5. A Sober Warning Hebrews 5:11 – 6:12
HEBREWS CHAPTER 5 VERSE 11 TO 6 VERSE 12
5. A Sober Warning
5. A Sober Warning Hebrews 5:11 – 6:12
Whatever happened to Susan Pevensie? If you are a fan of C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, you will know that Susan is one of the main characters in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe—one of the four children who end up as kings and queens of Narnia. But in the very last book of the series, The Last Battle, in a scene which effectively represents heaven, you realize that Susan is not there. It is a glaring, jarring omission. Even within the story, other characters ask why Susan is not there in glory with the rest.
Here is the answer:
“‘My sister Susan,’ answered Peter shortly and gravely, ‘is no longer a friend of Narnia.’
‘Yes,’ said Eustace, ‘and whenever you try to get her to come and talk about Narnia or do anything about Narnia, she says, “What wonderful memories you have! Fancy you still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children.”’” (p 154)
This scene raises a very important issue. When we get to heaven, there will be people whom we expected to see there but we won’t see them—people we thought were believers who turn out not to be. Lewis is describing someone who seemed to be a follower of Aslan—who seemed, in other words, to be a Christian—but who ends up turning away. Eustace’s words explain why: she dismisses all their childhood memories as mere games, as if they didn’t really happen. Susan is trying to be a grown-up now and no longer a child. She is on to other things.
In the Christian life, this is called apostasy. An apostate is someone who once seemed to be a believer, but who later totally rejects Christ, turns away from sound teaching, and leaves the church. Apostasy is a real, sobering, scary, weighty issue. And it is the one that God puts right before us in Hebrews 5:11 – 6:12.
The writer starts off by saying, I’m worried about you (5:11-14). His audience is not maturing as quickly as expected. And he is concerned about their spiritual health. In 6:1-3, he encourages them to move on and grow up in their faith. Then in 6:4-8 he dives into the very difficult theme of apostasy. He explains that those who seemed to be believers, yet have fallen away, will be subject to God’s severe judgment.
It is important to clarify again that true believers cannot lose their salvation. If someone is truly saved, truly regenerate, and truly trusting in Christ, they will always be held fast by him (John 10:28). However, God uses warnings of apostasy to encourage his people to stay the course of faith. So as we read this passage, we should carefully ponder it, absorb it, and learn from it as we reflect upon our own spiritual maturity. This is what the writer to the Hebrews helps his readers to do later on, in Hebrews 6:9-12. He cites the good signs of spiritual growth that he sees in them and encourages them to persevere in the faith.
This passage may seem like a detour, but really it is not. As we know, the whole theme of the book of Hebrews is to say that Christ is better: superior to the old covenant revelation and superior to anything else you might worship, love, or adore. So, the whole book functions as a warning against apostasy. It is about calling people to Christ and saying, Don’t drift away. Don’t give up. Don’t go chasing other things.
Spiritual Immaturity
Imagine a grown adult who only drinks milk and has never moved on to solid food. If you met such a person you would think that something must be seriously wrong.
But that is exactly what our author says his readers are like, spiritually speaking. They should really be eating solid food by now, but they are still drinking bottles of milk (5:12). In other words, they are languishing in immaturity. They are not advancing down the path of growth which a Christian ought to advance down. It’s as if they are still toddlers.
If you are not growing in your Christian life, then that should be a wake-up call. If your growth has stalled, then you are putting yourself in a vulnerable position spiritually.
The writer gives four characteristics of these spiritual toddlers. They don’t listen very well; they are forgetful; they are unskilled; and they are undiscerning. That is actually a pretty good description of any toddler! They don’t listen to you, they forget what you tell them, they can’t do anything for themselves, and they have no idea of what is right or wrong, safe or dangerous. That is the spiritual condition of the original readers of this letter.
1. They Don’t Listen
In the preceding verses, the author has just begun to talk about Jesus as a high priest in the order of Melchizedek. But he interrupts himself in verse 11: “About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain.” Why does he say that these things are hard to explain? It is not that his readers are not very smart. It is not because these theological concepts are so intricate and complex that they go way over people’s heads. No, it is because the Christians he is writing to are “dull of hearing.”
The word “dull” really just means “lazy.” It’s not that they are unable to listen; they are not bothering to listen. “Numb” would also be a good translation. Have you ever found yourself hearing the word of God in a sermon but feeling numb, zoned out, a little bit lazy? That is what the writer is talking about.
We all know that there are good preachers and bad preachers. But when we think about our approach to listening to sermons, many of us need to spend less time critiquing the style of the preacher and more time asking ourselves, “Am I a good listener?” We should say to ourselves: “Even if the talk was difficult to follow or badly delivered, was I listening to what God said there? Was I listening to his word?”
Our author’s readers are not listening. They are lazy, numb, and checked out when they hear the word—the theology that the writer is giving them. They are not interested in understanding God’s plan of salvation and how Jesus is the greatest high priest. And it is a sign of spiritual unhealth in a person when they hear theology and good doctrine and say, “Who cares?”
2. They Are Forgetful
The readers of this letter, it seems, did not remember what they had been told. They were having to be taught the same things over and over and over again; so the writer says, “You need someone to teach you again the basic principles” (v 12). They were not growing because they were letting good teaching just drift out of their minds.
