Don’t Stay Stuck on the Basics, but Move towards a Mature Faith
Share
Stop going over the basic truths over and over doesn’t mean never to look back or repeat the foundational truths of the Word of God. This passage of Scripture is not only talking about believers who have drifted from the Lord, but those among them who had heard about the Lord but not yet given their lives to Him. “Therefore suggests that there were among the Hebrews those who were too long in the state of incomplete faith, close to believing in Jesus but not fully decided,” Moody Bible Commentary explains. “This exhortation is directed to readers who were considering abandoning the messianic community and retiring to temple worship. They are called to move from the OT foundations of faith to the complete or perfect faith in the Messiah Jesus.”
The basic truths of Scripture are worth repeating. The author of Hebrews is advising us not to stay there. And for those who have heard the truth and have not yet given their lives to Christ, the time is now. The VOICE paraphrase of Hebrews 5:12 reads:
The recipients are being encouraged to grow spiritually, and to leave the legalistic mindset of the Old Testament in exchange for the new covenant promises of the New Testament. Moody Bible Commentary explains, “It is inconceivable that one would return to the elementary principles (the milk), when the teachings and reality of the perfect new covenant and the Messiah were available.”
Before the Word of God was bound into the Bible we read today, God’s people would have been familiar with the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament. The writer of Hebrews is urging them to make the connections from the Torah to the Messiah. These people were going back to the temple, instead of turning towards the Messiah. The Voice paraphrase of Hebrews 6:1-2 reads:
Maturity requires commitment. The kind of resolve which builds upon the foundation of our faith. “I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing:” Paul wrote,
Let us be committed, not to abandoning the roots of our faith, but to continually growing and allowing the Lord to prune us as we grow in Him. It may seem easier to revert back or shy away from the difficult things we are called by God to do. But if we shrink back and shy away from what He is calling us to do, what He has purposed for our lives, we will actually cause ourselves more pain. For even in the trials we face under the fire of refinement, the joy and peace of the Lord are exponentially more comforting than the fleeting ease of the flesh.
Like Paul, we can persevere. Perhaps, repeating the basic truths, and asking the Holy Spirit to reveal them in new layers of application as we continue to seek God with all of our hearts, all of our souls and all of our minds. One step at a time, He is leading us home.
More from this author
Jesus, Our Powerful Redeemer and Rescuer
Meditate on the True Reason for the Christmas Season: Jesus
Seize Every Chance to Experience – and Share – the Love of Christ
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Tutye
