Here’s the third part of our series, The Book of Hebrews.
In this post, we’ll focus on Hebrews 5:11 through 6:3,
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. 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.
To help you make sense of where we are in our study, first, review the following:
The author of this book is making the point that Jesus is the Christ, the One the Law and the Prophets have talked about.
In part one, he made it clear that long ago, God spoke to the Jewish people through the law and the Prophets. But, now, God is speaking through His Son, Jesus Christ.
When you read chapters 1 through 4, it is obvious that through Jesus Christ we all now have full access to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:12-16).
In other words, through Christ, we now can receive mercy and find grace in times of need.
God, however, wants us to get more, which Hebrews 5 discusses in terms of spiritual growth.
Moving Toward Maturity
Hebrews 5 and 6 talk about two levels of growth in Christ: infancy and maturity.
The author uses two analogies: milk and solid food. Milk is for infants while solid food is for those who are mature.
Spiritually Baby Christians
Spiritually talking, infants who need milk represent people who still require the basic knowledge of faith:
- Foundation of repentance from sin.
- Faith in God.
- Instructions about the cleansing rituals, laying on of hands, resurrection, and eternal judgment (Hebrews 6:1).
In other words, if you are still struggling from freedom from sin, whether to believe in God or not, and uncertainty of your salvation, you may fall into the group of those who need milk, and not solid food.
Spiritually Mature Christians
The spiritually mature Christians are those who need solid food. And, what does solid food stand for?
According to Hebrews 5:14, spiritually mature Christians are those who:
- have trained themselves.
- distinguish good from evil.
Let’s look at the first characteristic of being spiritually mature, “self-trained.”
What that means is that these are a group of Christians who have established the following for self-growth:
- Discipline. They have a well-designed way of life grounded into their relationship with Christ as their Lord and Savior.
- Practice. They’ve incorporated their discipline into their everyday living. They look at their daily lives as a way to practice, and therefore, aren’t afraid to fail. They never give up, but keep working on their salvation on a daily basis.
- Support system. They are aware that they can’t do it on their own. That’s why they belong to at least a small group for support as they work on themselves and their faith journey.
The second characteristic of spiritual maturity includes the following:
- Emotional stability. Spiritual mature Christians are masters of their feelings. They make sure they bear fruit as described in Galatians 5:22.
- Mental character. They are able enough not to let any thought invade their mind, but meditate on what is pure, lovely, worthy of praise as stated in Philippians 4:8.
In Conclusion
Through Christ, we have full access to the throne of grace, which enables us to grow to maturity as followers of Jesus. As a result, we bear fruit that will show the world that they also can access God’s presence through faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
