6:1-3
What is milk? What is meat? Milk was basic doctrine such as repentance, faith, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection, and eternal judgment. This was the milk of basic Bible teaching. Anyone who was saved for a little while should know these doctrines. This is milk for new believers.
What is sad is that I know these doctrines are not even taught to new Christians in the modern church. It is rare to find a preacher who even teaches these basic bible doctrines. Instead, what fills pulpits today is new age teachings, doctrines of devils, psychology, self-help, and self-worship. Truly we are living in the last days when there is a great departure from basic Bible truth.
We should learn these basic principles and then move on to the meat of God's word. The meat in Hebrews is that Jesus Christ is exalted over all religion. God gave Israel their religion in the Old Testament, but this religion was supposed to point them to the reality of their Messiah. When their Messiah arrived they loved religion more than the Messiah and rejected him. But to those who did believe in Jesus he gave them the power to become the sons of God.
We learn more and more that the meat of God's word is the Messiah himself. Continue steadfastly to believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose again on the third day.
The application of the gospel and depth of the gospel is lived out in a deeper way as we learn from the Holy Spirit how the gospel applies to our every day life. Paul began to dig into the application of the gospel in Romans and Ephesians. We find out the gospel went far beyond the forgiveness of sins and actually saves us from self, sin, the world system, the devil, and from death.
I have nothing against teaching basic bible doctrines. I wish more preachers would cover the basic doctrines of Christ. However, I also long as the apostle did to continue on to perfection.
What is perfection? The Lord Jesus Christ himself is perfection. We should press on to know him more and more.
No man can truly teach us about Christ. We only learn about the Lord Jesus in the school of the Holy Spirit. If we are willing to go on and learn of Christ the Holy Spirit will reveal him to us.
There is a price to be paid. The price for growing in the Lord is losing friends, family, religion, and sometimes your job. You may lose everything in your pursuit of knowing Christ Jesus. The Lord said this would happen to us and the apostles repeated this message. Read 2 Timothy 3:12, John 16:33.
Are you willing to pay the price to know the Lord Jesus Christ? Or are you satisfied with church as usual? Press on to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings.
6:4-6
I think it is easy for people to misunderstand these specific verses. On the surface it might appear these verses imply a man can lose his eternal salvation. However, I do not think salvation is in view here.
If we look at the context of Hebrews we see Hebrew Christians tempted to stop living as Christians and return to the synagogue. In other words, even though they were born again they wanted to return to the world system, (religion is included in the world system). As a result, they would no longer have a testimony of Christ and would be unable to produce spiritual fruit.
When a Christian stops agreeing with the gospel and instead bargains with religion he no longer actively is participating with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is contrary to the world system. The Holy Spirit is life but the world system (religion, included) is death.
Those who continue with the gospel continue to taste the goodness of God's promises and have their heart set on the kingdom. However, when a man turns to religion or the world his heart no longer is set on the kingdom. In other words, this man lives according to the principle of self-worship instead of worshiping the living God through Christ Jesus.
Did he lose his eternal salvation? I do not think so but he is one of those saved "as through the fire" and loses inheritance and reward at the judgment seat of Christ.
Repentance means we stop agreeing with the world system and worldly religion and instead agree with the gospel. When we stop agreeing with the gospel we put ourselves under the world system again.
It is impossible to live according to both principles. This is how Jesus put it: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24)
I don't think eternal salvation is in view in these verses. I think it is a statement of fact: a man cannot live for God and himself at the same time. He cannot worship God and worship himself at the same time. Worship of self includes self-provision, self-protection, and self-worship.
When a Christian agrees to live according the world system and worship self then his testimony becomes "Christ Jesus is not enough".
This is putting the Lord to open shame. Our testimony should always be that the Lord is our provider, our protector, and our portion.
This is difficult when a man is an outcast in society. Those outside the Hebrew society were outcast and did not have government, economic, or social support as the common Jew did. Being a Christian meant you were outside of the support systems. The Christian only had God to protect him, provide for him, and be his portion.
This same issue is before every Christian and not just the early Hebrew Christians.
Is our testimony "the Lord is my provider" or do we live in fear of man and what man can do to us?
I have suffered greatly at the hands of men who were filled with the spirit of Satan. I have suffered greatly but through my suffering I have learned obedience and my testimony remains: "God is my provider, my protector, and my portion forever".
David put it very well in Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall not want.
Remember, if the devil cannot take away your salvation he will try to prevent you from having a testimony.
How does he do that? He tempts you in these three areas always: provision, protection and portion. These three areas fit in with the evil spirit of the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. (1 John 2).
Meditate on this and if you understand this you will avoid traps and snares Satan puts out there for Christians.
Do not make agreements which will cause you to sell your soul to the world for money or protection. Do not worship yourself and so be ensnared. Do not love yourself. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind. Worship God! Do not worship yourself.
Worship of self is the foundation of the kingdom of darkness. Avoid it by putting all of your trust and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
8/27
