The desire of our heavenly Father is for all His children to grow and mature spiritually. For the sincere Christian with a tender heart and healthy spiritual appetite, the third warning passage (5:11-6:12) provides much to encourage diligence, faith, patience and hope. For the idle or backslidden Christian, solemn and soul-searching warning terms are given to ignite development and progress. In any case, we all must “go on unto perfection” (6:1).1
While many students of the letter will agree on the sentiment to “go on,” there is considerable diversity of opinion on the terms of the warning that follows. By and large, this diversity stems from the view one takes on the spiritual position and prospect of the persons referred to in 6:4-8. Are they mere professors who came near to but never truly received the “heavenly gift” of salvation, and for whom it is “impossible” to be saved? Are they believers who “fall away” and lose their salvation? Or are they genuine saints who are eternally secure, yet “slothful” and must “go on” to maturity with “diligence” because they face the fearful danger of forfeiting future “promises” and “blessing from God”? The latter is the view taken here and one which we encourage all to consider prayerfully.
We will approach the warning passage objectively, taking into account the context, the meaning of the original words, the spiritual standing and state of the recipients, and the prospects and promises addressed to them. We maintain the eternal security of the child of God. While not everyone will agree with the interpretation taken, we trust that the passage will be received “with all eagerness,” and that we are caused to examine “the Scriptures daily to see if these things [are] so” (Act 17:11 ESV). We shall consider the passage over four articles.
The Context of the Warning (5:11-6:3)
Chapter 6 begins with “therefore.” Obviously, what follows in chapter 6 is based on the preceding verses of chapter 5. Earlier in that chapter (5:5-10), Melchisedec is introduced as God’s chosen type of the eternal order of Christ’s priesthood – a theme that was interrupted by the second warning. But as the writer approaches this mysterious Melchisedec, desiring to explain how he typifies Christ’s eternal priesthood in the heavenly sanctuary, he digresses into a parenthesis which continues until the end of chapter 6.
The reason for the parenthesis is because the Hebrews are simply unable to assimilate advanced teaching (5:11-14). The objectives of the parenthesis are to exhort them to press on (6:1-3); to warn them of the fearful dangers of spiritual immaturity, incapacity and insensitivity (6:4-8); to encourage them to diligence, faith and patience as the means for attaining the hope of the promises (6:9-12); and to assure them with utmost confidence that God will honour His promises (6:13-20).
The context of the warning, therefore, is the forlorn spiritual infancy of the Hebrews and the exhortation to press on to spiritual maturity.
The Problem of Spiritual Infancy (5:11-14)
The spiritual infancy of the Hebrews is characterised in a fourfold way. First, they had become so “dull of hearing” that “many things” were difficult to explain (5:11). It is not that they were intellectually impaired or suffering hearing loss. Rather, they had “become” sluggish, slothful (6:12), indolent and indifferent to hearing the Word of God. They were not diligent in listening to the voice of the Spirit through the Scriptures.
Second, by the time they “ought to be teachers,” they needed someone to “teach [them] again” (5:12). They should have been far more advanced in the Scriptures than what they were. Since they had not given themselves to feeding on the Word, they themselves needed to be fed. Moreover, they needed “the first principles of the oracles of God.” Hence, they could only digest food appropriate for babies – milk and not solid food (1Co 3:1,2).
Third, on account of being content with milk, they were “unskilful in the word of righteousness” (5:13). “Unskilful” means inexperienced. They had the Word of God but were not accustomed to developing and exercising spiritual capability in wielding and applying it to present circumstances. In simple terms, this is the Spirit-led practice of using Scripture to edify, encourage and exhort the saints, to expound or defend Bible doctrine, and/or to annunciate gospel truth. To know what to say, how to say it, when to speak and not to speak – these are marks of the God-given “tongue of the learned” (Isa 50:4,5), not the gift of the gab. But unlike the Lord Jesus Christ, for us this skill comes “by reason of use” (v14).
Fourth, they lacked spiritual discernment to distinguish “both good and evil” (5:14). At their stage of life, their ability to distinguish between different types of food was underdeveloped and was delayed by their own lethargy. By not pressing on to full growth in this realm, they would not be able to discern the “good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God,” right from wrong, things excellent and profitable, unfruitful works of darkness, unworthy behaviour, and/or whether something is of the Spirit or not (Rom 12:2; 1Co 6:5; 11:27-31; 14:29; Eph 5:8-13; Php 1:10; 1Th 5:21; 1Jn 4:1,2).
In Leviticus 21:16-21, the Lord lists certain things which would disqualify one of the generations of Aaron from priestly service. One of them was a “flat nose.” The nose is the organ of discernment and speaks of one’s spiritual sensitivity to divine things. Believers lacking spiritual discernment (on account of not having “their senses exercised” by constant practice with the Word) face the grave danger of compromising their priestly responsibilities in the house of God.
God’s eternal purpose for His children is a mature stature comparable with Christ. A sound appetite leads to a healthy spiritual diet, which in turn leads to growth and maturity (1Pe 2:2; 2Pe 3:18). Furthermore, continued spiritual nourishment and exercise leads to wisdom, “godliness” and “good works” (2Ti 3:14-17; 4:6-8). The dangers of remaining spiritually undernourished, immature and underdeveloped are ill health, incapacity and insensitivity to the Spirit’s voice. The consequences of spiritual infancy are dire, both for us and the churches of God.
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2Ti 2:15 NASB).
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
