First Principles: Repentance and faith

Now we come to the principles that full grown believers should know and be able to teach.

6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection;

He says he’s leaving the principles or ABCs of the faith, but he is still going to mention them.

Let us go on unto perfection – perfection is not the same exact word as full age in 5:14, but it is closely related; in fact, it comes from that word. The word for full age means to reach the goal. What is the goal of the baby? To grow up. Perfection means completion, actually grown up; not merely grown up, but knowing, wise, mature. This doesn’t just happen, we have a part to play in reaching this stage, let us go on unto perfection.

not laying again the foundation – these are called foundational teaching because you build on them.

1 of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 

3 And this will we do, if God permit.

There are 6 of these. I will consider them one by one

of repentance from dead works - To repent means to change your mind. As Derek Prince put it, “Repentance is not an emotion, it is a decision; a firm, inward decision, a change of mind. Repentance is an inner change of mind resulting in an outward turning around.”

This is the first step in turning to the Lord, we must change our thinking about God, Jesus, ourselves, salvation.

Here he says, repentance from dead works. He is speaking to Jewish believers, who at one time thought all their efforts to keep the Law made them righteous. This sounds like a lot of people today: “I’m a good person, I do good things, I go to church; I’m confident this has made me right with God.” He says all this is dead works. It doesn’t work. It’s like having your house all wired, but the electricity is not turned on – nothing will work. Or, a car with a dead battery or no gas - it won’t run. Before we can be saved we have to know we are lost, that we can’t save ourselves. Repentance is coming to this understanding: “I am not saved; I am living in sin; I can’t do anything to save myself; Jesus died and rose again for me, he can save me. You, only You can save me!”

Repentance is a vital first step, and true repentance leads to faith.

and of faith toward God – In Acts 20:21 Paul said he preached, Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. There are so many scenarios:

+ I’m a very religious and upright person, that will be enough to get into heaven

+ Nobody’s coming to save us, we have to do it on our own; I don’t need help

+ There is no god and there is nothing after death

+ My gods are good enough, they will help me

+ There was no Jesus; never lived, didn’t die for me, certainly didn’t rise from the dead

+ I can live any way I want to, God will just have to accept it

+ Nobody has ever loved me; God doesn’t love me, he doesn’t care about me]

+ I’ve done too many bad things, God would never accept me

You can see how repentance and faith work together. You change the way you think about God, Jesus, sin, your life, eternity; then you believe the Gospel: There is a God, He loves me, He sent his Son Jesus to die for me, he rose from the dead, he promises to save me; “Jesus, you are alive, you are the Savior; I believe in you. Save me!”

Repentance is the first step, it prepares me to take that big step, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything else in this list flows out of this faith in Christ.

Whether you think you are already good enough, or you are too far gone, you have to repent, change your thinking, and believe in Jesus Christ.

Whether you think there is no god, or that all gods are the same, you have to repent, change your thinking, acknowledge there is only one God, and believe Jesus is His Son.

Whether you think you don’t need a Savior, you can save yourself, or you’ve been living in open rebellion against God and his ways, you have to repent, change your way of thinking, admit you need a Savior, that you need to be saved from sin, and believe in Jesus Christ.

Repentance is not merely being sorry you did wrong or got caught, it is a change of mind that leads to a change of direction. Faith is not merely mental assent to a set of statements, it is believing Jesus is the Savior, who died and rose again, and trusting him to save you.

Romans 10:13, 14, 17

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

 

NEXT: First Principles: Baptism and Laying on of hands

First Principles of the Doctrine of Christ Hebrews 5:11-14

 

In the early years of my Christian life I was introduced to Derek Prince, who was a tremendous influence in my growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of his works was The Spirit-Filled Believer’s Handbook.¹ In this he goes through the foundational teaching or doctrines in Hebrews 6. I want to go through Hebrews 5:11-6:3 and present the challenge of the Apostle and briefly touch on these first principles (in a much less comprehensive and thorough way than Bro Prince!). I pray that all who read my notes will be blessed and encouraged in the grace of Christ.

Obviously, the best way to understand this passage is to start at chapter 1 and read everything leading up to this, then what comes after (and I encourage you to do that), but for now I’m confining myself to these seven verses. Let’s start!

5:11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 

He² points out a problem that is hindering them from growing, We have many things to say, but ye are dull of hearing. Wow, he did not mince words! What in the world was going on?

12 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. 

Ah, he gets right to it! At this point in your faith, you ought to be able to teach the faith, instead you need to be (re)taught the first principles of the faith.

We have to ask two questions:

(1) How / when do we come to the place where we ought to be teachers? I think the simple answer is time and teaching. If we are sitting under teachers who are carefully and faithfully presenting the whole counsel of God, and we are receiving and acting on the Word, we will grow in grace and knowledge.

(2) The second question is blunt and personal: Am I able to teach the basics of the Christian faith, or am I in need of being taught myself?

are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat – Paul makes this same distinction in 1 Corinthians 3, as does Peter in 1 Peter 2. Milk is good, but it is clearly the first principles of the faith. These folks have been believers long enough that they should have graduated from milk to meat.³

13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 

Milk is for babes in Christ, new believers. But as he explains, everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; they don’t understand it, they can’t defend it, they can’t teach it. We don’t expect that of babies. Babies are wonderful, but the normal thing is for them to grow in strength and understanding.

14 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.

Strong meat, solid food, is for them that are of full age, who have grown and matured.⁴

Who are the persons of full age? “Understand, dear friends, that there is no reference here at all to the age of a person as to human life. The Greek word is, “Men that are perfect;” it signifies, therefore, spiritual men who have attained to the highest degree of spiritual development. Now this is not the result of years, for there are some grey heads that have no more wisdom than when they first began; and, on the other hand, there are some youthful believers who are worthy to be called fathers in Israel... Growth in grace does not run side by side with growth in years. As old Master Brooks says, “There are some few believers who seem to be born with beards; they are ripe Christians at a very early stage of their spiritual existence; and there are some who ... are always babes, needing the spoon and the rocking-chair, even in old age. The expression in the text, then, has no reference to age, but is used in a spiritual and metaphorical sense.”⁵

One of the signs of their maturity is their ability to discern both good and evil. Discernment is a very helpful and necessary grace that every believer needs and can walk in. I believe the passage reveals three ingredients to discernment, three steps:

(1) time growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ

(2) being thoroughly taught the word righteousness

(3) regularly exercising discernment (reason of use…senses exercised; this will be a separate post)

This is the backdrop for Hebrews 6, or as they say today, the backstory.

NEXT: The First Principles Hebrews 6:1-3

 

¹ Later republished under different titles, now known as Foundation Series

² I believe the he is the Apostle Paul.

³ We are all familiar with the distinction between milk and meat. Milk means milk (cow, sheep, goat, camel, yak); meat refers to solid food: vegetables, fruits, as well as “meat” (beef, pork, chicken etc). This all being true, I still prefer to use milk and meat.

⁴ “A careful examination of the context will inform you that one form of strong meat which is only fit for full grown Christians is the allegorical exposition of Scriptural history… Beyond a doubt, the historical parts of Scriptures are intended to be instructive allegories, setting forth heavenly mysteries... Holy Scripture is to be received, not only as a literal description of facts which really did occur, but as a picture in which grace-taught souls, illuminated by the Holy Ghost, may see pourtrayed in express characters the great gospel of the living God.” Charles Spurgeon sermon: “Hebrews 5:14, Strong Meat”

⁵ Charles Spurgeon sermon: “Hebrews 5:14, Strong Meat”