Daily Bread 2010 - Hebrews 6
Hebrews 6
1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. 4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
As the author of Hebrews concludes chapter 5, and moves into chapter 6, he issues a third warning. This is the warning against falling away. In chapter 5 he says, “By this time you ought to be teachers but you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk not solid food!” This is a pretty strong rebuke to the believers saying that they ought to be able to handle deeper spiritual truths, but still need to be “spoon fed”.
Then, in chapter 6, he exhorts them to move beyond elementary teachings about Christ and move toward maturity. He lists a few of these elementary teachings such as, “repentance”, “faith”, “cleansing rites”, “laying on of hands”, “resurrection of the dead” and “eternal judgment”. Obviously those were all issues that were becoming divisive in the early church, and clear teaching was needed so that believers were not led astray by false doctrines.
Most studies today show that contemporary Christians need similar teaching on the basics of the faith. It can no longer be assumed that adults in the church are familiar with the basic orthodox teachings of the Christian faith. It is important for churches to continue to educate adults in the key elements of Christian belief, faith, and practice. While many advocate small groups (me too!), sometimes small groups can lead to more of a therapeutic experience, versus being grounded in the faith. This is where it is critical for pastors and church leaders to continue to teach the faith, not at the expense of small groups, but in conjunction with it.
One of the courses we teach is the Alpha Course (www.alphausa.org), which is a basic instruction in the Christian faith. We have seen tremendous renewal in our mainline denominational setting (Lutheran) when adults re-engage in the basics and experience these truths in the context of a group. In the Catholic Church, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) has gained a lot of momentum in teaching and baptizing adults not raised in a Catholic background. Even non-denominational “mega-churches” churches (I.e. Willow Creek and Saddleback) are learning how important it is to teach the faith to new believers and not assume they absorb it by attending weekend worship services or lay-led small groups.
Willow Creek did the Reveal Study (see http://www.revealnow.com/), where they learned that church members want to take next steps in spiritual formation and growth. In recent follow up survey of 80,000 people in 400 churches their research team verified people do desire to go deeper and learn how to read and learn to interpret the bible for themselves and want a clear pathway toward spiritual maturity in Christ. (see their new REVEAL – FOCUS study)
What grade level would you be in when it comes to your maturity in the faith? Elementary? College? Graduate level? This is not just about head knowledge, but knowledge that comes as an experience of obedience to the teachings Jesus has given us. The key thing is that we are “teachable” and always learning. That is what a disciple is a “lifelong learner”. What lessons is God teaching you today? Are you listening and obeying?
Gracious God we thank you for those who teach us the faith and help us to move onto maturity in Christ. Help us not only to learn the elementary truths of the Gospel but also put them into practice so we can grow up into all that you have for us. As we rely on your promise to finish the good work in us that you started we look forward to the real graduation day for all those who you have called through Your Son, Jesus, Amen.
1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. 4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
As the author of Hebrews concludes chapter 5, and moves into chapter 6, he issues a third warning. This is the warning against falling away. In chapter 5 he says, “By this time you ought to be teachers but you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk not solid food!” This is a pretty strong rebuke to the believers saying that they ought to be able to handle deeper spiritual truths, but still need to be “spoon fed”.
Then, in chapter 6, he exhorts them to move beyond elementary teachings about Christ and move toward maturity. He lists a few of these elementary teachings such as, “repentance”, “faith”, “cleansing rites”, “laying on of hands”, “resurrection of the dead” and “eternal judgment”. Obviously those were all issues that were becoming divisive in the early church, and clear teaching was needed so that believers were not led astray by false doctrines.
Most studies today show that contemporary Christians need similar teaching on the basics of the faith. It can no longer be assumed that adults in the church are familiar with the basic orthodox teachings of the Christian faith. It is important for churches to continue to educate adults in the key elements of Christian belief, faith, and practice. While many advocate small groups (me too!), sometimes small groups can lead to more of a therapeutic experience, versus being grounded in the faith. This is where it is critical for pastors and church leaders to continue to teach the faith, not at the expense of small groups, but in conjunction with it.
One of the courses we teach is the Alpha Course (www.alphausa.org), which is a basic instruction in the Christian faith. We have seen tremendous renewal in our mainline denominational setting (Lutheran) when adults re-engage in the basics and experience these truths in the context of a group. In the Catholic Church, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) has gained a lot of momentum in teaching and baptizing adults not raised in a Catholic background. Even non-denominational “mega-churches” churches (I.e. Willow Creek and Saddleback) are learning how important it is to teach the faith to new believers and not assume they absorb it by attending weekend worship services or lay-led small groups.
Willow Creek did the Reveal Study (see http://www.revealnow.com/), where they learned that church members want to take next steps in spiritual formation and growth. In recent follow up survey of 80,000 people in 400 churches their research team verified people do desire to go deeper and learn how to read and learn to interpret the bible for themselves and want a clear pathway toward spiritual maturity in Christ. (see their new REVEAL – FOCUS study)
What grade level would you be in when it comes to your maturity in the faith? Elementary? College? Graduate level? This is not just about head knowledge, but knowledge that comes as an experience of obedience to the teachings Jesus has given us. The key thing is that we are “teachable” and always learning. That is what a disciple is a “lifelong learner”. What lessons is God teaching you today? Are you listening and obeying?
Gracious God we thank you for those who teach us the faith and help us to move onto maturity in Christ. Help us not only to learn the elementary truths of the Gospel but also put them into practice so we can grow up into all that you have for us. As we rely on your promise to finish the good work in us that you started we look forward to the real graduation day for all those who you have called through Your Son, Jesus, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment