The Weekend Word
Hebrews 5:12 – 6:3
Thinking back to where we left last week, the writer begins a dissertation on Melchizedek and interrupts himself abruptly, to discuss the maturity level of these believers.
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,
- By now they should be teachers – (not like pastors for you need calling on top of maturity- or formal teachers), but They should be able to help others – answer questions – to share their faith.
- Milk vs Solid food – what do you think of when you hear this?
- Where are you?
13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
- Discerning between right & wrong – you will see this lack of discernment in many liberal churches
- Milk = “well, it’s up to everyone to decide” – I have heard people who say, “well that’s pastor’s job to tell people if they are doing wrong – not me.”
- Solid Food = coming back with “as a Christian, right and wrong is already laid out.”
- But solid food is also our recognition of our own standing and the realization that as Luther said to repent daily.
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.
- Do you have your powers of discernment trained?
- How do you practice? Where do you practice? I don’t think you can plan to practice or prepare to practice – your practice is really on the job training, in your everyday life … and one day you wake up prepared.
- Discipleship = Growth – which by many is confused with sanctification.
- What happens is that many people do not get past the Jesus stuff – they are not allowed to grow before being asked to perform.
- So they fall into the rut of “OK, enough of this Jesus stuff – let’s talk about me and what I can do in this Christian venture.
What do the immature do when trouble sets in?
- Curse God and Give up
What do the mature do?
- They share – They trust and pray
- Crying out to God is the faithful thing to do – “Lord have mercy”
- “Lord here are your promises – I am depending on you to deliver.”
So the writer is telling them – in the midst of this hardship, you are acting immature.
Chapter 6: 1-3
The chapter division here is odd. The change in thought came in 5:11 – I wonder why they did not break there?
The word of God is truly inspired, right and truthful – not the chapters and verses.
1Therefore 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,
- So what is the solution to the problem of immaturity? To keep moving on.
- The writer is saying, You know all of this stuff – I don’t need to repeat it.
- We are going to move ahead and leave the basics and build on the foundation that has already been laid.
- So many Christians want to reinvent the wheel – the elementary doctrines are set, move on.
2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
- Dead Works (9:14 we will see = sin) – Forsaking sin and having faith towards God. Baptism – washings & laying on of hands – Resurrection of the dead & eternal judgment
- Where the Jewish converts were having a problem was that all of these teachings also had a Jewish basis and context and they were now looking to how they could carry on with these, and still return to Temple lifestyle.
- In the Christian context, these are foundational – so let’s move on.
3 And this we will do if God permits.
- Always – if God permits.
- Remember, when Christianity was stepping out, they were considered no more than another Jewish sect.
- So, a Jewish convert to Christianity could easily leave Christ behind and still live on those foundations.
- Americans are no different. Some of us may have the same attitudes as these Jewish converts towards pressure. Most of us, say over 50 know what it’s like to live in a place that is 100% culturally Christian… comfortable. You know, where everyone has some kind of experience with Christianity without really being involved in it.
- And when you find out it may cost you – “well, I’ll go back to the level I was comfortable in.”
Look forward to hearing about Mel
The ideas are plenteous.
I think we can know who he is.
“Jesus never used his divine power to get himself out of tough situations or suffering.”
well He kinda sorta did on a couple occasions – the Pharisees wanted to kill him and he passed among them and went on his way and he stilled the waves and kept their boat from swamping – but he never used his power to go around the will of the Father, i guess…
Em,
Just to clarify your saying, “well he kinda sorta did”.
Obviously you have taken this into consideration, but I want to further explain because there are many people who only read here and are only Christian beginners. Not all of us reading are as well rooted as the many of you who are regulars here.
When Jesus “..passed among them and went on his way…”, it does not say in the Bible that He “used His power” to prevent them from stopping Him. He simply walked past them. In other words, He trusted God, His Father, to stop them as He walked away.
When Jesus “…stilled the waves..” it was for the purpose of comforting the others in the boat, they were safe already, that is why He was asleep.
