Hebrews 5:11-6:12
The Full Assurance of Hope
From the very beginning, we have said that our book of Hebrews was actually a sermon preached to disheartened Hebrew Christians suffering under the pains of great persecution at the hands of their former brothers and sisters in Judaism. Now as Christians, living in a hostile environment, they are being tempted to turn their back on Christ and return to Judaism for the sake of peace and security for themselves and their families.
Now, while the preacher is certainly sensitive to their struggles in their community, he knows the movement from Christ to Moses will not only place these fellow brothers and sisters back under the bondage of the old covenant, but will ultimately end in spiritual death.
So in the sermon, the preacher seeks to anchor their wavering souls in Jesus Christ, who according to 1:4 is far superior to even the angels of Heaven and because of His finished work He has inherited a greater name than they.
Then in 2:17, the preacher points them to Jesus, their merciful and faithful high priest who was made like them in all things to fully atone for their sins.
Now, we come to the preacher's third and central point of his sermon, which is actually found in 8:1 -- that Jesus Christ, who came in the high priestly, Heavenly order of Melchizedek and having taken His seat in Heaven, has made the final and ultimate sacrifice for your sins. Jesus Christ has made the single, personal sacrifice for sins and has sat down, with no need to ever make another atonement for your sins now that the work is complete in Heaven.
Now, the text surrounding this main point of the whole sermon is rather large, beginning in chap. 7 and ending in chap. 10. But before we begin to unearth the riches of that glorious passage, the preacher spends a few more moments to warn his hearers of the spiritual suicide of turning from faith in Jesus Christ. The preacher warns these Hebrew Christians first in our passage this morning and then again at the end of this major section of the sermon in chap. 10.
We begin this morning with this first warning and encouragement to not grow sluggish in pressing upward toward the high calling of Christ Jesus.
This passage is sometimes mistakenly read as a key text revealing the spiritual immaturity and failure of the Hebrew Christians, as if they had never matured past the age of spiritual infants as Christians. Some point out the preacher's words in 5:12 that though they should have matured to the point of needing solid food -- or advanced Christian teaching of the gospel -- that they rather need the milk, or elementary teaching of the gospel.
But there is no doubt that these Hebrew Christians were advanced in their discipleship to Christ and the preacher treats them throughout the sermon as anything but babes in Christ. In fact, the teachings of Christ found in the sermon to the Hebrews are so mature and grown up that many Christians who are far advanced in following Christ find these things weighty and a meaty diet for anyone who has known Christ for many years.
So why does the preacher use this language here in chaps. 5 and 6? The preacher is using irony to awaken them from their doldrums; to shock them into recalling their former faith and hope in Christ. In the face of such trials and suffering they have regressed in their growth in Christ to the point that they no longer see why it was that they made Christ Lord of their lives in the first place. So the preacher uses these words, that are almost shaming, to remind them of what they had once experienced and what they now have in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So he begins in v. 11 explaining why he has to pause for a moment in unfolding the high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ, which he began in vv. 5-10. Previously in v. 10, the preacher has just said that Jesus was "designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek." Then in 7:1, the preacher picks up the theme once he has warned them about becoming sluggish and unreceptive to the claims of the gospel. This "advanced teaching of the gospel" is what he calls the "solid food" for the mature that he wishes he could immediately unfold for them. The "solid food" that they should be teaching others is the ability to read the Old Testament Scriptures in light of the coming of Jesus Christ and His fulfillment of the promises God made to the Hebrew people.
He begins in v. 11, "concerning Him we have much to say" and the preacher will certainly fulfill this in the following chapters, but first he has to deal with their becoming "dull of hearing" or "hard of hearing." Dullness of hearing is absolutely fatal to those who have been called to "Hear Jesus!" (cf. 2:1-4; 3:1, 7-8, 15; 4:1-2, 7, READ). When Peter, James, and John ascended to the top of the mountain to pray with Jesus, the heavens opened and the Father appeared in a glory-cloud and bellowed:
This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him (Luke 9:35)!This is the same desire of the preacher to the Hebrew Christians. He longs for them to hear Jesus. But they have sadly become hard of hearing and are tempted to turn away from Christ who is calling them each by name. And if this apathetic attitude towards the gospel is not checked it may lead to spiritual death.
That's why the preacher must stop and warn of the dangers that may come if they do not clean out their ears and hear what he is about to say in chaps. 7-10! As he says in v. 11, what he is about to tell them is "hard to explain." He is about to provide them with advanced information about the gospel and this is going to be difficult stuff for them to process if they do not open their ears, dust off their brains, and clear away the cobwebs.
