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1. observing special days and feasts,
2. about observing the letter of the Law,
3. complex rules and regulations that had to be followed to avoid sin,
4. specific sacrifices and offering to cover specific kinds of sin and
5. all kinds of ritualistic washing and rinsing with water to make one spiritually clean.

By contrast, the book of Hebrews calls the Covenant of Grace a “Better Covenant” because through Jesus Christ one is forgiven once and for all, sin is dealt with and we are made clean and accepted by faith in Christ and Him alone. One-stop shopping so to speak!

To a Jew newly converted to Christianity or for a Jew searching for truth, like Nicodemus in the Gospel of John chapter 3, the book of Hebrews spells out in clear terms those things that a Jew could relate to.  The passing away of the Old Covenant or what we call the Old Testament and the entrance of the New Covenant spelled out by the New Testament!

So, when we look at things like the six elementary principles mentioned in Hebrews 6:1-3, the concepts of:

1. redemption and dead-works,
2. faith in God,
3. washings or baptisms,
4. the laying on of hands,
5. the resurrection of the dead,
6. and final judgement.

Are all concepts that Jews would be familiar with. The book of Hebrews takes all of these familiar ideas and shows the Jew and non-Jew how Jesus fulfilled each and every one of these basic or elementary principles.

Hebrews also makes the significant point that these things mentioned above must be settled once and for all for they are foundational and are necessary in order to grow and mature as Christians.

Going deeper into the Word of God and our relationship with Jesus Christ requires that our foundation of truth is not only known but, totally trusted in. If we use the analogy of building a house or structure, we know that it is the foundation that is key in providing a base that will support whatever is built upon it. So it is with what we believe, truly believe, about our salvation and what God has provided for us, His children. In our last post, we looked at Hebrews 6:1-3 and saw that there were six things that we must “settle once and for all”, not going over it again and again! Going over the basics means that we lack trust or faith. We are not convinced therefore we repeat the same thinking and behavior which in essence means that we keep building the same foundation over and over again. If we are constantly rebuilding our foundation how will we ever get to build the structure on top of it. That structure involves becoming more like Jesus in character and fulfilling God’s plan and purpose for our lives.

Faith
Each of the six elementary principles is appropriated or something that must be gained by Faith! Now faith is not just a feeling but a conscious decision to believe. While you can have legitimate feelings of faith; faith does not depend on feelings. It is a subtle but critically important difference. Feelings most often depend on circumstances, the kind of faith we are talking about does not depend on circumstances or feelings, but on your commitment to scriptural truths!

Today we live in an age where feelings or emotions (the right background music and circumstance) can justify almost any action. We are told to “follow your heart”, as a result, there are no longer any boundaries. God’s boundaries are for your peace and protection. In the name of political correctness, fairness, and tolerance we have lost our way substituting feeling for truth. Yes, we all have emotions, God gave us the ability to feel and to emote, but some feelings are just wrong, unjustified, and destructive. 

Our society no longer has a guide or path to show the way to truth, Christians refer to this as a “Secular World View”. We, as Believers, must develop a “Biblical World View” which means that you believe in Jesus Christ and His Word, the Bible.

Let me close with a poem that an old friend of mine used to quote, this poem which says it all:

Feelings come, and feelings go,
Feelings are deceiving,
But the Word of God is always true,
no matter what you’re feeling!

Hebrews 6:1-3 makes it clear that there are elementary principles and then there are deeper things of Christ! We are challenged to not settle for just the basics but to advance to the issues that produce maturity in Christ.

The Amplified Bible puts it this way. “Therefore, let us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of (1)repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of (2)the faith [by which you turned] to God. With (3)teachings about purifying (baptisms), (4)the laying on of hands, (5)the resurrection from the dead, and (6)eternal judgment and punishment. [These are all matters of which you should have been fully aware long, long ago.] If indeed God permits, we will [now] proceed [to advanced teaching]”. As you can see from this scripture you cannot stay in spiritual kindergarten and expect God’s best!

Now, what is the difference between elementary and advanced principles? Elementary has to do with foundational truths about what Jesus Christ has purchased for you through the Cross. Advanced principles are the truths that require a foundation to build upon (I recommend you read Matthew 7:24-28). It is like learning the letters of the alphabet before learning how to write a sentence. Once you have grasped the elementary principles you will be ready to go on to the advanced principles.

