WORKING UP TO YOUR ABILITY (Heb 5:11-6:3)
Dr. Paul Manuel—2006
It is good to strive for improvement by increasing your activity and by challenging yourself to greater levels of difficulty. This is especially important as the aging process takes its toll on one's natural abilities. The following suggestion is directed to older people, Younger people try it at their own risk.
During the mid-first century, the reform movement called the church that had begun in Israel is facing turmoil and confusion. Stirrings of revolt against Rome place Jews, including followers of Jesus, in the uncomfortable position of having to take a side in the coming conflict. In addition to political uncertainty, there is religious uncertainty. Belief in Jesus is only one of several ideologies vying for people's attention, and the competition is drawing people away from the truth. In an attempt to bring some clarity to the situation and encourage the faithful, an unnamed author (probably not the apostle Paul) writes a letter to his fellow messianic Jews, addressing these concerns and exhorting his readers to remain steadfast in their commitment. He begins by contrasting the superiority of Jesus with one of the alternative belief systems in circulation, a religious aberration that advocates worshipping angels.1 Then, at the end of chapter 5, he warns his readers about the danger of spiritual stagnation, how their failing to grow in the faith could lead to their falling awayfrom the faith. He says to them,
Having just finished giving a detailed explanation of Jesus' part in God's program, using the analogy of the high priest's earthly role to illustrate the savior's heavenly role, the author says that he can go no further because his readers are not ready. He says to them...
I. You are slow to learn (Heb 5:11-12).
When I was in grade school, my mother would come in for those parent-teacher conferences, and the report she would frequently hear about me was: "He's not working up to his ability." The teachers saw potential in me to learn, certainly more than I was demonstrating in class, but, for whatever reason, I was just not interested. Consequently, I did the minimum; I met the lowest level of expectation that I needed to get by. It was not until I graduated from high school, saw friends go off to college, and realized I had no direction that I got serious about life, about the fact that God might have something He wanted me to do, something for which I was ill prepared.
Thankfully, that awakening came before I had set the course of my life too firmly. I began to study, this time with the focus and interest I had lacked earlier. When later it became clear that part of what God wanted me to do was get a formal education, I had some catching up, especially after having squandered my earlier opportunity by coasting through school. God was gracious, though, and He enabled me to make the most of what I had left which, it turned out, was still quite a few years. Since then, I have endeavored to continue the process, because I realize that if I do not keep learning, I will stop growing.6
Are you still learning, or have you stopped growing? Are you stuck on the rudimentary information you first received? ...One way this happens is by treating the summaries of God's will as if they are all of God's will, as if the Golden Rule, the Dynamic Duo (love the Lord, love your neighbor), and the Big Ten are the only expectations God has, and if you keep them, you have fulfilled your obligation to Him.7 Such simplicity is an attractive prospect, because it reduces what you need to remember to a baker's dozen, which is a very manageable corpus. Nevertheless, specific situations often need specific guidelines to keep people from drifting into the realm of opinion, where my view of how to behave is different from your view, both of which may be different from God's view.
The author of Hebrews scolds his readers because they have stunted their own growth. Not only have they failed to learn more, they have become stagnant and are in danger of losing what nominal advance they once made. In chapter 6, the author changes his approach slightly from chastening his readers to challenging them. The author reminds these Jewish believers in Jesus that they should not be satisfied with their current level of understanding, because...
II. There is more to learn (Heb 6:1-3).
Spiritual growth, like physical growth, is not merely learning new things, acquiring what you should know. Look at...
Marks of maturity such as these—acquiring what you should know and advancing what you do know—are what must rise from the foundation of basic beliefs, and there is much more about...
My brother-in-law, who currently resides in New Jersey, would like to live in a warmer region. He purchased some land in Florida on which he wants to build a house. That project will require a foundation, which is itself a significant task, pouring a footer and laying the block. After that, though, he can bring out his sleeping bag, a Coleman lantern, run an extension cord from his neighbor's place for the TV, and move in. The climate is temperate enough, so he needs nothing more. Right? ...Of course not! Besides the fact that his wife would prefer something less Spartan than a tent, the purpose of a foundation is to support a house. Likewise, the purpose of "the elementary teachings of Christ" is to support a growing understanding of God. Yet many Christians are content to camp out on the foundation. They see no pressing need to build anything more, so they do not.
Where are you? Have you stopped with the foundation, or are you building something on it? Are you satisfied with mediocrity, or are you striving for maturity? Do not simply rehash the same material you learned years ago. Read a book, take a course...attend a Bible study. Whatever you do, do not stop learning.
