Therefore leaving the elementary teachings of the Christ, let us press on to maturity… Heb 6:1a NASB
Most adults consider themselves mature. They have grown beyond needing their mother’s milk to survive. They gone from crawling, to walking, to running. They have learned to read and write. They’ve passed from childhood into adulthood.
It would seem silly, and even somewhat disturbing for a grown adult to decide to go back to childhood. To beginning crawling, to want a bottle of milk or begin babbling like an infant. I Think we all would agree that apart from Alzheimer's or Dementia there would be great concern.
But that is what the writer of Hebrews is talking about in chapter 5:12-6:1 where he says
“You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God ” NLT
In the NASB it says “let us press on to maturity” in 6:1. If we are mature in Christ we have moved beyond needing someone to continue to teach us the basics about God’s word and are now digging into the solid meat of God’s word.
Let me ask you a few questions.
“Have you moved from needing someone to teach you what the Word says to gleaning truth for yourself?”
“Are you satisfied to go to church, hear the word preached but not digging into the Word throughout the week?”
“Do you still try to find ways around doing what you know is the right thing to do? Trying to come up with ways that your sin doesn’t seem like sin? Or trying to excuse it away?”
And finally let us look at Phil 3:12-16 which says “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.” NLT (I highlighted the text)
Keep in mind as you read the above that the word perfection here also means maturity. So what are those who are mature to do? We are to press on, to focus, and to hold on. Press on to possess maturity. Focus on what is ahead, what you still can learn. Don’t stay in the milk of the word, for you will become weak and unable to mature.
My dear sisters, let us pray for a desire to live purposefully by pressing on the know God in a deeper and more personal way than today. Let us not be content with milk but let us desire the meat of His word.
Thanks for joining me this week. To prepare for next week please read Chapters 6 –10 and take note of all we learn of Christ. I know it’s four chapters, but get through as much as you can and join me again next Wednesday.
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