Go Forward to Maturity
Having begun his discourse on Christ’s appointment as a superior high priest, the author suddenly breaks off the topic and turns to confront his audience directly with the problem of their spiritual immaturity. The writer follows with a blistering warning against falling away from Christ (6:4–8), which in turn is followed by an expression of encouragement and confidence in the hearers’ commitment (6:9–12).
Original Meaning
Having begun his discourse on Christ’s appointment as a superior high priest, the author suddenly breaks off the topic and turns to confront his audience directly with the problem of their spiritual immaturity. The writer follows with a blistering warning against falling away from Christ (6:4–8), which in turn is followed by an expression of encouragement and confidence in the hearers’ commitment (6:9–12).
The Author Confronts the Hearers (5:11–14)
The author articulates the slowness of learning of his readers with the words nothroi … tais akoais. In the ancient world the first of these words (nothros) could mean “sluggish, dull, dimwit, negligent, lazy.”
However, our preacher finds the hearers’ condition especially egregious in light of their long-term involvement in the church. By now they “ought to be teachers,” but instead need someone else to teach them
Moving on to Maturity (6:1–3)
HAVING ASSESSED THE spiritual condition of his listeners in 5:11–14, the author moves on to challenge them to correct their present course and move on to maturity. He expresses the challenge both positively (v. 1a) and negatively (vv. 1b–2), concluding with a statement of resolve (v. 3).
Moving on to Maturity (6:1–3)
This balanced section of exhortation can be diagrammed as shown on the following page.
Thus the author both confronts and comforts as he warns this church concerning the dangers of falling away from Christ.
As the first piece in this puzzle, 5:11–6:3 focuses attention on the issue of spiritual immaturity. In 5:11–14 the author offers a bald assessment of his hearers’ current condition. They exhibit a dullness as learners of God’s truth, even though they have been engaged in the Christian walk long enough now to be teachers of others. The preacher likens them to infants still at a mother’s breast, who cannot handle more substantive fare. Then in 6:1–3 he exhorts them to move on in the faith, progressing beyond the elementary teachings about Christ.
Move on to Maturity
HAVING ASSESSED THE spiritual condition of his listeners in 5:11–14, the author moves on to challenge them to correct their present course and move on to maturity. He expresses the challenge both positively (v. 1a) and negatively (vv. 1b–2), concluding with a statement of resolve (v. 3).
The “therefore” of verse 1 demonstrates his determination to move his readers on from their present state of immaturity. They are not responding to their circumstances as spiritual grown-ups, therefore, it is time to move from the children’s to the adults’ menu, leaving behind fundamental teachings
A Harsh Word of Warning (6:4–8)
AT A NUMBER of points in Hebrews the author presents a compact, highly stylized treatment of an issue by stringing together participle clauses, an approach he uses in 6:4–8. The first three verses of this unit cohere around the central assertion, “It is impossible for those … to be brought back to repentance.” The two main parts of this declaration (lit., “impossible the ones …” [v. 4] and “again to renew to repentance” [v. 6]) are separated from each other by five intervening clauses. Such a separation of closely related elements was done at times for rhetorical effect (i.e., by their isolation from one another they stand out more clearly). The structure of the passage may be depicted as follows:
In 6:7–8 the author describes twin experiences familiar to those from an agricultural context. On the one hand, seeds have been planted in the earth, rain falls on the land, crops are produced, and the farmers who planted the seeds envision an eventual harvest. This is a picture of God’s blessing. On the other hand, we have a picture of disappointment and frustration. The seeds have been planted, rain falls in abundance on the land, but instead of the hoped-for crop, worthless “thorns and thistles” are produced. Rather than evidencing the blessing of God, such land is “near to a curse” (pers. trans.; cf. Gen. 3:17–18), suggesting inevitable devastation. The farmer’s only recourse is to burn off the area.
Bridge Context
Rhetorical impact. We must first understand that the writer crafts this passage for rhetorical impact. Some might misunderstand this break in the discourse on “Appointment” to suggest an awkwardness on the part of the writer. They ask, “Why does the author start a topic and then, almost immediately, leave it for another topic, which will in turn be followed by the original topic?
With 5:11–6:3 the author begins by confronting the congregation with their spiritual condition. Having used both the positive and negative examples of others, he now gets down to addressing their conduct. Thus, he fittingly confronts them with the chief concern on his mind—their spiritual condition—at a key point in the book. This rhetorical approach speaks more to the author’s packaging of principles than to the principles themselves.
Early church life. By looking at the passage from another angle we learn something important about life among the earliest Christian congregations: education in Christian teachings was seen as vital and seems to have been carried out systematically. The author, by mentioning the “elementary truths of God’s word” in 5:12 and providing a list of those truths in 6:1–2, opens a window for us on life in ancient Christian communities. The term “elementary” (i.e., basic principles) itself indicates both a distinction between levels of instruction and a time at which those instructions were given—at the beginning of one’s Christian commitment. When the author uses the metaphor of infant feeding vis-à-vis adult diet, he again indicates an expectation that there should be a normal growth process in healthy Christian development. He also points to the “food” of which one should be partaking as a Christian—the words of God. The author indicates the outcome—discernment of the distinction between good and evil—that demonstrates growth to maturity has taken place.
Thus for Hebrews, and for New Testament theology generally, true relationship with God results in a lifestyle of obedience to God. If that obedience is absent, that person’s relationship with God is questionable. So in Hebrews 6:7–8 the part of the illustration analogous to the apostate depicts barren land that, in spite of the blessings of God, has failed to produce fruit. By contrast, those who are truly being made holy have evidence of salvation (6:9), have been perfected for all time (10:14), have come to Mount Zion, where the spirits of righteous men have been made perfect (12:22–24), and will experience the consummation of salvation at the end (9:28). Salvation has a continuity from present to future and manifests a life of perseverance and obedience to God. If the present involves true salvation, that salvation will be consummated at the end. If at the end one has failed to persevere, then the former public association with the Christian community is manifested to have been illegitimate. This does not mean that the apostates were knowingly fraudulent, just that they had not truly been changed by God’s power.
True spirituality cannot be evaluated apart from fruitful faithfulness in the Christian life. Everywhere in the New Testament this principle stands out. Jesus admonished the disciples, “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matt. 7:16). Paul proclaimed, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10). James reminds us that a workless faith is suspect (James 2:14), and John warns that true relationship with God manifests itself in love of God and humankind (1 John 4:7–8, 20). In Hebrews 6:7–8 the wisdom saying depicts the dichotomy of a blessed fruitfulness over against a cursed barrenness. This does not mean that our works maintain our relationship with God, but rather that true relationship with God will manifest itself in our works. This “works as a result of salvation” orientation also points to the nature of Christian ministry as an occupation of all believers rather than a chosen few. As the author infers in 6:10, a hallmark of true Christianity is ministry to others. Therefore all true Christians engage in helping others.
Contemporary Significance
Spiritual formation and the modern church.
We make decisions in life based on our thought processes. Our beliefs, therefore, affect the way we live, the relationships we keep, and the commitments we make or break. Rather than being relegated to the ivory towers of theological education, theology must be taught and “bought” in the nitty-gritty highways and byways of grassroots Christian community. If we are deep in the faith and nurtured on biblical truth, we are better prepared to make the right decisions as we walk the Christian life—decisions in line with perseverance.