Hebrews 6:1-8

Intro |

I want you to think about a baby who is just learning to eat solid food from a jar. Their parents carefully place them into a high chair, get the perfect spoon, they have the jar of food in hand, and with a lot of silly faces and goo-goo noises they bringing the airplane into the hanger. Everything is going good until the child realizes this is not a game, this food is not the milk they love, and they spit it out everywhere.

This scene goes on until the parent realizes this is not working, and if they keep this up their child will never receive any nourishment.

You see, it is possible to taste but not receive the long-term benefit.

This warning is carried into our text today.

Now to understand these confusing and highly debated text, we have to remember context and recognize that the church is made up of two parts.

Visible - what we see (believers and non-believers)

Invisible - Those who have trusted truly in Jesus unto salvation, these people will endure to the end.

Each week when I preach I am addressing both groups at the same time in different ways.

Leaving The Elementary (vv. 1-2)

v. 1 “Therefore” — The writer of Hebrews has labored to show the supremacy of Jesus Christ, and if Jesus is supreme to all things—even the religious things—Christians should mature in Jesus’ teachings and his ways.

It is foolish to neglect the salvation given in Jesus by claiming to know the salvation he provided and live differently.

But some were dull of hearing and drifting away from the truth.

I have seen that true Christians don’t just know things, they live them out.

True Christians move passed elementary doctrines and on to knowing and growing in their faith.

The original audience was being called to mature in Christ, they were to move past their former Jewish/OC practices and on to the highest of maturity in Christ.

Foundations are essential, but once a foundation is laid it doesn’t need to be laid over and over again.

Look at the houses around us. Many are building on the foundation that is already there, but only to continue improving the structure of the house.

This is what the writer of Hebrews is calling the church to. Know and appreciate the foundation of the faith and then grow, build, expand on what has been established.

in vv.1-2, The writer of Hebrews brings out three pairs to clarify his point:

Three Pairs | These three pairs were part of a catechism that helped prepare individuals for baptism.

The early church took baptism seriously, and it is likely that these statements were part of the foundational teaching of the church.

1. v.1—“A foundation of repentance from dead works and faith in God” (salvation)

The instruction is not to abandon these ideas, but to build upon this sure foundation.

This is essential in the Christian faith. One must move from works that lead to death to faith in God that leads to life.

This begins with awareness of sin, conviction of sin, and repentance from sin.

The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:19-21) “I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.”

Along with repentance is faith.

Philipps — “[Faith] is the great theme of this whole letter: holding fast to the way of salvation offered by God through faith in Christ. This is the great doctrine of justification.

To get this foundational doctrine wrong is to get Christianity wrong.

EX. Youth Camp

Thomas Watson — To err in justification is dangerous, like a defect in a foundation. Justification by Christ is a spring of water of life. To have the poison of corrupt doctrine cast into this spring is condemnable.”

So, the writer of Hebrews is saying… “today, turn from your fruitless works that lead to death and trust by faith in the perfect work of Christ!”

2. v.2— “Instruction about washing and laying on of hands.” (sanctification)

This is a bit more difficult to understand, but it is clear that these acts were part of Jewish ritualism.

The emphasis here is to encourage the Jewish believers to leave behind their ritualistic practices Judaism..

Like Baptism today, these OT practices were an outward sign of the inward work of God.

The washing of God’s people under the law of God represented the purification of the nation as God’s people.

The laying on of hands in the NT was usually done to bless, heal, or ordain someone for an office in the church.

In the OT laying hands on a sacrifice allowed the person to identify with the sacrifice.

Though there may be many reasons to mention these two practices, it is clear from the context that the writer is warning the church about getting caught up in religious practices and neglecting the righteousness secured for them in Christ as they look to mature in the faith.

The danger in a text like this is a works-based approach to Christianity.

Many walk away from this text thinking we need to know more and do more, but if you know things and do things absent of faith in the soveriegn plans of God your knowledge and works are dead!

2 Cor 5:7 “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

3. v.2— “the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement” (glorification)

This last pair naturally go together. The early church understood that the resurrection was life to those who were being saved, but judgement to those who deny Christ.

Unless the risen Christ stands on man’s behalf before the judgement seat of God we will not be able to remain in his eternal presence.

Essential to the Christian faith is the resurrection that awaits us after the grave—the hope of glory!

1 Cor. 15:54-55 “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?””

At the day of the final resurrection all of mankind will be raised. The dead in Christ will be received with joy while those who reject him will be condemned forever for their sins.

Some might even say we did this and that in your name, Matt 7:22-23 “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Each of these teachings are extremely important! They are so important that they are considered foundational, but there are other teachings that must be addressed by the one who desires to mature, grow, and persevere in Christ.

So let’s move beyond the elementary and lean upon the essential!

Leaning on the Essential (v.3)

When we get to v.3 we have to remember that writer of Hebrews has one single focus that he desires his audience to get.

Christ is supreme, and through faith in him we must persevere to the end.

“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity.” It is interesting what he says next as way to spur his audience on.

v.3— “And this we will do if God permits.”

Church, it is only by the sovereign hand of God that anyone is saved and matures in the faith.

Jesus made this clear when he said, John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”

Jesus even prayed this idea in John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

It is God who saves, it is God who sanctifies, and he does so by his word. And, the writer of Hebrews doesn’t want the church to simply know things about God, but to live them out as proof that they actually are part of the true Church.

