The clause
translated “because…they are crucifying the Son of God all over again” is often
translated “while” rather than “because”.
·
·
This suggest
that repentance may not be “impossible” forever but that it absolutely can
never happen while a person is in a state of rebellion against God.
·
The preacher
has already given examples of God’s people falling away in Hebrews 3:7-4:11
when he describes the wilderness generation that did not enter the Promised
Land.
·
The people of
that generation repetitively complained against God and then definitively
refused to trust God and believe his promises.
·
They behaved
in this way of unbelief despite the fact that they have experienced his power
and his miracles like no other people in history.
·
They saw God
bring the 10 plagues.
·
They saw God
part the
·
They saw God
provide food and water in the desert.
·
He gave them
manna from Heaven.
·
They saw and
experienced miracles first hand – yet their hearts grew hard.
·
Thus falling
away from which there is no return results from the persistent rejection of the
abundantly experienced grace of God.
·
The wilderness
generation completely rejected God and his ways.
·
They wanted
to go back to
·
Those who
have fallen away in this way cannot be brought back again to the repentance
which is foundational to the Christian life.
·
V. 6:6 gives
the reasons why those turning away from God cannot be brought back to repentance
– it results in their crucifying the Son of God all over again.
·
They are
“re-crucifying” the One who died for them.
·
Their
rebellion has reached the point of definitive rejection of God’s grace.
·
Their lives
continue to bring public disgrace on Christ.
·
When a
Christian deliberately turns their back on God and his grace, they are
crucifying the Lord Jesus all over again and this angers God. V.6
·
The
preacher’s hearers are far from apostasy. However their tendencies to slackness
that they have evidenced and their slowness to take full advantage of the
resources available in Christ could eventually lead them in that direction.
·
Spiritual
laxity and refusal to receive offered grace may eventually lead one to turn
away from Christ.
·
Persistence
and stubbornness in such rejection may lead them to a place of no return.
3) The book of Hebrews is
warning all Christians to avoid the danger of spiritual complacency because
their apathy may forever cut them off from God like the Israelites who never
entered into the promised land. Vs. 4-6
NOTE: Anyone who feels
genuine sorrow and seeks to repent for sin has not committed the “unpardonable
sin” of blasphemy – only a hardened unrepentant heart is cut off from God
forever. V.7
Mark 3:28-29 Says:
28I tell you the truth, all the sins and
blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29But whoever
blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an
eternal sin."
V. 7 – The preacher warns
his hearers by describing the terrible fate of this nonproductive land.
·
This rain
represents the abundant grace of God. V. 7
·
Both lands
drink in the rain often falling – 6:7 on them.
·
The
unproductive land produces thorns and thistles and therefore is worthless
rather than useful.
·
The thorns
and thistles represent a refusal to live a life of faith and obedience to God.
V. 7
·
It is
interesting to note that thorns and thistles were the result of the curse after
the first sin, but here they portray the cause of the curse.
Genesis 3:17-18 says:
17 To Adam he said, "Because you
listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You
must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.
18 It
will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the
field.
·
The good land
receives a blessing from God.
·
This is the
blessing that God promised Abraham.
·
The land that
produces thorns and thistles represents people who refuse to believe and obey God
and are in danger of being cursed and cut off. V. 8
4. A person’s heart is like
soil in that:
B.
A hard heart is likened to land that grows thorns and thistles – it is
worthless and will be burned in the judgment fire. V. 8
·
Burning
reflects a common Biblical description of God’s judgment.
·
“Worthless”
suggest the idea of not standing the test.
·
Just as the
preacher followed up his description of his hearers’ potential spiritual laxity
in 5:11-6:3 with a description of those who fall away from the faith (6:4-8),
so now he assumes that they have not fallen away (6:9-12) and affirms the
certainty of God’s promises by referring to faithful Abraham in 6:13-20.
Jesus also talked about
people’s hearts being like soil in Luke 8:1-15.
Luke 8:1-15 says:
1After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and
village to another, proclaiming the good news of the
4While a
large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town,
he told this parable: 5"A farmer went out to sow
his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was
trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6Some
fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no
moisture. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up
with it and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on
good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was
sown."
When he said this, he called out, "He
who has ears to hear, let him hear."
9His
disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10He said,
"The knowledge of the secrets of the
" 'though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.'[a]
11"This
is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those
along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away
the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy
when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the
time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell
among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are
choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and
good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
·
A hard heart
cannot bear fruit.