Em, again I apologize for even pointing this out but as I said, I am among those who read here and are not as fully aware of the entire course as many of you are. I just did not want someone to miss-read what you said and think, yea that’s right Jesus did use His power to escape from suffrage.
Hmm that looks like last week’s study. I must be getting slap happy. Michael – check your email
Fixed it….
Paul, your points are valid 🙂
glad to see the new post… thought i might be regressing, myself
As a contemporary application, the Letter to the Hebrews and this section in particular, provides a huge “caution” sign against those preachers who teach “once saved, always saved” explicitly or implicitly.
Christians need to “go on to maturity.” Why? Why is maturing in the Christian faith so important?
“lest we drift away from it.” (chapter two)
“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God…. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” (chapter three)
“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” (chapter four)
“About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.” (chapter five)
As the NT narrative reads, Christians are in exile, on a pilgrimage to God’s ultimate rest. Maturing (moving on to solid food) is the way in which we put on the armor of God to protect us from the devil’s deceptions and the weakness of our own sinful nature. If you add into the equation, persecution, which some Christians in some places face, growing in faith and the knowledge to distinguish good from evil is essential to make it to the end.
Jean, Don’t steal my thunder for next week 😉 – although it should be obvious to anyone willing to give a clear reading to the passages
My last point under v13 is not often addressed – what moves you from milk to solid foods? What is involved in maturity?
What I state I think hits the soft spot – “But solid food is also our recognition of our own standing and the realization that as Luther said to repent daily.”
What is repentance? Here is a video froma youth conference titled “Repentance: I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means”
Here is the closing hymn and procession at that youth gathering
From the comment #10 video:
Repentance (metanoia) means change of mind. Repentance is given (1) by the Holy Spirit in the circumcision of the heart (think Psalm 51 – “Create in me a clean heart, O God”), and (2) by God’s Word by the renewing our mind.
Thus, from daily repentance comes Christian maturity.
Thanks, MLD!
As I say, God does it all- He
1.) Repents us
2.) Justifies us
3.) Sanctifies us
4.) Glorifies us.
Some, always want to make 1 & 3 with our involvement – but it does not make sense.
i don’t know if Jean and MLD make us Christian puppets or just make the case for predestination – but the mindless passivity is a bit overstated – IMHO
guess i’m just sayin … i’m not convinced – He calls? yes and His sheep hear His voice – did He create those ears? yes… did He create the response? hmmm….
em,
Why do you have trouble accepting what we say? Let me put it to you this way. Our salvation is made up of the four elements I listed above. Which ones dis you do for your own salvation?
What percentage is your doing and what percentage is God’s doing.
Watch out, because my guess is that you are now going to agree with me 100% 🙂
And I don’t know where the so called passivity is that you speak of. As the text commands, I work hard to not drift away – something the once saved people don’t even need to give thought to (talk of passivity!!!)
But I will add that I note in my reading of the scripture that Jesus does not tell me “hey, come up here and be like me.” No, he came down here to be like me and fix that.
Em,
In the last paragraph of the last chapter of Hebrews, the author writes:
“I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.”
As we’ve read so far and will read more of as we progress through the letter, it is replete with exhortation. Exhortation is the antithesis of passivity. Passivity is one of the problems the author of Hebrews is contending against. We need God’s Word in our ears constantly, so that, for example, we can distinguished good from evil.
One of our dangers we as Christians have is to underestimate the deceitfulness of sin and the cunning of the prince of this world.
well, i wasn’t expecting MLD or Jean to respond, “gee whiz, Em, you’re right” 🙂
i think you gentlemen do speak to the “fire insurance” crowd correctly – it should be clear that, redemption is lived from the day of our (spiritual) birth – birth should result in life – does God have a file of birth certificates and do they include still-borns? probably not …
of course, i have read #13 and i think that all four require elaboration before an understanding and a consensus – but the voice of the Shepherd WILL be heard by ALL His sheep, whenever and however they become His sheep … even those out there in the sticker bushes bleating their little sheep hearts out …
em, I wasn’t agreeing with you. I wanted to know which part of the 4 listed above you participated in as you stated that you couldn’t believe we were so passive … which indicates you were active in your salvation.