Too often, Christians are satisfied with "the elementary teachings about Christ," and do not "go on to maturity" (Heb 6:1). They may be running the race Paul describes in his first letter to the church at Corinth, but it is without much effort or enthusiasm. He asks...
The average Christian, though, is not running to get the prize. Merrily he strolls along, content merely to finish the race, regardless of how he places.19 At that time, when his race is over, there will be great disappointment as he looks back and realizes how poorly he fared simply for lack of effort. Much of what he did with his life will be for naught. As Paul says elsewhere in that same letter...
We are all drawing closer to the coming of God's kingdom, but we may not all be drawing closer to the character of God's kingdom, because some believers stunt their own spiritual growth. They think they have most of it figured out, so they are content to coast. They lose the yearning to know God better. They stop asking questions, or they only ask questions to which they already know the answers. They reach a minimum level of religiosity and remain there.
God does want you to be content, but He does not want you to be complacent, and the author of the book of Hebrews issues the challenge to raise the bar of your own expectation: "leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity." There is more to being a citizen of the kingdom than what you may espouse: "It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me" is the refrain of the hymn, My Faith Has Found a Resting Place. Many people, though, do more than rest there; they retire there and never move beyond that song's basic premise. Jesus' atonement is certainly sufficient for your forgiveness, but it is certainly not all God wants you to know or to appreciate about your future.
In the next few verses of chapter 6, the author describes the danger of spiritual stagnation, which is the possibility of falling away from God and, ultimately, of being cut off from God.20 You do not need to be fearful of that fate, however, because the best hedge against such an unpleasant scenario is if you are Working Up to Your Ability.
For those getting along in years, here is an exercise to build your arm and shoulder muscles. Do this three days a week. Begin by standing straight, with a 5 lb. potato sack in each hand. Extend your arms directly out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute before you relax. After a few weeks, move up to 10 lb. potato sacks, then 50 lb. potato sacks, and eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100 lb. sack in each hand and hold out your arms straight for a full minute. Do not become discouraged if this seems too difficult. Keep at it. After you feel confident at the most advanced level...start putting a couple of potatoes in the sacks.Whether attempting to grow stronger or smarter, it is necessary to challenge yourself, to raise the bar of expectation beyond its current level. What applies in the quest for physical and intellectual improvement is relevant also for spiritual improvement. If you want to make progress, though, the question to ask and to answer periodically is: Are you Working Up to Your Ability?
During the mid-first century, the reform movement called the church that had begun in Israel is facing turmoil and confusion. Stirrings of revolt against Rome place Jews, including followers of Jesus, in the uncomfortable position of having to take a side in the coming conflict. In addition to political uncertainty, there is religious uncertainty. Belief in Jesus is only one of several ideologies vying for people's attention, and the competition is drawing people away from the truth. In an attempt to bring some clarity to the situation and encourage the faithful, an unnamed author (probably not the apostle Paul) writes a letter to his fellow messianic Jews, addressing these concerns and exhorting his readers to remain steadfast in their commitment. He begins by contrasting the superiority of Jesus with one of the alternative belief systems in circulation, a religious aberration that advocates worshipping angels.1 Then, at the end of chapter 5, he warns his readers about the danger of spiritual stagnation, how their failing to grow in the faith could lead to their falling awayfrom the faith. He says to them,
Do not get stuck on this false notion about angels, uncertain about whether or not to invest time and effort in proper spiritual growth. There is much more to knowing God than what you have learned thus far, but you are not ready to receive it, because you have not implemented what you have already been shown. You could be much farther along, but you are not Working Up to Your Ability.Please turn to Hebrews 5.
Having just finished giving a detailed explanation of Jesus' part in God's program, using the analogy of the high priest's earthly role to illustrate the savior's heavenly role, the author says that he can go no further because his readers are not ready. He says to them...
I. You are slow to learn (Heb 5:11-12).
Heb 5:11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!These are not new converts who have only recently come to recognize Jesus as the messiah. They have been believers long enough to learn more than the basics of the faith. In fact, the author admonishes them...
A. You should be teachers
This is a strong statement to make, because not everyone is cut out to be a teacher,3 yet the author is not necessarily speaking in the formal sense of standing before a classroom. People can teach informally the basic truths they have learned about God, communicating with others one-on-one. That is probably what the author means, but that is not happening among the recipients of this letter. Quite the contrary, far from being teachers, the author says...
