Some Christians Never Seem to Grow Up

“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat.  For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”  Hebrews 5:12-14

How many folks, even Christians, know how to discern good from evil?  As far as unbelievers go, it seems that fewer and fewer understand the difference, and there is definitely a difference.  The writer of Hebrews is addressing believers who seem to be having some trouble in their Christian growth.  Maturity in the faith is necessary to be able to rightly know what God desires and what the world desires.  Personally, I don’t want to be like the world.  Like the song by Consumed By Fire, “First Things First”, says, “I don’t want to love what the world loves”, and how we do that is by focusing on what Christ thinks, does, and loves.

The people to whom this epistle was addressed were Jews who had come to faith in Christ.  There was a tendency for some of them to attempt to fall back on the law rather than trust in Christ alone for salvation.  If these particular believers had been conscientious in their walk with Christ and dedicated to learning all they could about Him and how to serve Him, they would have left their doubts and lethargy behind.  They would have taken the lead in teaching others about Christ and the gospel, not just about the new birth, but about becoming maturing disciples for Him so that their students, in turn, would become teachers, and the gospel would naturally be spread exponentially.  That old saying about teaching a man to fish so that he won’t go hungry also applies to discipling new believers.  Teach them how to grow in Christ, and they won’t be spiritually hungry, but will know how to conduct their lives in Christlikeness and be able to teach others also.

This is a good policy to put into practice, however, that was not the case for these Jewish believers.  Maybe they didn’t understand that there was work to do for those who, by grace, had become members of God’s family.  No one can work his or her way into salvation.  It is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).  Like anything else, it takes practice for one to grow in any endeavor, and that includes in faith.  A muscle that is not worked will atrophy, too weak to use.  James 2:17 tells us clearly that “faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone”.  The Hebrews writer describes these folks as those who are still needing milk, that is, the basic doctrine of the gospel over and over again and have not progressed beyond that to the “meat” of the word, the deeper thoughts and truths of God.  They are “baby” Christians, but human babies don’t stay babies.  That would be weird.  Imagine if you were a parent who was 80 years old, and your child was still an infant.  Who would take care of him or her when you passed away?  A baby grows into an adult who can take care of himself or herself, thus, a believer must grow in their faith to be able to withstand the onslaught of the devil and to serve Christ.

Neglecting Bible study, prayer, and corporate worship leads a believer to remain ignorant in the knowledge of God and of what it means to “live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world” (Titus 2:12b).  I certainly do not know everything about God and His word.  I have learned a lot over my lifetime so far, but there is more that I don’t know than what I do know.  Sometimes, I am shocked at how little some believers know about even the rudimentary truths of God’s word.  The best way to know scripture is to study it for oneself.  Preachers and teachers are good, but they are mostly supplemental to one’s own study of God’s word.  When we know scripture, we will recognize when we hear something that is not the truth of God’s word.  Like the Psalmist (119:105), God’s word is a “lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”.

It is to those who honor God by diligently studying His word that He gives further light of His truth.  Why would He reward those who neglect to advance in their faith and knowledge of Him and His word with further revelation of His truths and deeper insight into the meaning of life and our purpose here?  God reveals Himself to those who diligently study and search His word.  How else can we discern right from wrong and walk in the straight and narrow path without the light of God’s word.  If I could, I would like to construct a billboard on major highways that would say, “Study God’s word as if your life depends on it, because it does!  Would that change anyone who reads it?  Maybe not, but if one person came to know Christ and became a believer, it would be worth it.  Every soul is valuable.