The advanced principles in Christ will enable you to stand with confidence in every situation or circumstance.  Jesus died on the cross so that you would have eternal life; He also died for you so that you could have a life of meaning and purpose that would bring honor (or glory) to Him.

So, what am I saying, the fullness of knowing Christ is not in salvation alone, but in His salvation and His purpose for your life. Your purpose in life is to become more like Jesus in every area of your life. In other words, it is about character! The elementary things spoken of in Hebrews do not define you, they are simply the initial stages of growth in Christ. You are defined by the decisions you make or your character, that is, who you really are when no one is looking.

Before we jump into the “deeper” things of Christ we should take a brief look at the elementary things mentioned in Hebrews 6:1-3. These are truths that must be settled once and for all. We cannot grow unless the foundation has been set. Once we have a solid foundation we can then build upon it.

If you are not sure you are saved, not sure you are forgiven, not sure of going to Heaven, not sure if you are loved and accepted by God then your foundation has not been established. The Bible describes a person who is not sure as “double-minded”. Listen to what James 1:6-8 says, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways”.

Only you can decide to live your life by faith and not by emotions and the circumstances of life. Let your decisions and behavior demonstrate that you are believing God and His Word.

Here are the six areas mentioned in Hebrews 6 that we should not be “double-minded” about. Let’s lay the foundation and then build on it!

1. Repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism or legalism)
2. Saving faith [by which you turned] to God.
3. Baptisms or washings
4. The laying on of hands
5. The resurrection from the dead
6. Eternal judgment and punishment

In the coming weeks, I will attempt to show how when we are confident in each of these areas we will be able to build a life of love, peace, joy, and purpose.

Now that we have covered some of the basics of Christ, Christians and Christianity, in Christianity 101- Posts 1-21, it is time to go deeper. Why go deeper you may ask? After all, I am born-again, my sins have been forgiven and the “sting of death” has been eliminated because I know I am going to heaven!

It is important to remember that although God loves you, has forgiven you, and accepted you the gift of salvation is not just for you. The Gospel is good news for all! Your family, relatives, friends, and yes even strangers.

The Bible encourages us to be willing and able to share and defend what we believe. The Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15 that we should be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks for the reason for the assurance of Christ in us with gentleness and joy.

A new Christian is like a “Baby” Christian. The Bible uses the word “carnal” to refer to a baby or immature Christian. A baby only thinks about its own needs… hold me, feed me, change me! A baby needs milk because a baby cannot handle meat and potatoes. Spiritual maturity is a process and we all begin at the same place. The natural progression is to go from child to young adult to old.

The Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.  I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal…” You see, Paul started a church in Corinth on his first missionary journey and years later he heard that they were not growing spiritually, that was the reason this letter was sent to the Corinthian church.

As in natural life, there is an expectation of growing in spiritual maturity and eventually be in the position of helping others come to know Christ. Hebrews 5:12-14 says the following, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles (or revelations) of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age (or mature) that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (or right and wrong)”. Again we see in God’s Word the expectation of spiritual growth.

When I graduated High School I immediately entered the Marine Corp. The first place they sent me was to “boot camp” at Parris Island, SC. This is where I learned that I was part of something that was larger than myself. I also learned to discipline myself physically and learned to control what came out of my mouth. All of these lessons came at a price because it is difficult to change, but these lessons have lasted a lifetime with profitable results.

When I graduated from boot-camp I thought I was done with the basics, instead, I was sent to another location, Camp Lejeune in NC where I went for further training in military strategy and becoming familiar with the weapons of warfare. When I graduated from Infantry Training I was then sent to San Diego, Ca for further schooling in electronics.

The point is that the end of one stage is the beginning of a new stage of growth as a Marine, the same can be said of life. Spiritual training or growth is no different. As Christians, we are continually growing, maturing coming into a greater understanding of God’s love, and His plan for our lives. Yes, God has a plan for your life! Listen to what God says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”.

In closing let me say this, you can choose to stay where you are in your spiritual walk with God. As a sports figure once said. “I may have to grow old, but I don’t have to grow up”! While as humorous as that quote might be- how sad it is to think that God has made so much available to us and that we should settle for so little.

In every Christian’s life here is a season when we need milk, however, let’s discipline ourselves and learn to chew and digest the meat of His Word and grow into spiritual maturity.