·
·
A good heart
that is receptive to God’s Word bears much fruit.
·
V. 9 – “Even
though we speak like this” – the author is not apologizing for his harsh words –
the possibility of his hearers’ falling away is real.
·
The preacher
will continue to speak words of warning throughout the book, but now it is time
to encourage them by expressing his confidence in them which he does in V. 9
·
In the Greek
the verse begins with the words translated: WE ARE CONFIDENT OF BETTER THINGS
IN YOUR CASE.
·
The better
things include the “blessing of God” mentioned in 6:7
·
His
confidence in these better things rests first of all in the character of God –
GOD IS NOT UNJUST. V. 10
5. GOD IS NOT CRUEL – HE
IS PERFECTLY JUST AND IS MORE THAN FAIR WITH US BECAUSE HE KNOWS THE SECRET MOTIVES
OF THE HEART THAT WE ARE UNAWARE) OF. V. 10
·
Stating that
God is not unjust is a very strong way of stating the dependability of God.
·
God sustains
those who put their trust and hope in Him!
·
The preacher’s
hearers have shown evidence that they do trust God in this way.
·
How does the
preacher know this?
·
Through their
work.
·
Their work
is: The love that they have shown to God by serving and continuing to serve his
people.
·
They display
not only love, but also hope and faith. V. 11-12
·
The New
Testament often speaks of the Christian life in terms of faith, hope and love.1
Corinthians 13:4-13 says:
·
Faith and
hope and love are important because the Hebrew recipients were facing
discouragement, ridicule, persecution and possibly future martyrdom.
·
The preacher
focuses on the faith in God that is necessary to resist these pressures and
endure until they receive what they hoped for.
·
Only by
persevering to the end will their hope be sure.
·
Only by perseverance
can they be certain to obtain the eternal blessings for which they hope.
·
6) THE GOAL
OF THE HEBREWS’ AUTHOR IS TO MOTIVATE CHRISTIANS TO DELIGENTLY LIVE FOR GOD
WITH PATIENT FAITH AND THEREBY AVOID LAZINESS. Vs. 11-12
·
To become
lazy or “sluggish” would be the opposite of the diligence commanded in
·
He lifts
their sights above themselves by calling on them to imitate the great heroes of
faith.
·
The lives of
these past saints were characterized by faith and patience.
·
Patience is
faith that keeps on keeping on, that continues to express itself in obedience,
despite opposition.
·
This continuity
in faith is necessary to inherit what has been promised by God.
·
In Vs, 13-20
the preacher demonstrates that God’s promise is certain.
·
The promise
Christians inherit is God’s promise to Abraham confirmed by God’s oath. Vs.
13-14
·
God speaks
the words quoted in V. 13 &14 while Abraham and Isaac are still on
·
The angel of
the Lord who commanded Abraham not to go through with the sacrifice of Isaac
now speaks a second time.
·
It is only at
this point, after Abraham has obeyed God in sacrifice of Isaac, that God swore
by himself in order to confirm and renew his promise. V. 13-15
·
Previous to
this point in the Genesis narrative, there is no mention of God backing his
promise with an oath.
·
Abraham
received what was promised after he patiently obeyed God and offered Isaac as a
sacrifice. Vs. 13-15
·
God not only
reconfirmed his promise to Abraham with an oath, but he restored Isaac to him.
·
Isaac himself
was the fulfillment of the promise.
·
He was the
beginning of the many descendents both physically and spiritually who would
come through Abraham.
·
Through these
descendents the promise would reach its ultimate fulfillment
·
Abraham
received this fulfillment only after waiting patiently.
7) STRONG FAITH ENABLES A
PERSON TO WAIT PATIENTLY FOR GOD’S PROMISES TO BE FULFILLED. Vs. 15
·
Whereas
people with weak faith give up on God’s promises when the waiting gets long and
difficult…
·
Abraham
trusted God and kept on obeying Him despite his inability to see how God would
fulfill His promise. Vs. 13-15
·
Picture
Abraham puzzling over how God would fulfill his promise if he sacrificed Isaac,
the one through whom the promise was to be fulfilled.
·
But Abraham
kept trusting and obeying anyway.
·
Abraham’s
example assures the readers of Hebrews that those whose keep on keeping on in
faithful obedience will receive what God had promised because God is faithful.