- ...at least of elementary material!2
B. You still are students
Despite the fact that they have been believers in Jesus for some time, they have not advanced their understanding beyond the most rudimentary information.4 In fact, they have stopped learning, and now what they once did know is in jeopardy of being lost.5
- ...in need of elementary review.
When I was in grade school, my mother would come in for those parent-teacher conferences, and the report she would frequently hear about me was: "He's not working up to his ability." The teachers saw potential in me to learn, certainly more than I was demonstrating in class, but, for whatever reason, I was just not interested. Consequently, I did the minimum; I met the lowest level of expectation that I needed to get by. It was not until I graduated from high school, saw friends go off to college, and realized I had no direction that I got serious about life, about the fact that God might have something He wanted me to do, something for which I was ill prepared.
Thankfully, that awakening came before I had set the course of my life too firmly. I began to study, this time with the focus and interest I had lacked earlier. When later it became clear that part of what God wanted me to do was get a formal education, I had some catching up, especially after having squandered my earlier opportunity by coasting through school. God was gracious, though, and He enabled me to make the most of what I had left which, it turned out, was still quite a few years. Since then, I have endeavored to continue the process, because I realize that if I do not keep learning, I will stop growing.6
Are you still learning, or have you stopped growing? Are you stuck on the rudimentary information you first received? ...One way this happens is by treating the summaries of God's will as if they are all of God's will, as if the Golden Rule, the Dynamic Duo (love the Lord, love your neighbor), and the Big Ten are the only expectations God has, and if you keep them, you have fulfilled your obligation to Him.7 Such simplicity is an attractive prospect, because it reduces what you need to remember to a baker's dozen, which is a very manageable corpus. Nevertheless, specific situations often need specific guidelines to keep people from drifting into the realm of opinion, where my view of how to behave is different from your view, both of which may be different from God's view.
[W]hile we most certainly need the summar[ies] to save us from missing the [forest] for the trees and from understanding the particular commandments in a rigid...way, we are equally in need of the particular commandments...to save us from resting content with vague, and often hypocritical, sentiments.... (Cranfield 1979 2:679)Learning God's general rules is a good place to start, but it is not a good place to stop. Do not be satisfied with a basic grasp of God's will. Get beyond the elementary material, beyond the milk,8 because your spiritual diet determines your spiritual development. ...So, are you moving ahead, or are you lagging behind, moving on or simply holding on?
The author of Hebrews scolds his readers because they have stunted their own growth. Not only have they failed to learn more, they have become stagnant and are in danger of losing what nominal advance they once made. In chapter 6, the author changes his approach slightly from chastening his readers to challenging them. The author reminds these Jewish believers in Jesus that they should not be satisfied with their current level of understanding, because...
II. There is more to learn (Heb 6:1-3).
Heb 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.What they now know is important, but it is only a small portion of what they can know and the most basic part at that. So, he exhorts them...
A. Move on from what is elementary...and he specifies what he means by citing examples from two categories of Christian knowledge. The first elementary category is...
...which includes the two essential elements in man's response to the good news of God's grace:1. ...the simple gospel,
That is all God has ever required for man to receive forgiveness from sin.9 God also intends it to be the starting point of a life-long journey with Him, but these believers have made it their final destination. The second elementary category is...a. Repentance and
b. Faith
...and he cites four examples:2. ...the basic doctrine.
These four doctrines are all important, and every believer should be familiar with them,14 but they are also basic, part of one's spiritual foundation. There are other issues, however, that should attend a person's spiritual growth, and the author calls his readers to...
- Ablution (NIV "baptisms" p1.) includes the initial immersion in water that follows conversion as well as the regular ceremonial purification necessary for Jews to enter the temple, a practice early Jewish believers, including Paul,10 continued until Romans destroyed the temple in AD 70.11
- Consecration (perhaps ordination) is the formal setting apart of teachers or elders by "the laying on of hands."12
- Resurrection "of the dead" is the hope of life beyond the grave. Pharisees held the strongest belief that God would raise the dead, a conviction that resonated with the good news of Jesus' resurrection and led to many converts among that group.13
- Judgment is the belief that all people will receive just recompense for their life on earth: reward for the righteous, punishment for the wicked.
B. Move up to what marks maturity (cf. Heb 5:13-14)15In the opening verses of chapter 6, the writer cites specific examples of his readers' elementary beliefs. It would be nice if he would now cite specific examples of advanced beliefs.16 Instead, he shifts to a different subject in Heb 6:4. Nevertheless, he did allude earlier to what spiritual growth entails. He says back in...
