Growing from Babies to Homesteaders in the Kingdom of God
Are you familiar with the “new” trend for Millennials? Many more millennials are leaving the city in pursuit of homesteading. Some are tired of city life in general. Some are tired of the corporate rat race. I knew one gentleman who was making six figures in Denver, but decided the money wasn’t worth his health and family. He packed his family up and moved to Missouri to be farmers. I didn’t have to ask if he regretted his decision at all. The smile on his face telling me the story said it all.
It’s a fascinating trend. Others simply want to know where their food is coming from. They are pushing against the industrial machine that is the modern food economy. Regardless of the “why”, it makes for an interesting model of maturity. A person begins as a baby, unable to feed themselves. They grow up a bit and start chewing soft foods. Then, they eventually get some teeth and can have solid food. Later, they will learn how to fix their own dinners having a measure of self-sufficiency. These homesteaders take it even a step further than the modern human that shops at a grocery store. They take the time to grow their own food—raising animals and crops. While it may look like a step back in humanity’s development, it is certainly a step forward in their own responsibilities and maturity.
This same growth pattern works for spiritual development, too. At first, we need others to tell us about Jesus and the things of God. We need the basic instructions. Then, one day we learn to chew on the bigger things. Eventually, if we are on a path of maturing in Christ, we will learn to feed ourselves. Even better, we learn to feed others, as well.
But what happens when this maturity is disrupted?
What does it look like when we have become complacent Christians content to being teenagers and young adults still wanting to be spoon-fed like infants?
Pursuing Solid Food | Hebrews 5:11-14
About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:11-14
Every once in a while I will ask someone “What does it mean to be a mature Christian?” Sometimes it is in the context of a class, but many times I will ask this in counseling, as well. It’s worth taking a look, because many times we have an idea in our head of growing in our faith, but I have found most of the time, our definition is lacking.
Here, Hebrews is chastising his audience a bit because they should be further along in their faith. They are supposed to be teaching others, but they need to be taught. This immaturity is not for lack of knowledge. As we saw in the first chapter, the author assumes they have quite a bit of knowledge about Christ and God’s work through Him already. Likewise, the number of literary references in Hebrews presupposes a fairly literate audience. Last week, I mentioned how 5:1-10 is structured rhythmically and as a chiasm. And, there are several popular sayings intermingled in the text that only someone who has read popular Greek texts would find (or they have a good commentary by their side). Their problem is not a lack of knowledge. So what is their problem? He says they are “unskilled in the word of righteousness.”
The problem appears to be in their hands and mouths, not their brains. I have a model of discipleship I inherited from a professor in Christian Education. It’s called “Think, Feel, Do.” There is a much longer version of this, but the very short one is “Everyone thinks, everyone feels, and everyone does.” The goal of discipleship is to help people think like Jesus thinks, feel like Jesus feels, and do as Jesus does. Anecdotally, I have found the vast majority of discipleship training, Sunday Schools, and small groups focus primarily on teaching things about the Bible hitting that “think” category. But anyone who has had training in education knows that is just one of three domains. Not only should we give the right information, but we also have to consider the emotional elements. Typically, this is where the Arts come into play, but even within the less ‘emotional’ subjects, teachers have to consider the emotional states of their students—issues of motivation, safety, passion for the subject, etc. And what does it matter if they have all the right information and feeling good about that information if they don’t know what to do with all that?
Now, does this model help at all in understanding the Hebrews predicament? Let’s take a look at “Feel” first. We know from when Hebrews was written, there is a strong chance the audience was in the midst of some persecution—either at the beginnings of a strong bout or at the end, depending on the date exactly. They may be acting like children in their faith simply because they are afraid. Fear will cripple our witness and our faith, if we let it. The Hebrews needed reminding of who Jesus is and His power in order to overcome this fear. It is a principle still true today.
The key to overcoming fear of outside persecution is always to fix our eyes on Jesus and His power.
In terms of “Think”, the author does wish to give them “solid food”—a deeper or more complex teaching—but they are not ready. Their lack of obedience and fear cripples their ability to ‘chew’ on the weightier matters of God. Again, we see a clear principle of pedagogy that works for us today.
We cannot grow in our knowledge of God if we are still struggling with the basics of the faith.
