Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Hebrews 6:1-2 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
BEYOND THE BASICS
In school, as we grow in our knowledge and understanding, we move beyond the basic things we learned in the elementary grades and study more advanced things. In a similar way, as we become more mature in our understanding of spiritual things, we spend time studying the greater depth and details of the Scriptures.
The writer to the Hebrews chided his readers for lack of progress in their Christian education. For as long as they had been Christians, they might have been able to grasp some deeper teachings of the Bible (such as the comparison between Jesus and Melchizedek), but instead they had failed to move past the basic things.
There can be different reasons that we have trouble moving "beyond the basics" in our Christian education. Sometimes we get distracted by other things and don't take the time to grow in the Lord. Sometimes we don't put ourselves in good positions for growth, staying away from church or Bible studies. Other people think that the Bible is just too difficult for them, so they do not try to mine its deeper riches.
Now this is not to say that the basic truths of Christianity are unimportant or ought to be left behind in favor of other teachings, but the writer here encourages us never to stop our studies and our growth in God's word.
Having learned the basic things such as the death of Christ on the cross for the full payment of our sins, and baptism which cleanses us of guilt and brings us into God's family of believers, and the resurrection of our bodies at the Last Day, the Scriptures lead us into ever deeper understanding of the wondrous love, mercy, and might of our God. Each time we learn something more "advanced" from the Bible, our faith in the simple, fundamental truths is built up too. May our Christian education never stop!