8) THE PROMISE OF SALVATION IS SURE BECAUSE:
·
Abraham received
what was promised. Vs.13-15
·
God confirmed
it with an oath. V. 16-18
·
Jesus guarantees
it by entering God’s presence. V. 19-20
·
MEN SWEAR BY
SOMEONE GREATER THAN OURSELVES. V. 16
·
God’s own
unchanging character is the guarantee of this promise.
·
The oath
confirms what is said and puts an end to the argument.
·
The words
swear, confirms, and argument are legal terms used to emphasize the power of an
oath to confirm.
GOD’S PROMISE AND GOD’S
OATH CONFIRMING THAT PROMISE ARE THE TWO THINGS GOD GAVE US TO HOLD ONTO.
10. GOD’S PROMISE OF
SALVATION CAN BE TRUSTED BECAUSE HE GAVE HIS OATH WHICH HE IS INCAPABLE OF
BREAKING BECAUSE GOD DOES NOT LIE. Vs. 16-18
·
ALTHOUGH WE
MAY NOT ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TOMMOROW HOLDS WE KNOW THE ONE WHO HOLDS TOMMOROW AND
THAT IS ENOUGH!
·
God’s plan is
guaranteed by his own permanence and eternity.
·
This refuge
is our hope. V. 18
·
God has
confirmed it to us by his promise and oath so that we might be greatly
encouraged to persevere in faith and obedience.
·
God wants us
to persevere until we have taken hold of the final fulfillment of that hope in
God’s presence.
·
Vs. 19-20
describes how Jesus guarantees God’s promise and oath by making available the
promised blessings for which His people hope.
11) OUR HOPE IN JESUS
CHRIST IS THE ANCHOR FOR OUR SOUL THAT KEEPS OUR MIND CALM IN TIMES OF DOUBT
AND DIFFICULTY. V. 19
·
This hope is
like an anchor of the ship called soul.
·
Just as an anchor
keeps a ship safe and secure, so the reality of our final hope keeps our true
selves – our inner reality that transcends earth – secure and steadfast.
·
Like an
anchor holding a ship safely in position, our hope in Christ guarantees our
safety.
·
The phrase
inner sanctuary behind the curtain is always used in the Old Testament to
describe the most
·
It was the
place where God dwelt.
·
Only the High
priest could enter.
·
They tied a
rope to his waist so if he dropped dead, they could pull him out.
·
No person
could see God face to face and live.
·
If the priest
had sin in his life he would die instantly because no unholy being could see
God and live.
Exodus 26:33 says:
33 Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark
of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place
from the Most Holy Place.
Leviticus 16:12-15 says:
12 He is to take a censer full of burning coals from
the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense
and take them behind the curtain. 13 He is to put the
incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal
the atonement cover above the Testimony, so that he will not die. 14 He is to take some of the bull's blood and with his finger
sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of
it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.
15 "He
shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its
blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull's blood: He
shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it.
·
The Christian
hope enters into the heavenly most place, the place
where God dwells.
·
The salvation
that God has promised through Christ assures the ultimate entrance of the
faithful into God’s presence.
12) THE HOPE OF THE CHRISTIAN
REACHES INTO THE INNER SANCTUARY OF GOD THROUGH CHRIST AND TOUCHES HIM! V. 20
·
HOPE IN
CHRIST IS OUR ACCESS TO GOD!
·
It also
provides for them to continually enter his presence now.
·
Our hope is
secured by Christ having entered God’s presence once and for all.
·
V. 20 tells
us why this assurance of present access and of final access into God’s presence
is so certain.
·
Jesus who
went before us, has entered on our behalf.
·
The phrase
“went before us” is one word, a noun in the Greek, which most versions
translate as “forerunner.”
·
A forerunner
goes before other people go. It is assumed that others will follow.
·
Jesus has
gone there on our behalf, so that we too might enter.
·
Jesus has
become the exalted high priest who replaces the earthly Aaronic priests.
Psalm 110:1-4 says:
1
The LORD says to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet."
2 The LORD
will extend your mighty scepter from
you will rule in the midst of your enemies.
3 Your
troops will be willing
on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy majesty,
from the womb of the dawn
you will receive the dew of your youth. [a]
4 The LORD
has sworn
and will not change his mind:
"You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek."
·
WHEN WE PUT
OUR HOPE IN JESUS, HE GIVES US A PEACE THAT TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING THAT
PROTECTS OUR MINDS FROM ANXIETY AND OUR HEARTS FROM PAIN.
“Rejoice in the Lord
always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all.
The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of
God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4-7