“i think that all four require elaboration before an understanding and a consensus…” There was great understanding and this was the consensus of the churches coming out of the Reformation.
Here is what is sad and why Lutheran churches refuse to continue calling themselves protestant. Coming out of the Reformation, all of the protestant churches agreed all parts of salvation was done by Christ alone. You were protestant or RCC depending on what side of the issue you stood. Today, so many of the protestant churches have returned to their Roman roots and preach an almost self help or self serve gospel.
Lutherans have no home – we’re not Roman and we are not protestant as the protestant movement has left the arena.
So, does anyone else have thoughts on what it means to move from Milk to Solid Foods. How is that played out?
#19 – MLD i didn’t think that you were agreeing with me – if you did i’d probably fall out of my swivel chair 🙂
my comments are only meant to state my perspective of the Faith – not to teach a teacher
yet, i don’t think that God has ANY pure earthly organizations (emphasis on ‘organization’) – one only has to read the admonitions to the churches given in the first part of the book of the Revelation to come to this conclusion… if one would make the accusation that the Church should have evolved to a higher understanding in 2,000+ years? well, i think it has – in some ways…
you ask about milk to solids? we might turn that question on the teachers and the preachers and ask what are you feeding us (assuming we’re talking spiritual nourishment)?
we can’t swallow whatever comes from whoever is up front making declarations – line upon line and precept on precept, from the simple to the complex – it is up to us to pray for discernment and if the teachings don’t line up, if they don’t fit together, if not blatantly egregious (toss those immediately), then set that teaching aside to be tested by further teaching and do this for as many days as you live … IMHO
“So, does anyone else have thoughts on what it means to move from Milk to Solid Foods. How is that played out?”
We could look at this in two sub-questions:
(1) Why is it important to move from milk to solid food? What’s the danger of staying on milk indefinitely?
(2) What is solid food?
Regarding question (1), if the theme of the Letter is to exhort the Hebrew Christians to hold fast to their confession of faith (i.e., not drift away and not be deceived by sin), then “solid food” would be that which nourishes them with the strength and wisdom to hold fast to their original confession of faith (not be hardened or fall into the sin of unbelief). This includes enduring suffering for their faith.
Regarding question (2), the author associates solid food with that which produces maturity and the ability to discern good from evil. The Hebrew Christians should be meeting together regularly, exhorting one another, and being capable of teaching. (Every parent has the vocation of teaching the Christian faith in the home to his/her children.) In chapter 4, the author exhorts the congregation to “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.” This means regular worship and prayer.
I don’t think the author is talking about solid food with “head knowledge of theology or doctrine” in primary view or as the paramount goal that everyone should aspire to; I think he is talking about solid food in a holistic sense that includes participating in the full life of the church, which includes teaching/learning, mutual service/encouragement, worship, prayer, etc. “Holding fast” is a corporate as well as individual endeavor.
em – I like that – “what the heck are you trying to feed me?” 🙂
Jean, I like you comment “corporate” – I think all of the writings in all of the books are meant corporately – to the church at…
When someone says, I was reading the other day and God said to me …. – I think you need to go get confirmation from your church and leaders to see if it fits with what they read corporately.
“I don’t think the author is talking about solid food with “head knowledge of theology or doctrine” in primary view or as the paramount goal…..”
yes, agreed and that is an interesting point … as i firmly believe in the Word as the source of edification of the soul, the renewing of the mind to see things as God intends us to view life and it’s moments, how does one end up with a head of theological knowledge that never reaches one’s inner-most being, never transforms the soul? it surely does seem to happen a lot… further “…participating in the full life of the church, which includes teaching/learning, mutual service/encouragement, worship, prayer, etc. “Holding fast” is a corporate as well as individual endeavor.” that, too, can be a fleshly, egocentric pursuit, so how does the “holistic” life activate?