Last, Hebrews calls them “unskilled.” I love this word because it reminds us being a disciple of Christ is not just a head game. Christianity is not about having the right answer on a test. It’s about knowing Christ, and Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Ultimately, the problem with the Hebrews audience is they aren’t doing the things they need to do. We may not know the exact situation, but verse 14 seems pretty clear.
‘Solid food’, the deeper teachings and higher things of God, are for those who are “trained by constant practice.” They understand, and can distinguish, between good and evil. They seek the good, even in the face of danger or persecution. They recognize the power of Christ to carry them through whatever obstacle this world and its devils throw at them.
The mark of a mature believer is their ability to do what God calls them to do in their present situation.
If you find yourself not knowing what it is God is calling you to do, then we can refer back to the “Think, Feel, Do” model. Is there information you are missing? Pray and seek an answer from God and His Word. Are your feelings misaligned with what God is calling you to do? Ask God to help you overcome your emotions. Be sure you do not have unhealthy habits that are inhibiting your work for the Lord. Then, as you seek the Lord and His will, be willing to step out and do what is called of you. And, if you have done all these things and are still waiting on an answer, then simply do the last thing God has called you to do. Be faithful in what He has revealed, and you will find yourself with the next step of faith in due time.
As we consider this principle for us today, let’s take a look at our own situations. Thankfully, we do not deal with much persecution. Not too many of us in America face losing our life for our faith. Very few times have I heard of someone losing a job or a promotion because they were a Christian. And yet, how easy is it for us to lose focus on Christ for fear of some social issue—looking foolish or being one of those “Bible thumpers”?
Pastor Bob asked two weeks ago what it would take for you to turn away from your faith. It is a question well worth asking. But perhaps you are strong in your faith. This week, I’d like to ask you a different question.
What it would take for you to step out in faith and trust God more in what He has given you?
If you have been feeding on a steady diet of milk, what needs to happen in order for you to be ready for solid food?
The next section will take a look at just that question.
Cultivating Growth | Hebrews 6:1-12
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, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. 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, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 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. 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. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.
Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Hebrews 6:1-12
As we consider how Hebrews describes growing in maturity, notice it describes the “elementary doctrine[s]”. Repentance, faith toward God, washings, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement are all considered elementary doctrines. These phrases have some rich theological questions—many of whom we could spend years studying (pastors and theologians do just that!). And yet, the knowledge part of the equation is the elementary part. The bulk of this passage is dealing with the fruit of the Christian life. It reinforces the point made previously. Christian maturity is marked by the Christian’s lifestyle, not by simply what they know.
Before we look at the metaphor of rain and fruit that begins in verse 7, let’s take a look at verses 4-6. Here, we have a ‘thorn in the side’ of everyone who believes, as I do, that we cannot lose our salvation. Typically from the crowd that denies the doctrine of eternal security, they will say something like, “See, why would Hebrews talk about restoring someone to repentance after they have been enlightened unless it is possible to lose your salvation?” To that I offer three points.
First, we should not confuse “enlightened” with “saved.” Not only are they two different English words, but the Greek uses two different words also. ‘Salvation' is sōteria, or in the case of the ‘new creation’ or ‘born again’, it would be gennao anothan or kaine ktisis. ‘Enlightened’ is photizō. It’s the same root we get the word ‘photon’ and the prefix “photo-”. It has to do with shining a light on something. ‘Light’ is common metaphor for gaining some new knowledge. It’s the same metaphor we have in English—“shine a light on the situation.” It’s the same picture as our English “enlighten”. When someone is enlightened, they have new knowledge about something.
But, just because someone learns about Jesus doesn't mean they are saved. Lots of people know about the story of Jesus. In fact, there are many well-learned scholars who can speak for hours about the history and context of Jesus’ life. That doesn’t mean they are believers, though. James famously wrote, “Even the demons believe in Jesus and shudder”—meaning they know all about Jesus, but that doesn’t make them saved.