So, through obedience we long to mature in the faith by the renewing of our minds while we lean upon the sovereignty of God.

J. MacArthur — Having the knowledge of God’s word control our minds is key to righteous living. What controls your thoughts will control your behavior…Knowledge of God’s word will lead to ‘all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

This was Paul’s prayer for the Colossians.

Col. 1:9 “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”

Those who desire to mature in Christ will fill their lives with his word, and trust, depend, rely upon him for the fruit.

Do you see the tension here?

Mans responsibility and God’s sovereignty! We are to pursue maturity, while recognizing that it is only possible if God permits it.

If you desire to mature this must be understood. I don’t believe you can mature without wrestling with this idea.

To land on either side and reject the other is to remain in the elementary while rejecting the essentials.

It should be understood that both are true! God is sovereign and man is responsible.

Phil. 2:12-13 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Maturity doesn’t happen by accident.

It is God’s design and good pleasure that you grow in his grace until he returns or calls you home.

Spiritual laziness is not a neutral issue, it is an essential one.

You are either growing as a Christian through the ups and downs of life, or you are falling away.

Are you looking to God to mature you, or are you trying to come up with your own growth plan?

Leave the elementary, lean on the essentials, lest we fall away.

A. I am changing, God is not.

B. I am easily entertained, God is eternal.

C. I am inconsistent, God will finish what he starts!

D. I am powerless, God is mighty to save and sanctify!

Your salvation and sanctification is dependent upon God! We are made of flesh and are unfaithful—so we by faith hold on to his promises and trust in them as our own by faith—

Phil 2— So, let us work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Lest we Fall Away (vv. 4-5)

It is important to remember these verses are a call to wake up, not counsel to despair.

As long as their is breath in your lungs, their is hope for restoration.

Luke 18:27 “But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.””

Now, I know that these next few verses are highly debated, and if taken out of context, can be used to teach that a person can loose their salvation—however that is not the case!

Grammatically this is made clear by the writers shift from first and second person (us and you)to third person (those), and then back to his readers in v.9, “In your case, beloved...”

Here the writer looks to those who are not true believers, those who are in the church but not part of the true Church.

OT CONTEXT |

Remember the context, the author has been referring back to is Israel in the wilderness (3:7-4:2). They had the word of God, but did not obey, and as a result did not enter into the Promised Land.

With that in mind, I don’t believe we have the order of salvation in vv.4-5, but that we have a caution looking back to Israel and the exodus.

The writer of Hebrews has used this practice up to this point, and we have no reason to think he has departed from this method here.

So with the exodus in mind lets look at vv.4-5.

V.4 — “It is impossible for one who has been enlightened” — the pillar of fire that led the Israelites enlightened their way.

“have tasted the heavenly gift” — the Israelites had tasted the literal gift of heaven when God provided manna for them to eat.

“have shared the Holy Spirit” — the OT is full of occasions where the Israelites shared in the Holy Spirit as they were led.

Neh 9:20 “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst.”

v.5 — “have tasted the goodness of the word of God” — The Israelites had been given the very law of God, the leading of God, but his word did not profit them.

So what is the point of this, and why reference the exodus of Israel?

In Chp. 3 & 4 we saw that the majority of the Israelites who left Egypt with Moses did not enter the Promised Land, but rebelled against the Lord.

The writer of Hebrews has used this as a clear yet terrible backdrop for the topic of falling away, apostacy.

So, the warning is “like those who left Egypt as part of Israel, we may have a very real experience of the phenomena of God’s saving power through our participation in the church, but never experience deliverance, salvation, and as a result be band from entering his rest.

This is easily seen in the lives of people who have grown up in the church but their hearts are hard to God.

They were, as part of the visible church, be enlightened to the knowledge of the things of God, you may taste of the heavenly gifts in the Lord’s supper, they may have benefited from the power of the Spirit in their lives, and they may have benefited from the timeless truths of God’s word, but never experienced the salvation God has promised in Jesus.

Heb. 12:16-17 “Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.”

Judas tasted the goodness of Jesus, but in the end he found not time to repent, even though his heart was troubled.

A key word here is “taste”— you can put something in your mouth and taste it, but spit it out, and in doing so you don’t benefit from the nourishment the food should provide.

You must taste, chew, swallow, and digest to benefit.

Once you chose to spit something out it is rare that you go back to that food.

Likewise, the writer of Hebrews knew that due to the pressures and persecution the church faced, if a person received all of the mentioned blessings and still turned away it “is impossible to restore them again to repentance.”

For that person to leave, knowing who Christ is and what he offers, in their denial and departure, they are “recrucifying Christ.”

They are, as it were, saying the victory over sin and death accomplished at the resurrection is of no value, and Jesus might as well be nailed back to the cross and left for dead.

Once a person makes this decision it is impossible to turn back, to be restored…but what is impossible with man is possible with God.

And, if it a person will repent if God permits! So, we never can’t judge the eternal condition of a person’s soul, and we should continue sharing the goodness of the gospel with all who will listen, regardless of their spiritual state.

Let Me Be Sure (v7-8)

As I have said, these verses are an encouragement to believers and a warning to others.

So, how can we be sure that we are not in danger of falling away?