In The Word
Read Hebrews 5:11—6:8
11 Concerning him 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 have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
The Peril of Falling Away
6 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do, if God permits. 4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. 7 For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The apostle was voicing out his concern to the believers who had become dull of hearing. He said they should have been teachers themselves by now, but they were not because they did not take the gospel seriously. They still need to be fed milk like little babies and not solid food. Hebrews 5:13 says, “For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.” If, as believers, we learn one thing every day and never apply it, we never grow spiritually; we stay stagnant and become hearers of the Word and not doers of the Word. We would never mature in the things of God nor be trusted with kingdom things.
There are mysteries about heaven that we do not deserve to know because we do not practice the Word of God or we do not know to discern between good and evil. Hebrews 6:1 says, “Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.” We must be mature in the Lord and not lay a foundation of repentance on dead works. Our faith should be seen through our works, because faith without works is dead. If we taste the good Word of God and fall away, it becomes impossible to renew us to repentance.
Evaluate yourself and see if you are maturing in the things of God today.