Hebrews 5:11-6:20 was listed as one of the 5 Warnings to Christians given in Hebrews. One of the reasons I called it a warning of lethargy is because of the tendency for people to forget the basics of Christianity – the so-called “milk” of the word. It is ironic that this warning was given in a time when the gospel was given by inspiration. They were so close to the source, yet they were urged to get a solid grip on the basics so they could move on to deeper things.
The Basics of Christianity
The Hebrews writer listed off 6 items that Christians need to insure they have a firm grasp on. The proof that we don’t is in the sheer number of religious denominations out there. This is the opposite of the “one body” that Paul taught about. (Ephesians 4:4-5) Here they are given by the writer in no particular order:
The basics of Christianity are critical to a firm foundation of deeper study
- Repentance from dead works – Changing our ways from the world is an essential step in salvation (Luke 13:3) Hebrews makes a case that all works are dead unless they are motivated by faith and love of God
- Faith toward God – A fundamental. (Hebrews 11:6) In fact it is so fundamental that many quit reading their Bibles when they see faith is a requirement to salvation.
- Teaching of baptisms – There are around seven contexts of the word baptism discussed in the New Testament, including the one baptism of Ephesians 4:4-5. This is the gateway act of salvation. (Mark 16:16-16, Acts 2:38) It is crucial to understand how this fits into God’s plan
- Laying on of hands – Since the printed and leather bound Bible didn’t just fall out of the sky, God had other means to get his word out there. 1 Corinthians 12-14 is a discussion of the spiritual gifts the first century Christians were given to help spread the gospel.
- Resurrection of the dead – I don’t know that we can ever spend enough time on this. The empty tomb is the foundation of Christianity. Paul spent his entire career on this teaching
- The eternal judgment – Sadly, many sinners think they are “ok.” There is a very big surprise waiting for those who haven’t given enough time to the idea that they will be held accountable on judgment day. (Hebrews 9:27)
Not being well grounded in these principles, these Basics of Christianity, is dangerous to our salvation. Without them we cannot go on to deeper understanding. Without them we will fall short.
Daily Bible reading for July 28th
Song 5:10-6:3
Judges 7
Jeremiah 23:9-40
Hebrews 5:11-6:20
July 28, 2013
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