Hebrews as Muse -- Milk or Meat? -- Hebrews 5
“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In 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. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:11-14).
Biblical illiteracy is at a high point in our society. Once upon a time many in our country who made no claim to be Christians, still had a general knowledge of the Bible and its precepts. Our country was founded on these principles. Today, even among those calling themselves “Christian,” even among those active in church attendance, biblical knowledge is minimal. We’ve been fed this false concept that being saved by grace through faith is free of any requirements, so we make a confession, we lightly believe in who Jesus is, we maybe attend church occasionally, but truly using the Bible, the teachings of Jesus and his apostles as our guide for life, well that’s just expecting too much, isn’t it?
We find in the book of Hebrews several references to “falling away” and get the distinct impression that even those who truly made Jesus Lord at some point in the past, can through neglect and eventually outright abandonment of their faith, lose the salvation they once had. It refutes those who believe in “once saved, always saved.” And I believe falling away is very possible. We choose Jesus through our free-will, and we can reject him through our free-will.
That said, being a disciple is a process. We just need to plug into the process. The Hebrews author says it plainly in chapter 5; many believers are still babies in terms of their Christian faith. Although they’ve been a Christian long enough to be feeding on solid food, they still seek a mother’s milk, never weaned from their childish immature ways. And it will show in the life they live.
For those who do plug into the growth process, it is more than just going to church and listening to a preacher each week, then forgetting what he said as we walk out the door. James 1:22 says, “Be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers, who deceive themselves.” As we learn the teaching of Jesus, we don’t just “believe” them, we practice them.
Gaining such maturity does several things. It aligns us with God, first. But it also pits us against the culture we live in, with many of their ungodly beliefs. We should love the homosexual, for example, but we cannot agree with the righteousness of their lifestyle as we gain God’s perspective on it. It’s been called a sin in the Old Covenant days (Leviticus 18:22) and is called sin by Jesus’ apostle (Rom. 1:26-27). Why? At its base, because it goes against God’s created order of relationships (Genesis 2:22-24). But in a broader sense, as we seek maturity it allows us to gain the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-24), as we practice God’s values and abandon sinful values. God gets to define sin, not us.
There is a truth that says we need a child-like faith (Matt. 18:3-4), humbly coming to God, but it should not be a childish faith, immature and lacking in development. Let’s not get those concepts confused. Bottom line, we need to have real faith, be real disciples, pursuing all the ways of our Lord. Never perfectly, but certainly with a sincere desire to follow the one we call Master.
Cross Point: "Although he was a son, he (Jesus) learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him . . ." (Hebrews 5:8-9)
Biblical illiteracy is at a high point in our society. Once upon a time many in our country who made no claim to be Christians, still had a general knowledge of the Bible and its precepts. Our country was founded on these principles. Today, even among those calling themselves “Christian,” even among those active in church attendance, biblical knowledge is minimal. We’ve been fed this false concept that being saved by grace through faith is free of any requirements, so we make a confession, we lightly believe in who Jesus is, we maybe attend church occasionally, but truly using the Bible, the teachings of Jesus and his apostles as our guide for life, well that’s just expecting too much, isn’t it?
We find in the book of Hebrews several references to “falling away” and get the distinct impression that even those who truly made Jesus Lord at some point in the past, can through neglect and eventually outright abandonment of their faith, lose the salvation they once had. It refutes those who believe in “once saved, always saved.” And I believe falling away is very possible. We choose Jesus through our free-will, and we can reject him through our free-will.
That said, being a disciple is a process. We just need to plug into the process. The Hebrews author says it plainly in chapter 5; many believers are still babies in terms of their Christian faith. Although they’ve been a Christian long enough to be feeding on solid food, they still seek a mother’s milk, never weaned from their childish immature ways. And it will show in the life they live.
For those who do plug into the growth process, it is more than just going to church and listening to a preacher each week, then forgetting what he said as we walk out the door. James 1:22 says, “Be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers, who deceive themselves.” As we learn the teaching of Jesus, we don’t just “believe” them, we practice them.
Gaining such maturity does several things. It aligns us with God, first. But it also pits us against the culture we live in, with many of their ungodly beliefs. We should love the homosexual, for example, but we cannot agree with the righteousness of their lifestyle as we gain God’s perspective on it. It’s been called a sin in the Old Covenant days (Leviticus 18:22) and is called sin by Jesus’ apostle (Rom. 1:26-27). Why? At its base, because it goes against God’s created order of relationships (Genesis 2:22-24). But in a broader sense, as we seek maturity it allows us to gain the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-24), as we practice God’s values and abandon sinful values. God gets to define sin, not us.
There is a truth that says we need a child-like faith (Matt. 18:3-4), humbly coming to God, but it should not be a childish faith, immature and lacking in development. Let’s not get those concepts confused. Bottom line, we need to have real faith, be real disciples, pursuing all the ways of our Lord. Never perfectly, but certainly with a sincere desire to follow the one we call Master.
Cross Point: "Although he was a son, he (Jesus) learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him . . ." (Hebrews 5:8-9)
Posted in Cross Points