A real-time blog: The Letter to the Hebrews - part 4
In the previous blog, we looked at the starting point on our journey to ‘glory’ and ‘spiritual maturity’ ‘ceasing from our own work’ and entering God’s rest or, Sabbath, as a continual place – called ‘Today’ if you look closely at Hebrews.
The Letter to the Hebrews challenges us to realise that we are caught up in the Father’s purpose ‘bringing many sons to glory’ and the need to ‘go on to maturity’.
The key verse:
‘By this time you should be teachers, but you need to be taught the first principles again…you need milk not solid food…let us go on to maturity not laying again the foundation of repentance of dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrines of baptisms, of the laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgement’ Heb 5v12-14; 6 v 1,2
The writer of Hebrews has reminded us that our Father in heaven wants to lead us to glory and spiritual maturity as sons.
The evangelical gospel will lead someone to Christ as Saviour and give them confidence in the Bible as the word of God, but so easily stop at the point of salvation, waiting for glory in heaven after you die. The Pentecostal/charismatic gospel rediscovered the Holy Spirit; many have received gifts of the Spirit evangelicals taught had died out with the apostles. But even the best charismatic churches often do not teach about glory or spiritual maturity.
Paul, when writing to the Corinthians made three important distinctions:
‘I could not speak to you as ‘spiritual’ but as ‘carnal’ as ‘babes in Christ’. I feed you with milk and not solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are not able, you are still ‘carnal’ – for where there is envy and strife and division, are you not ‘carnal’ and behaving like ‘mere men’?’ 1 Cor 3 v 1-3
We have three stages of growth: ‘mere men’, then ‘carnal’, then ‘spiritual’.
‘Mere men’ looks back to where we are before coming to Christ. ‘Carnal’ means ‘fleshly’. Carnal Christians are born again, and may well be baptised in the Spirit, but are still operating from their own resources, their souls: minds and thinking, or the emotions, or will, trying to live the Christian life, not operating from the Spirit witnessing with their spirit. ‘Spiritual’ Christians are those who have abandoned any thought of operating from their abilities and strengths. Like Jesus, they only do what they see the Father doing.
We need, as John has taught, to move on from being ‘little children’ to ‘young men’, and then ‘young men to fathers’ 1 John 2 v 12-14