Leaving the Doctrine of Christ

Hebrews 6:1-3 … "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of … repentance from dead works … faith toward God … And the doctrines of … baptisms … laying on of hands … resurrection of the dead … and eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit."

In the previous chapter, the writer of Hebrews has been addressing these Jewish believers in Christ, telling them they should no longer need the milk of the word but should by now be eating the strong meat of the word for spiritual growth.

It sounds as if he is reprimanding them because if anyone had an advantage starting out with Jesus, it would be them. They were descended from Abraham, had the law of Moses, the writings of the Old Testament, and some of them may have even witnessed the personal ministry of Christ or His disciples.

So with this rich history behind them, he tells them to leave the basic principles which deal only with salvation. When he says … "Leaving" … he wants them to go on to higher and greater doctrines, beyond salvation, if that is truly possible.

There is more to living for Jesus than just being born again … and I say that with a smile when I write, more than … just salvation. The word just as an adverb means … "by a small margin and nothing more." What? But the word just can also mean … absolutely. Now that's more like it.

Just … saved by the blood of Jesus … how are you just saved? It's not by a small margin. It's a rich and complete … absolute salvation.

But I'm off topic; so continuing …

Leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ … The author of Hebrews is saying to them, you have been converted long enough to have understood these basic elementary truths; but you cannot remain here. You can only be an infant so long; you must mature. If you don't develop and advance beyond the basics, there is something wrong.

Let us go on unto perfection … it is proper to exhort Christians to aim high, and perfection certainly is high. The fact that the writer or anyone else may have never attained it does not make it any less desirable or proper to aim at perfection. I really question if such an attainment is even possible. To exhort a man to do such a thing however … is not wrong.

To be honest, the word perfection as it is used here doesn't mean being perfect or sinless. It really means completeness or having a more perfect knowledge of spiritual things.

2nd Peter 1:5-8 speaks of this very same thing …

"Giving all diligence, add to your faith (not to your salvation) virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Not laying again the foundation … as one does a foundation for a building. The idea is that they were not to begin building all this over again. This was not necessary since the foundation had already been laid; but they were to go on and build the superstructure and complete the building on the existing foundation.

They were not to start over with the same repentance from dead works, which if translated right means … compunction for guilt … that came from those actions related to the character of much of the religion of the Jews where there had been in the past no real spiritual life, only works of the law. Conversion to Jesus consisted in repentance for having relied on those hollow forms of dead works. It is possible that the writer referred mainly to these issues, as he was writing to those who had been Hebrews.

And of faith toward God … With writers such as John, Peter or Paul it is usually "faith in the Lord Jesus" that is spoken of; but here in this letter written to the Hebrews, it is "faith in God" that is particularly referred to. In truth there is essentially no difference; I just find it interesting that the author of this letter referred back to the wording these Jewish believers were accustomed to.

So the admonition not only to them but also left for us, is to go on to greater and deeper things in Christ. Strange as it sounds, we are instructed to leave … "the basic principles of the doctrine of Christ."

In other words … we are to grow up in Christ.


Comments welcome.