This forgetfulness is actually a sign of selfishness. The audience of this letter “ought to be teachers” by now. Instead they have become only takers in the church and not givers. They have become high-maintenance toddler Christians.
Do toddlers help with the dishes? No. Do they clean their rooms? No. Do they prepare their own food? No. All these things have to be done for them. Toddlers are almost one hundred percent takers. That’s not their fault—they’re toddlers! But if you are still acting like that when you’re 35, something is seriously wrong.
It is the same with spiritual health and growth. Have you got to the point where you’re not just taking but actually starting to give back? Are you serving others? Are you helping others to learn? Or are you like a grown-up toddler?
3. They Are Unskilled
Spiritual toddlers, living on spiritual milk and not solid food, are “unskilled in the word of righteousness” (v 13). The phrase “word of righteousness” just means God’s word; so, these people have not learned how to rightly understand the word of God. They have not grown in their knowledge of the word of God. They are unskilled—like little children.
The Bible is more widely available now than it has ever been. You can get it in any format you want. Many people have multiple printed copies; and now you can also have it on your phone or tablet. The Bible has never been more accessible. Yet I don’t think Western people have ever been at a point where they know it less. I am not talking about our society in general; I am talking about Christians who are simply unskilled in the word of God.
Now, this is not to suggest that a person has to be a Bible scholar in order to be a Christian. That’s not what our author is saying. But if you are not growing in your knowledge of God through his word, then you are an immature believer—and that is a dangerous thing to be.
One of the most basic things you can do to grow in that particular area is to be a reader. Since you are reading this book, I presume that you are already committed to knowing God’s word better. I’m excited for you! But I would encourage us all to keep asking ourselves, “Am I a student of God’s word in a way that is maturing and growing me?” We need to think of ourselves as lifelong learners. We should always be growing in the knowledge of God.
4. They Are Undiscerning
In verse 14, the author describes people who are the opposite of the immature Christians he is writing to—those who are mature and eat solid food. These are “those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”
Here’s the nub of the matter. If you are an immature Christian, you cannot always separate right from wrong. If you are not a good listener, if you are selfish and forgetful, if you are not skilled in God’s word, and if you are not maturing, then you are susceptible to deception. You cannot distinguish good from evil very effectively—like a toddler who runs out into the street, unaware of the danger.
This is what leads to the possibility of apostasy. If you are not growing in your Christian faith, you could be much more easily enticed away by deceptions because you don’t have the strength and the energy to defend yourself.
Have you ever seen a documentary of lions hunting wildebeest in the Serengeti? You’ll notice that they always go for the newborns first. The baby wildebeest who can hardly hold themselves up and are just trying to keep up with their mothers—those are the ones the lions can easily separate from the herd and bring down.
It is the same in the Christian life. If you are not growing up in your faith, you are more susceptible to those who want to trick and deceive you and take you down wrong paths.
My challenge to you is to look over those four characteristics and do a little spiritual assessment of your own Christian growth.
Ask yourself: If I look back at myself five years ago, is there any difference now? Can I see God’s work in me? Am I moving closer to God and not further from him? Am I serving those around me? Am I growing in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)? Am I helping others to learn the truth? Am I growing in my understanding of God?
Of course, we are saved by grace alone through faith alone. We have the love of Christ because of his merits, not ours. Growth is not about earning God’s affection. Yet he does want us to grow up.
In this way, God is like any parent. No father says to a little toddler, “If you don’t grow up, I’m going to stop loving you.” Nor does a mother say, “When you grow up, I’ll love you more.” No, a good parent loves that toddler with an endless love already. Of course, they want him or her to grow up and to mature. But even if the toddler never really does grow up, it will not mean he or she is any less loved.
Strive for Growth
In Hebrews 6:1-3, the writer adds a hopeful encouragement, telling us to strive toward spiritual growth. Verse 1 says, “Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity.”
When he says “leave the elementary doctrine,” he doesn’t mean leave it behind altogether. What he means is build on it; add to it. Elementary doctrines are very important. But you cannot just be satisfied with milk forever. You have to get onto the solid food.
What are these elementary doctrines? Three of them are mentioned in verse 2. First, “repentance and faith.” This is just a reference to how you become a Christian. You repented and believed. Second, “instruction about washings, the laying on of hands.” This is probably a reference to baptism and entrance to the church. (Sometimes the laying on of hands, associated with baptism, was a symbolic gesture indicating that one had received the Spirit.) Third, “the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.” This is the Christian’s understanding of the fact that Christ will come again to judge the world, and that those who love him will spend eternity with him.
These are core doctrines. These are the things that every Christian, however immature, knows. But what our author is saying is that you cannot just stop there. So, he gives his audience a final push: “And this we will do if God permits” (v 3).
I come across so many people in the church who may be true believers, but the understanding they have of their faith is still at this simple level. They know that the gospel requires repentance and faith. They have joined the church, they have been baptized, and they are looking forward to Christ’s second coming. And that is where it all stops. Of course, those are great truths. But there is so much more to learn! There is so much more growth possible. There are great meals to eat. Don’t be satisfied with milk when you could be enjoying a wonderful steak dinner.