Hebrews- The Necessity of Maturity

[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. 

[1] 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. 

Hebrews 5:11–6:2 ESV

My kids are young adults now and don’t live at home.  It has been many years since they were needing the care of an infant.  At times, they get curious about learning about what they were like when they were little.  Once in a while, I will get a text message regarding questions they have about their birth and early years.  What time was a I born?  What was my first word?  When did I start walking?  I am really horrible about remembering those things.  I should have written them down and did not!  

Though they are few, one memory I do have is when my son had just started eating cereal.  He had no teeth but they were coming in and he loved to chew on things.  When we made pork ribs, we would eat the meat off and give him the bones to gnaw on.  He couldn’t eat ribs without teeth but he really loved the flavor and how the bones felt on his gums. 

The verse at end the of chapter 5 use a food analogy to bring home an important part about the life of faith—the goal of every Christian is maturity.  The author is returning to a theme in Hebrews, that Jesus is the better priest, and ends this section referencing Melchizedek, an ancient priest king mentioned in Genesis.  Yet though he has much to say about this comparison, he is anticipating they won’t understand because they have become dull of hearing. This means they can auditory process what their pastor says but can’t understand it or apply it. 

The audience has been Christians long enough that they aught to be able to understand deeper Christian truths they they first learning.  Basic principals of faith are compared to the substance that an infant first consumes: milk. What are those basic principals?  A sample is mentioned in the first few verses of chapter 6: repentance, faith in God, baptism, blessing, the resurrection and judgment to come.  These concepts are the beginning of learning what it means to follow God.  

When we first believe, we repent of our sin, trusting in Christ’s sacrifice.  We have faith God will accept us based on Jesus.  We make a public declaration of our faith by being baptized and participate in prayer—receiving blessings from our faith community where we often lay hands on a shoulder as we pray for each other or when dedicating spiritual leaders.  We live in hope, knowing that one day Christ will return.  

This church has not only stalled out in their understanding, but needs someone to teach them again of these basics.  By now, they should be teaching others but are struggling with the first things about Christ.  Dear reader, I don’t believe you are in that category.  I have been writing for almost 15 years and each month when I submit my thoughts on the scripture I am studying, you are right along with me.  I love seeing how many are reading and where you are from.  I hope my words encourage you and teach you as I share what I am learning!  As we go through books of the Bible together chapter by chapter, we are getting deeper into matters of faith. 

The Bible has much to say about growth in Christ.  There is a sense that if you are a Christian, you are a growing Christian.  Like everything, we can attribute that to Christ and not ourselves.  Hebrews 12 reminds us Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith.  God is the one who gives us faith and grows it as well.  Ephesians 4:13 explains how God is shaping the body of Christ, giving us knowledge as we grow into the stature of the fullness of Christ. 

So why do we need to grow?  Why do we need solid food?  We need to move beyond milk, to be skilled in the word of righteousness.  Our maturity is to give us greater discernment.  Verse 14 describes this skill as the process of distinguishing good from evil.  It is developed by constant practice.  2 Corinthians 11:14 reminds us that Satan comes disguised as an angel of light.  We are living in a world that is constantly presenting what is bad as good.  If we go by cultural norms, we will often be living against what God has spelled out for us in his word.  Discernment is needed to battle the enemy’s agenda to draw us away from righteousness as God defines it.  

Building discernment requires training, like anything else you learn.  Jesus is our example.  By staying in God’s word, you can saturate your mind in what good and bad are, being ready in the gray areas of personal judgment to determine right and wrong.  We leave the elementary teachings behind, not because they are bad but because we can feed ourselves on more complex truths.  It is what God wants us to do as we live in an evil world that is set against Him.