And it is this spiritual lethargy that has led them to turn away from teaching others (v. 12). What exactly the preacher is referring to is hard to know. It may be that because of the persecution and the fear of martyrdom that the church has become withdrawn from society and huddled into their small enclaves and house churches away from the outside world.
By withdrawing from their neighbors and family they are no longer teaching the "word of righteousness" (v. 13). This word is the gospel that alone brings about the righteousness of God. Because they no longer proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to their neighbors who need the word of light shining before them, they now have become spiritually dull to the message themselves.
There is an old adage, "If you don't use it, you will loose it" and it seems that it is exactly here that the Hebrew Christians are faltering. At one time, they were faithful followers of Jesus Christ and made known their faith to those around them. They were teachers of the righteousness of Jesus Christ and took great joy in the message they proclaimed to the world.
But now out of fear of death at the persecutors sword (cf. 2:15), they have withdrawn and lost hope in the message that at one time fully sustained them. And that's why the preacher shocks them by saying that it is now necessary for them to return to the "elementary principles of the oracles of God" (v. 12). He actually tells them that it's now time for them to return to God's ABCs of the gospel and relearn what they once held so dear in their hearts. Whereas they once were sustained on the precious meat of God's word, do they now have to become like babes who need to be nourished on milk?
For anyone who has tasted a rich meal of steak, potato, and glass of red wine and then looks at an infant who can only have milk to drink and you stand over that infant and you long for them for the day when they can first taste real food -- that is what the preacher is longing for in the lives of the Hebrew Christians. "Oh, how I long for you to hear of the Excellencies of Christ! But you have become so dull of hearing, that you must wake up now so that I can go on to tell you of the glorious beauty of all that you possess in the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Only then can they go on to the solid food of the gospel when their senses are once again awakened to the righteousness of Christ.
Therefore, in 6:1, he says, let us leave aside the elementary teaching about Christ and press on to mature things. It is clear that the preacher did not really think the Hebrew Christians were but mere babes in Christ needing once again to be lessoned in the elementary teachings of the gospel.
If he had, he would have certainly moved forward in the sermon to dwell on these primary concerns. But instead, because they are ready for solid food, all he needs to do at this point is to encourage them to wake up and move forward to the goal of spiritual maturity in Christ.
And what are these elementary teachings? He lists 6 of them in vv. 1-2 and it is important to note that each of these elements have to do with the work of the high priests, which he will contrast for them with the high priestly work of Christ in chaps. 7-10. For instance, he refers first to repentance from dead works and of faith toward God in v. 1. In 9:14 he shows how through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ your conscience has now been cleansed from these dead works to serve the living God.
These "dead works" refer to the sacrificial rites of the Levitical priesthood in the earthly sanctuary that no matter how long they are performed they can never clean the conscience of the believer (cf. 9:10). Compared to the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, these bodily washings and priestly laying on of hands are utterly useless (9:9-10, 19; 10:22).
These elementary instructions are worthless unless they are brought forward into Christ and seen how His righteousness has accomplished all that God was laying for the people of God. It is only as seen in fulfillment of Christ that these elements are to be understood.
Its not that these elementary teachings of Christ's fulfillment of the OT Levitical system are unimportant -- but that they are, as he says, already so well-established among them that there is no real need to return to them at this time but to press on to fuller, deeper exposition of the truth. The foundation of their Christian life is already well-laid (2:3-4) and need not, nor cannot, be re-laid (6:1, 4). This whole exhortation, therefore, is precisely for the purpose of reminding them of the solid foundation that has already been laid once and for all in the gospel of Christ. Therefore, as he says in v. 1, let us leave that foundation standing where it is and move forward to the goal of spiritual maturity.
And this movement forward can only take place according to God's sovereign will in our lives (v. 3). Only God can impress upon their hearts the crucial importance of the gospel in their lives and its transforming power to give them unwavering hope, faith, and endurance to the end.
And God has in fact been at work in the lives as seen in vv. 4-5. God has established a firm and vital covenantal relationship between Him and the Hebrew Christians. Through the power of the gospel their minds and hearts have been illuminated, enlightened to the mystery of God. What is pictured here is the powerful renewal of the mind brought about by God's sovereign power -- bringing to life the dead, calloused heart of the sinner.
They have tasted the gift from heaven -- the free gift of God in pouring out His Spirit upon the people of God (v. 4). Through the Spirit of Heaven, they have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. The heavenly realm, our eternal home, has been brought to them in this life and made their present possession through the Spirit of God.
In all of these things, the preacher undoubtedly confesses that God's salvation and presence are a present reality in their lives. The gospel has entered into this covenant community and God's Spirit is upon them. Here the preacher reminds them of all they possess in Christ.
And then he equally reminds them of what it would mean if they threw it all away (v. 6). The word for "fall away" reflects an attitude of deliberate and calculated rejection of the promise of God in Jesus Christ. It is to at one time hear and know the promise of God -- the gracious gift of God -- and reject it and turn away from it as the children of Israel did in Kadesh.
For the Hebrew Christians it was the temptation to return to Moses and leave Christ behind. Out of fear of persecution and death it would mean the public denial of faith before their accusers and a whole-hearted rejection of the gifts God offers in Jesus Christ.
Paul mentioned Demas in 2 Tim. 4:10, who loved this present world so much that he departed from Paul and John mentioned those who "went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us" (1 John 2:19).
Those who reject the gift of Jesus Christ and return to Moses or the world or whatever else seduces them away from Christ have no hope of salvation. Why? Because God has only laid one foundation upon which men might be saved. And once that foundation has been rejected for another there is no hope, no life, no salvation.
To spurn God's gift in Christ is to crucify Christ all over again and to put the Lord of Heaven and Earth to open shame, utter humiliation once more (6:6).
There is no other repentance that God has provided other than Jesus Christ. There is no other salvation apart from the blood of the divine Son. These are the last days and God has provided no other way of salvation (cf. 1:1-3).
In other words, these Hebrew Christians cannot think that they can simply go back to Moses and the temple and begin sacrificing bulls and goats in repentance for their sins. No! To sacrifice another bull is to trample upon the blood of Christ. To deny His blood is to deny the only way of salvation. Salvation is impossible for the one who repudiates the only basis upon which salvation is offered. Without Christ, there is no hope.
The preacher uses an analogy of harvest in vv. 7-8 to illustrate what he is saying. When the land is watered by God and it brings forth a bountiful harvest it is assured of a further blessing from God. But if it is well-watered and cared for and all it brings is thorns and thistles it is worthless and useless and will be set on fire.
The mentioning of "thorns and thistles" brings to mind the land that was cursed on account of Adam's sin in Gen. 3:17-18. The idea here is that those who turn away and reject the free gift of Jesus Christ offered by the Father are those who remain under the curse and whose end is to be set on fire.
You see here how the gospel also contains both the blessings and curses of God. The blessing of the gospel comes to all who embrace Christ by faith and receive the gift that God offers, an embracing of faith that once again, according to v. 3, comes only if God permits. But the curse equally comes to all who reject the free offer of salvation and seek their own salvation through their own sewing of the fig leaves of their works of self-righteousness before God.
Those who press forward in Christ are promised the blessing of eternal life. But those who return to Moses will know only the curse of God. And the same is true today for anyone who rejects the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ alone. Whatever it is they are holding onto, whatever it is they grips their lives, it will be worthless and useless on the day of Judgment for as the preacher says in 12:29, "our God is a consuming fire" (cf. 10:27).
Therefore, the only hope of salvation given by God to man is through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, for as Peter says, "there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
But as quickly as the preacher warns them of the dangers of falling away from Christ, just as quickly he returns to assure them of the fullness of hope they each have in Jesus Christ (v. 9). Notice the tenderness by which he addresses them, "Beloved" or "dear friends." They have full assurance of hope only because God is the one who is at work among them. God has indeed willed that they belong to Him and will forevermore. As he described in v. 7, they are the ones that God has watered and cared for so dearly that they can be assured of His future promised blessing of eternal life -- of "better things" to follow.
And the evidence of God's work in their lives is clearly seen by their former work and love they shared among one another (v. 10). The preacher identifies this labor of love in 10:32-34 (READ). God will not forget their former boldness before their persecutors, their practical and concrete love for one another who were imprisoned, and even their cheerful acceptance at the lost of their property and possessions. Their loyalty to Jesus Christ has been clearly evidenced in their life and the preacher seeks only to reawaken that love for Jesus in them.
And so he expresses that desire to see them return to their confident assurance of hope and to press on in faith and patience until the end (vv. 11-12).
It is so easy in a fallen world to become sluggish, dull of hearing, to the promises of the gospel. This world often screams so loudly in our ears that our only option seems to be to try to stop our ears from hearing anything at all. To seek to find some kind of peace and silence in this world. And the world also offers many toys, trinkets, and shiny things to seduce us to put our trust in the things of this world to give us peace, security, and pleasure.
But the preacher reminds us all this morning that all those things are merely a mirage. They are shadows, wisps of smoke, that will one day all fade away. The only true anchor of our souls, the only full assurance of hope is found in the immovable and indestructible person of Jesus Christ, our faithful and merciful high priest of God, who has passed through the heavens and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high that you and I may draw near to him with complete confidence and hope that in Him our sins have been paid in full and where we all find eternal peace, rest, and security in this life and in the life to come through His marvelous grace alone.
Amen! -SDG-
