Stuck on the Basics

Scripture: Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from useless rituals, and of faith in God, instruction about baptism, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so. Hebrews 6:1-3

Observation: The author is laying out three levels of Christian understanding:

-- Non-belief, which for Jews would mean commitment to the old laws (i.e. repentance from sin through performing rituals).

-- Elementary teaching, which is the absolute basics for simple belief ... repentance through faith, baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit, and salvation into eternal life.

-- Maturity, which is ... something more.

As the author says, God permitting it is time for their discussion to move onto mature Christian discussions - to begin discussing "meat" and not "milk" (end of Chapter 5). However, at this point he is a little frustrated that some believers are stuck on the basics.

The question is, why haven't these believers moved on into a more mature faith? I believe the author of Hebrews is answering this question, and providing the solution.

The reason is that the immature believer is 'stuck' on one of these basic elements. They don't have faith, have not accepted their born-again baptism, have not received the Holy Spirit, or do not believe the promise of eternal salvation. The solution is that these people need someone to lead them through this stuckness.

In this case, he has identified the issue as a lack of belief in salvation, as he moves into discussing that promise. He says, "Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." (verses 9-10) In continuing to discuss God's promise, he says, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." (verses 19-20)

Application: The author of Hebrews is modeling what I should be doing in my church. I often get frustrated with people who are "stuck" - who don't get truths that are being taught, or who embrace worldly concepts because they just can't understand why those things are opposed by God. Instead of being frustrated, or worse lecturing them on some 'truth', I need to engage in their understanding of the basics and help them get "unstuck" from some core tenant. I need to come along side them and feed them some "milk".

Where are people "stuck" today? If I had to generalize, I'd say it's often in two of the areas outlined above. One is faith - the core idea that God can do all things. I think many Christians do not fully embrace that concept, some going so far as to think God doesn't even engage these days. Another area is baptism - that their life should be completely different now than it was. Even I sometimes get hit with that idea. Many Christians would not identify that their baptism triggered a change in their behavior.

Prayer: Lord, please continue to give me patience with other believers - my brothers and sisters in Christ. May I aid them in understanding when necessary, instead of being frustrated and maybe even speaking harshly about them or criticizing them. Even long-time believers can get 'stuck' on the basics, so instead of force-feeding them the advanced lessons, may I help them to embrace the basics and thus be prepared to mature. Amen.