Second, verse 6 is describing a present attitude of the apostate. They are actively “crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm.” Their apostasy is the same sin-filled action that put Jesus on the cross in the first place. We must never forget that Jesus went to the cross willingly, but that does not negate the fact it was rebellious religious leaders that made sure he did. The Jewish leaders and their Roman co-conspirators who wanted nothing to do with the Messiah, but rather chose to find a way to put him to death are still guilty of rebellion against God. The apostate who once celebrated the Risen Christ, but now chooses to deny and rebel against God is as guilty as those religious and political rebels.
Third, and most importantly, the point of this passage is not even about whether or not salvation can be lost. I believe this argument clouds the overarching point of this entire section. Hebrews is not concerned with us figuring out the line between ‘saved’ and ‘not saved’. The concern here is how we can grow in our faith. Trying to decide whether we can lose our salvation really seems like an exercise in figuring out how much sin is too much. Any sin is too much.
It’s like a kid playing in a mud hole trying to decide if his clothes will be too muddy when his mother finds him. If mom said to keep the mud away from his clothes, any mud is too much mud! But if this child has a good mom, he may get disciplined for playing in the mud, but he won’t be destroyed. Likewise, we have a God who is ready to forgive us if we fall back into sin’s trap. Yes, He will discipline us, we will have to deal with the consequences of sin, but we also can look to our Savior who has already made it possible for us to be forgiven.
And that is the real problem of the apostate. Their sinful behavior is symptomatic of the real problem—they have forgotten the price of their salvation.
Apostasy begins with apathy to the cross and the things of God.
And Hebrews is concerned his audience may fall into a similar trap, if they haven’t already. He is positive of their faith and sure they will do better (verse 9). But there is still a possibility of falling away from the faith because they lack some measure of obedience. Again, we don’t know exactly the problem, but we do know the congregation has a mixed response to God’s blessings.
Consider the metaphor of rain he uses in verse 7 & 8. The rain falls on the land, and parts of the land produces a crop that is useful. Other parts produce thorns and thistles and is worthless. “It is worthless and near to being cursed.” This metaphor harkens to Jesus’ parable of the sower. The sower throws out his seed, and it lands on different areas. One of those areas produces fruit, but another cannot bear fruit because thorns and thistles choke the plant. Jesus tells the disciples the thorns are the “cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches.” If the Hebrews author has this parable in mind, then it may be his audience is dealing with the “cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches” which is why they are struggling to bear fruit.
Regardless, the parable of the sower and the metaphor in Hebrews have the same point. We have to cultivate a heart that is receptive to the word of God if we are to bear fruit, just like the farmer has to cultivate the ground for it to bear fruit.
To bear fruit and mature as believers, we must cultivate a heart that is receptive to God’s work in our lives.
Last, notice the tone changes a bit in verse 9. The problem with the audience in Hebrews isn’t that they aren’t doing anything right. They are just slipping into complacency. Verse 12 calls them “sluggish”. Whether they are sluggish because of persecution or because of the pursuit of wealth, the problem is they are allowing things to get in the way of their walk with Christ. It is not a matter of doing the wrong things, but rather a matter of not doing the right things.
From verse 10, it would appear they used to do well. They have served the Lord in the past, and still serve in some ways. But there is more to do, and they are capable. It is time for them to mature into greater obedience.
Earlier I asked this question. What it would take for you to step out in faith and trust God more in what He has given you?
Are there thorns and thistles in your life that need to be rooted out? What cares or worries are preventing you from bearing fruit?
We can learn the lesson of the gardener for our spiritual lives. If a weed enters the garden, the gardener pulls it out—root and all. If left to itself, that weed will multiply and choke the plant. Disease and vermin have to be removed if the plant is to produce healthy fruit. The gardener doesn’t actually make things grow, but they do spend their time creating an environment for growth to happen.
In our Christian walk, we can’t make ourselves grow. But we can create an environment for growth. We root out the things in our lives that inhibit our growth and feed on the things that help us grow. We regularly read the Word of God. We regularly pray. We regularly work with other Christians in service to God and our fellow humans. We do the things that God calls us to do, and through being obedient to the little things, God matures us to be ready for the big things.
And all of this begins with simply turning to Jesus. Do not look on the things of God with derision and find yourself in the same boat as those who put Jesus on the cross. Instead, remember that he went to the cross for you to become the person God has designed you to be—a child of God on his way to heaven bringing others alongside himself.