WARNINGS (IV)

Do you remember how as a child you wanted so badly to grow up? Daydreaming of the day when you would be able to drive, have your own money to buy whatever you wanted, and to move out of your family home into one of your own? This desire to grow is one that is systematically important in society. If any of you have children, you are aware of the doctors asking you how your child is doing, what milestones they have reached, and where your child is on the height and weight for their age. But while the capability of growing is an important one for us physically, it is even more so spiritually. Once we become saved we naturally should desire to grow in our understanding of the Lord and what His plan is. However, the Jewish Christians that the book of Hebrews was written to were wanting to do the exact opposite. They were sliding backwards into old issues, and many of us today face the same struggle. This is where our third “warning” passage from Hebrews comes from.

“11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 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, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. 6 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, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.” Hebrews 5:11-6:3

As mentioned before, the Jewish Christians that the book of Hebrews was written to were in danger of abandoning the faith in favor of sliding back into Jewish customs to avoid persecution. In doing so, these Christians not only began to abandon the Word of God, but also began to doubt it. The book of Hebrews was written so that they would not repeat the mistakes of the past, like when their forefathers began to doubt the Word when facing the inhabitants of Canaan which caused them to wander the desert for forty years. The author of Hebrews wished to encourage the readers by reminding them of the past so that they could grow and look to the future. But because these Christians were already beginning to drift from the faith, they also began to doubt God’s Word, and when they began to doubt they became dull to the Word.

This is a fate we all risk when we are not actively studying God’s Word. I say actively for a reason, our time with the Lord can not be merely opening an app and spending a couple minutes on it. It cannot even be solely based on our church service. The Bible must be read intensely for us to better understand it. When my husband and I were planning our wedding, we were in a situation where the only way we could plan was through letters. In fact, this was the major form of communication that we had for most of our engagement. I can assure you that when I received a letter from him I read it when there was no distractions, it was through those letters I got to know my soon to be husband better. This is the only example that I can give to show the intensity that we need to read our Bibles, we cannot do it when we are distracted or else the meanings are lost and the Bible, our letters from God, becomes dull and meaningless.

That is the main emphasis to the third “warning” passage in Hebrews, to not become dull to the Word but to continue to grow in our knowledge of the Word. The writer of Hebrews wished to share more of God, but couldn’t. Not because they wouldn’t understand it, but because they had become dull to the Word. “11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.” These Jewish Christians became apathetic to the Word and became lazy in their desire to understand it. They first began to drift (Hebrews 2:1-4) then began to doubt (Hebrews 3:7-4:13) and as such they became unable to receive the Word of God for what it was and were unable to act on it, meaning they were unable to grow in their spiritual life. As a side note, the exact opposite of this attitude can be found in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, “13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe.” The Christians here received the Word of God for what it was, God’s letters to us, and as such they became inspired to listen to the Word and allow it to work through them.

But what else does being dull to the Word mean? Well for starters it means that you lose the ability to share the Word. “12 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.” Hebrews 5:12a By the time the book of Hebrews was written, the Jewish Christians should have been able to teach others the Word of God but because they were not actively studying it they were unable to share. While not everyone is not called to be a pastor, we should all have the ability to teach others how to follow Christ. We should be able to share with others what we have learned in our Bible studies and be able to answer questions. This goes back to the Great Commission that we have all been given. “19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20.

Instead of being teachers of the Word, the Jewish Christians were instead needing “baby food” watered down passages to nourish for a little while, not real substance that would not only nourish but also allow them to grow. “You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. ” Hebrews 5:12b-13. This timeline of growth is exemplified in the life of the disciples who needed Jesus Christ to feed them “milk” at times rather than “meat” due to their spiritual immaturity. Later these disciples were able to carry on and, through the Holy Spirit, give “solid food” to the Church. The author of Hebrews wanted to show how Christ fulfilled the priestly order of Melchizedek but because they were dull to the Word, they would not understand it. They needed to be taught the basics yet again because they were not allowing the Holy Spirit to teach them. Just as a child cannot survive on milk alone, we cannot grow in the Lord if we are repeatedly needing to relearn the basics. For those of us who are parents, we are charged with teaching our children. “18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.” Deuteronomy 11:18-21. If we cannot answer our children’s questions about the Bible how can we expect them to have an understanding of God and what He has done and is doing for us? If we do not live Biblical lives how do we expect our children to act righteously and follow God?

In verse 13, the author of Hebrews makes a note that they are unskillful in using the Word but what exactly does this mean? It means that they lacked discernment, they would listen to anyone and did not have the knowledge to fact check what they were being told to the Bible. They were not being like the Bereans, “11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11 From our earlier verse regarding those in Thessalonica we see that it is not just enough to receive the Word for what it is, written from God, but to also examine the Word to be sure that what they are being taught is held up in the Scriptures.

So how do we avoid becoming dull to the Word? By pressing on and moving toward spiritual maturity, “6 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, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.” Hebrews 6:1-3 We are all called to spiritual progress, if we are not moving forward in our understanding then we are backsliding. As a Christian we are never at a standstill, we are either moving forward or backwards, and if we are moving backwards we are vulnerable to the influence of the world.

We see in this passage that the author writes six foundational truths that all Christians must have. The first two are repentance and faith, these have to do with our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is only when a person recognizes that they are a sinner and wishes to turn away from it that they are able to place their faith in Jesus Christ. The third and fourth truths are baptisms and laying on of hands. These are events that are characteristic to Christians meeting together, baptisms are our identification with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection while laying on of hands is the act of prayer. For our spiritual growth we need to be surrounding ourselves with other believers. The last two truths are resurrection of the dead and eternal judgement, both of which deal directly with what every person will have to go through one day. Throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament are verses regarding resurrection and judgement, whether it is witnessing a resurrection like Lazerous, John 11:38-44, or the Great White Throne Judgement in Revelation 20:11-15, the Bible is filled with examples regarding these types of events. These six foundational truths all lead up to result of moving forward in faith, spiritual maturity.

We are all called to grow in the Word as this “warning” passage shows, and it is also amplified in James 1:22-24, “22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.” When we become dull to the Word of God, we do not act on His Word. This causes us to become deceived about what the Word of God says. But when we study the Word of God intently, then we can grow and continue on and be blessed. It is why we must be in continuous evaluation of our lives in light of scripture. It is how we can see any issues we have and make the changes necessary. “18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18. 

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex