Hebrews 6:1-8: Pursue Maturity

Introduction

Scripture

Hebrews 6:1–8 ESV

1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

Outline

Hebrews 1-2 - Jesus is Greater Than the Angels

Hebrews 1:1-4 - God has Spoken

Hebrews 1:5-14 - The Son is Superior to the Angels

Hebrews 2:1-4 - A Warning

Hebrews 2:5-9 - Lowliness to Crowning Glory

Hebrews 2:10-18 - Jesus has Delivered His Brothers

Hebrews 3:1-4:13 - Jesus is a Greater Rest

Hebrews 3:1-6 - Jesus is Worthy of More Glory Than Moses

Hebrews 3:7-19 - Disobedience After the Exodus

Hebrews 4:1-13 - A Sabbath Rest for God’s People

Hebrews 4:14-7:26 - Jesus is Greater than Melchizedek

Hebrews 4:14-16 - Jesus is the Great High Priest

Hebrews 5:1-10 - Jesus is the High Priest After the Order of Melchizedek

Hebrews 5:11-6:20 - Warning and Exhortation

Hebrews 5:11-14 - Failure to Mature

Hebrews 6:1-8 - Pursue Maturity

Hebrews 6:1-3 - Pursue Maturity

Hebrews 6:4-6 - Avoid Apostasy

Hebrews 6:7-8 - Spiritual Growth vs. Spiritual Death

Purpose of Book

Christ, who has accomplished salvation through His atoning sacrifice, is greater than all things; therefore, persevere in true faith and encourage others to do likewise

Main Point

Let us build upon the elementary doctrine of Christianity and pursue maturity choosing spiritual growth over spiritual death

Warning Passage Interpretations

Apostasy - Christians can reject/lose salvation

Eternal gifts - Christians can miss out on eternal gifts

Non-Christians - Jews who were listening, but did not claim Jesus as Lord

Can’t reject/lose salvation - Not sure what this means, but I just know you can’t reject/lose salvation

Eschatological Warning - Persevere until the end and be found in Christ

Hebrews 6:1-3 - Pursue Maturity

Hebrews 6:1–3 ESV

1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.

Therefore

Continuation of the warning in 5:11-14 urging them to advance in maturity

Let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity,

Let us leave

They had become lazy in their spiritual growth

Elementary doctrine of Christ

Wording that connects with Hebrews 5:12

They are not to abandon the elementary doctrine of Christ (milk), but to build/grow in spiritual maturity (solid food) in both theology and practice

Doctrine of Christ

Not laying again a foundation of

Reiterating or repeatedly going over the same information

6 items in 3 couples detailing the Christian life from conversion to final judgment

Repentance from dead works and faith toward God,

Repentance

Acts 2:38 ESV

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 26:19–20 ESV

19 “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

Dead works

Romans 6:20–23 ESV

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 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. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Faith

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

In faith, we trust God to remain true to His promises

And of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands,

Washings

Laying on of hands

Acts 8:17–19 ESV

17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 9:17–19 ESV

17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.

The resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Daniel 12:1–2 ESV

1 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

John 5:25–29 ESV

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Revelation 20:11–15 ESV

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

And this we will do if God permits.

The author realizes that it is only by the sovereign work of God that they will mature beyond the elementary doctrine of Christ

Though the audience is responsible to mature past milk there is a reality of being dependent upon God to create said growth

Hebrews 6:4-6 - Avoid Apostasy

Hebrews 6:4–6 ESV

4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

***This along with Hebrews 10:26-27 are the most troubling passages in the entire book***

***This is one of the most disputed passages in all of the New Testament***

***Ante-Nicene Fathers all interpreted these individuals were Christians - 100-325AD***

***Post-Nicene Fathers, save two - Basil and Gregory of Nyssa, interpreted these individuals were Christians - 325-451AD***

***What is the authorial intent behind these verses? A warning to persevere***

For it is impossible,

Literally impossible and is meant to be forceful

What is impossible?

vs 6. Restoring those who have fallen away

The Scripture is saying that it is impossible to restore an apostate

In the case of those

Those

Notice the switch in pronoun use in Hebrews 6:4-8 verses in contrast to the rest of the warning passage 5:11-6:12.

Impersonal rather than direct

Those

Who have once been enlightened,

Once

Decisive moment and event that cannot be repeated

Enlightened

Salvific language

Passive - God is the initiator

Who have tasted the heavenly gift,

Tasted

Mark 9:1 ESV

1 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

John 8:52 ESV

52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’

Hebrews 2:9 ESV

9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Not simply taught, but have experienced it for themselves

And have shared in the Holy Spirit,

Become partakers of the Holy Spirit

Reception of the Holy Spirit

And have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,

Word of God - The Gospel

Powers of the age to come

Final fulfillment of the eschatological age

Hebrews 2:4 ESV

4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

And then have fallen away,

Apostasy

Intentionally and deliberately rebelled

Abandoned the gospel of Jesus Christ

How do we interpret these words?

Look to the previous warning passages

To restore them again to repentance,

Here is the impossibility from vs. 4 and God is the implied subject

Since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

There rejection is similar to that of those who put Christ on the cross and mocked him

Matthew 27:27–31 ESV

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

In short, Jesus deserved to be crucified and the penalty of his death was justified and He did not save others from sin

Hebrews 6:7-8 - Spiritual Growth vs. Spiritual Death

Hebrews 6:7–8 ESV

7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

***Agricultural illustration expanding on the warning he is giving***

***The author is pulling A LOT from Deuteronomy and placing the warning in context with the Deuteronomy blessing/cursing covenantal context***

Deuteronomy 11:26–28 ESV

26 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.

For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.

For

Continuation of the argument in 6:4-6

Land

One piece - not two

Ran falls on it

Two possible outcomes to the warning - those who persevere in obedience vs. those who regress

Rain is not from humans, but from God

Those who respond positively to the warning, which he believes they will (vss. 9-12), will receive the eschatological blessing - eternal life - from the Lord

But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

Thorns and thistles

Genesis 3:17–18 ESV

17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.

Worthless

Disqualified on the last day and will not be saved

Be burned

Deuteronomy 29:22–24 ESV

22 And the next generation, your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, will say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the Lord has made it sick— 23 the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and wrath— 24 all the nations will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?’

Those who respond negatively to the warning, which he believes they will not (vss. 9-12), will receive the eschatological judgment - eternal death - from the Lord

Reflection

Have you regressed to the point that you need to be taught again the basic elements of Christian doctrine - both theological and practical?

Does this vivid warning ring true to you?

Application

Build upon the elementary doctrine of Christ and heed the warning given!

Main Point

Let us build upon the elementary doctrine of Christianity and pursue maturity choosing spiritual growth over spiritual death