Heb 5:13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.One mark of maturity is...
While milk is good for an infant, eventually he will need the broadening range of nutrients in solid food.17 Absent that, an infant will not grow as he should. The same is true for the believer. His spiritual diet needs to include a broadening range of spiritual nutrients if he is to grow as he should. One of those nutrients is "the teaching about righteousness," an understanding about how his life should conform in ever greater measure to the righteous character of God. Evidently, this is not an area in which these believers have made much progress.1. ...acquiring what you should know,
Spiritual growth, like physical growth, is not merely learning new things, acquiring what you should know. Look at...
Heb 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.Another mark of maturity is...
There is much the believer, especially the mature believer, has already learned that he can develop further. One such skill is the ability "to distinguish good from evil."18 This is useful when dealing with ethical situations that require keen moral discernment. It is also useful for evaluating the doctrinal claims of competing ideologies, determining whether they are true or false. If these Jewish believers had developed this ability, they might not be so troubled by the false teachers now seeking to persuade them.2. ...advancing what you do know.
Marks of maturity such as these—acquiring what you should know and advancing what you do know—are what must rise from the foundation of basic beliefs, and there is much more about...
- God's character,
- God's work in history,
- God's will and plan for His people...including you.
My brother-in-law, who currently resides in New Jersey, would like to live in a warmer region. He purchased some land in Florida on which he wants to build a house. That project will require a foundation, which is itself a significant task, pouring a footer and laying the block. After that, though, he can bring out his sleeping bag, a Coleman lantern, run an extension cord from his neighbor's place for the TV, and move in. The climate is temperate enough, so he needs nothing more. Right? ...Of course not! Besides the fact that his wife would prefer something less Spartan than a tent, the purpose of a foundation is to support a house. Likewise, the purpose of "the elementary teachings of Christ" is to support a growing understanding of God. Yet many Christians are content to camp out on the foundation. They see no pressing need to build anything more, so they do not.
Where are you? Have you stopped with the foundation, or are you building something on it? Are you satisfied with mediocrity, or are you striving for maturity? Do not simply rehash the same material you learned years ago. Read a book, take a course...attend a Bible study. Whatever you do, do not stop learning.
Too often, Christians are satisfied with "the elementary teachings about Christ," and do not "go on to maturity" (Heb 6:1). They may be running the race Paul describes in his first letter to the church at Corinth, but it is without much effort or enthusiasm. He asks...
1 Cor 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.What is wonderful about the Christian life is that more than one person can win the prize. In fact, everyone who runs is eligible for it at the end.
The average Christian, though, is not running to get the prize. Merrily he strolls along, content merely to finish the race, regardless of how he places.19 At that time, when his race is over, there will be great disappointment as he looks back and realizes how poorly he fared simply for lack of effort. Much of what he did with his life will be for naught. As Paul says elsewhere in that same letter...
1 Cor 3:15 ...he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.In other words, if you make the least attempt possible in the race, you will receive the least award available after the race.
We are all drawing closer to the coming of God's kingdom, but we may not all be drawing closer to the character of God's kingdom, because some believers stunt their own spiritual growth. They think they have most of it figured out, so they are content to coast. They lose the yearning to know God better. They stop asking questions, or they only ask questions to which they already know the answers. They reach a minimum level of religiosity and remain there.
God does want you to be content, but He does not want you to be complacent, and the author of the book of Hebrews issues the challenge to raise the bar of your own expectation: "leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity." There is more to being a citizen of the kingdom than what you may espouse: "It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me" is the refrain of the hymn, My Faith Has Found a Resting Place. Many people, though, do more than rest there; they retire there and never move beyond that song's basic premise. Jesus' atonement is certainly sufficient for your forgiveness, but it is certainly not all God wants you to know or to appreciate about your future.
In the next few verses of chapter 6, the author describes the danger of spiritual stagnation, which is the possibility of falling away from God and, ultimately, of being cut off from God.20 You do not need to be fearful of that fate, however, because the best hedge against such an unpleasant scenario is if you are Working Up to Your Ability.
For a pdf including Bibliography and Endnotes see here.
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Relevant and civil comments are welcome. Whether there will be any response depends on whether Dr. Manuel notices them and has the time and inclination to respond or, if not, whether I feel competent to do so.
Jim Skaggs