DEVOTION – DAY 552

Hebrews 6:1-2 “The Need To Be Spiritually Matured”

Hebrews 6:1-2 “Therefore, let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.”

In the closing verses of Hebrews 5, the writer urged Christians to grow spiritually in order to be able to distinguish between good and evil. As Christians, it is important to be grounded in key basic doctrines. Otherwise, they would be in danger of simply going through the motions of religious rituals. 

In vv1-2, the writer sets out 6 key doctrines. 1) repentance: the change of mind that causes a person to turn away from sin. 2) faith in God: whilst repentance is turning away from sin, faith in God results in turning to God for He is our refuge and strength. 3) instructions about cleansing rites: in first century AD, Jews observed elaborate cleansing rituals or washings that were prescribed by the Pharisees. At their conversion to Christianity, they were freed from having to keep to such ritualistic washing. The only washing or cleansing they needed to observe is a onetime water baptism as instructed by the Lord Jesus. 4) the laying on of hands: in the early church, the laying on of hands were practiced in ordination and commissioning of co-workers for ministry, and to give blessings. 5) resurrection of the dead: God will resurrect every person on the last days. 6) eternal judgment: God will judge everyone in the last days and His judgment will determine the outcome of those judged.

We know someone who lived in a small village where the local chapel was the focus of village life. She had always followed her parents to the chapel on Sundays. It was what everyone did in the village. When she married, she took her daughter to chapel to continue the tradition. But we could see that she did not know much about the Bible and she confessed she had doubts if she could believe everything in the Bible. She was an example of someone who was merely going to church more as a village social activity rather than a time to worship the Almighty God of the Universe. We asked her if she wanted to begin on deeper spiritual food and have a proper relationship with the Living God, she declined and told us that she was happy with the way things were. We are still praying for her salvation.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, please help us to grow spiritually and to hunger to know you more and more through your Word. We pray for all nominal Christians to desire to grow spiritually and not remain on their spiritual treadmill. We humbly pray in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

• What is your spiritual condition to date and how well do you know God’s Word?

• Are you spiritually an infant, or are you spiritually matured?

• If you are spiritually matured, how can you help those in you know who are spiritually immature to know more about God through His Word?

• What are some doctrines you need help with? Will you seek help from your church leaders?