From Milk to Meat
(A Sermon Preached by Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo at the Sunset Gospel Hour, Calvary Pandan BPC, February 1, 2009)
Text
“Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 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 every one that useth milk is unskilful 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. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.” (Heb 5:10-6:3).
Context
The Epistle to the Hebrews was written to Christian Jews in the first century, probably before AD 70, who were tempted to go back to the old Judaism. These Jewish believers were about to deny the New Testament Faith and reject the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. The writer of this Epistle was trying to stop them from backsliding or even apostatising by proving to them powerfully from the Old Testament Scripture that Jesus was truly their promisedMessiah—their Prophet, Priest and King—who had come to save them from their sins, and how the New Covenant is a better Covenant based upon better promises. The Old Covenant was good, but the New is better.
In the first few chapters, chapters 1-4, the writer argued very strongly from the Old Testament itself how the Lord Jesus Christ was the Prophet of prophets, the special, unique Prophet as foretold by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15. Jesus was not just a prophet-servant, He was the Prophet-Son, Prophet-Supreme, superior to all the other Old Testament prophets who came before Him: “And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” (Heb 3:5-6).
In chapters 5-6, the writer proceeded to present the Lord Jesus Christ as the Priest of priests, not like Aaron who had a temporary and passing priesthood, but a special priesthood which was after the order of Melchizedek, an everlasting and never-ending priesthood. Aaron, though a high priest, was but a priest-servant. Jesus, on the other hand, was the one and only Priest-Son, and Priest-King. “So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” (Heb 5:5-6).
Laziness
The writer wanted to go on expounding the great truths of the marvellous Melchizedekian priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ, but found himself totally frustrated by the Jewish believers who were still so babyish in their knowledge of God’s Word and Truth. Their biblical foundation was still so shallow and so weak that it could only support an atap hut and not a skyscraper. He could go no further about Melchizedek because they were “dull of hearing” (Heb 5:11). The word “dull” comes from the word nothroi which speaks of laziness. They were slow to understand the deep truths of the Christian Faith because they were just too lazy to study God’s Word for themselves. This was also what the Lord said of the Emmaus disciples, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26). And He had to start from square one just to teach them what the Old Testament Scripture had already said concerning Himself: “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27).
Was the author unreasonable to rebuke his Jewish readers for their dullness, slowness and laziness? No, not at all. Verse 12 says, “For when for a 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” (v.12). The Epistle to the Hebrews was written in about AD 70. The Lord Jesus Christ completed His redemptive mission in AD 30. Shortly after that, the Jewish Church was founded through the evangelistic preaching of the Apostles at Pentecost by the power of the Holy Spirit. Forty years had already passed since they became Christians. By this time, they should already be teachers. But here they were, 40 year-old Christians but still thinking and behaving like a one-year old, still babies in the faith. There was hardly any growth in their spiritual knowledge and faith. This was tragic!
First Principles
How long have you been a Christian? Are you still like an infant in your knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and the fundamentals of the Christian Faith? Do you know the “first principles?” “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God” (Heb 6:1).
What are these “first principles”? They are listed in Chapter 6:1, namely, (1) Christology: the doctrine of Christ; (2) Soteriology: repentance from dead works, faith toward God; (3) Ecclesiology: doctrine of baptisms, laying of hand; (4) Eschatology: resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. These are the basic doctrines of the Christian Faith; foundational material for new converts. The Jewish believers ought to have already known such basics well, but sadly they were still infants insofar as the first principles were concerned (Heb 5:13). They were still not capable of receiving the meat of God’s Word. They have not gone past “Theology 101.” Like babies, they were still unable to discern right from wrong, true from false, good from evil (Heb 5:14).
By way of application, is the Church today any different? It is disturbing to note that there are pastors, elders, deacons, leaders in the Church today who are still babies in the faith, and not able to discern right from wrong, true from false, good from evil. Some may not even be born again; they are wolves in sheep’s clothing—false Christs and false prophets. For example, in 1924, 1,274 ministers of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America (PCUSA) denied these five fundamentals of the Christian Faith: The (1) Inerrancy of Scripture, (2) Virgin Birth of Christ, (3) Miracles of Christ, (4) Substitionary Atonement of Christ, and (5) Resurrection of Christ. They insist that these were only “theories” and should not be made dogma and a test of orthodoxy.
Born Again?
In the first century, there were certain members of the Jewish Church who wanted to deny the Faith. Please understand that the author of Hebrews was addressing a mixed multitude. All these Jews to whom he was writing called themselves “Christian” but quite possibly some of them might only be Christians in name, not truly regenerated or born again. It should be pointed out that if a person is born again, a babe in Christ, he will be thirsting for God’s Word just as the Apostle Peter had said, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet 2:2). But when there is no evidence of thirst for God’s Word and growth in the faith, then the only conclusion must be there was no rebirth in the first place, no life, and therefore no growth. There was no faith, and that was why some after joining the Church for a season, not truly a citizen of heaven, eventually fall away, despise the faith and deny the Lord.
I believe the Book of Hebrews was written by the Apostle Paul himself. There are many things in it that are “hard to be understood” (2 Pet 3: 16). The Apostle Peter himself said of the writings of Paul. “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2 Pet 3:15-16). There are those who study the Scriptures not unto their own conversion or edification but unto their own condemnation and destruction.
Are you born again? Make sure dear friends you are truly born again. You know you are born again if you are thirsty and hungry for God’s Word. You know you are born again if you are able to understand God’s Word, for spiritual things are spiritually discerned, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14). You are born again if you see spiritual growth in your life, you see yourself changing day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year to become more and more like Christ.
Don’t Backslide
Even if we are truly born again, the Apostle Peter warned that there is a real danger of backsliding from the Lord if we are not careful, “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” (2 Pet 3:17). Never be contented with what you already know, keep on knowing the Lord more and more through a deeper and deeper study and meditation of His forever infallible and inerrant words in the Holy Scriptures. You know you are learning and growing in the knowledge and wisdom of God when you realise that the more you know about the Lord and His Word, the more you find that you do not know; the more you know, the more you see that there is so much more to know about Him and His Word. Our God is so big and His Word so deep.
The author in Chapter 6:1 exhorted the readers “let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.” The words “go on” (pherometha) tell us to be submissive to the Holy Spirit who will move us along the spiritual road towards “perfection” (teleioteta) or spiritual maturity. The same Greek word concerning the Spirit’s ministry is used in 2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved (pheromenoi) by the Holy Ghost.” In the same way the Holy Spirit had in the past infallibly guided and directed the Prophets and Apostles to pen the inspired Scriptures, the Holy Spirit at present infallibly teaches and guides the saints to recognise and understand the inspired Scriptures which He has infallibly preserved. If that is the case, then let us not grieve the Holy Spirit by putting hindrances in the way. By allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work in our lives, moving us along according to His Word, we will reach that expected level of spiritual maturity within a reasonable time.
So let us “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Pet 3:18). To do this, we need to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15).
