MILK OR SOLIDS?

MILK OR SOLIDS?
Heb 5:11-6:3
"…you are slow to learn." (v.11).

IMAGINE THE EPITAPH: "A.B. CHAN, born 1920, died 1950, buried 1980." Inconceivable? Not so, for those who stop growing and maturing after they reach a certain point in life, they have (as it were) died. Growth is the indicator of life; when growth ceases, life stops. We feel sorry for someone whose physical or mental development is stunted, as in dwarfism or mongolism. Do we feel the same for someone who is spiritually retarded?

Our author tells his readers that they are still spiritually immature, still on the milk bottle when they should have gone on to solid food. An infant sucking on a milk bottle may be cute, but an adult clinging to one is a pitiable sight! By now, they should be teaching others; instead they need to be taught "the elementary truths of God" (v.12). These "elementary truths" (literally, the "ABC") are elaborated in 6.1-2: repentance, faith, baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement.

The list looks like the syllabus of the early church's catechism class. The topics are no doubt important. In fact, they are foundational. But a foundation is laid so that the building can be erected. In Madras, India it is the practice for landowners to buy a piece of land, and as required by law, to lay a foundation. But it may be years before they acquire sufficient funds to build a house on it. The plot of land may have a good foundation, but it serves no purpose, except just sits there amidst the weeds.

So it is with believers who do not progress beyond the elementary. Two stages of maturity are apparently outlined here: "acquainted with the teaching about righteousness" (v.13), and "trained…to distinguish good from evil" (v.14). The readers must go on to more solid teaching. More importantly, they must trained themselves to make moral decisions as the outworking of their spiritual knowledge.

One clear sign of maturity is discernment. The immature like decisions to be made for them, so that they do not need to think or take responsibility for their actions. The mature think through a decision and assume responsibility for what they decide and do. If we are to teach and encourage maturity in others, we must not only spell out rules of do's and dont's for a situation, we must take time to teach principles by which any situation can be judged.

Am I growing or have I stopped growing?