A CALL FOR HIGHER CHRISTIAN LEARNING

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.

Hebrews 6:1-3 (NLT)

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

When we place our belief in Jesus, we are born again as new creations in Him. The label, “Baby Christian”, is completely appropriate and the scriptures reinforce this for as we saw in the final verses of Hebrews, chapter 5, the writer uses the analogy of a newborn child first needing to drink milk until they have developed and matured enough to be able to eat sold foods. In applying this to being a Christian, the premise is that the new believer needs to understand the fundamentals of the faith before being able to move onto more advanced principles and doctrines.

With this, the Word of God definitely supports the idea that there is a progression that takes place as a Christian grows in knowledge and understanding of their faith in such a way that allows them make disciples as Jesus called them to do. Further, as we turn the page to the opening verses of chapter 6, we see where the Lord expects believers to grow and mature spiritually. Look again at these words here:

So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding. Vv. 1-3 (NLT)

Here we see that Christians are expected to seek further learning and understanding about their faith, moving beyond the mere fundamentals. This is to be a lifelong process as there has never been a single Christian who has been perfectly knowledgeable about the scriptures and Christian living. The very living Word of God never leaves anyone void of learning when they conscientiously read it with the hope of deeper understanding.

And yet, millions of Christians around the world never move beyond the basics and indeed, they seem to always need to be reminded of fundamental Christian standards that they should have had mastered. Such was the case as the author of Hebrews wrote to the Jewish Christians in the first century.

In these opening verses of chapter 6, we find the writer imploring his fellow believers to stop rehashing the “basic teachings about Christ again and again”. These basic teachings included “the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds, “placing (one’s) faith in God”, “baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment”. It was time for them to grow up spiritually, leaving their infantile Christian state behind for a more “mature” understanding, moving on from only drinking spiritual “baby milk” to “solid food”.

The message here is clear.

Christian believers are to dedicate themselves to consistently learn more and more from the scriptures, seeking the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit along the way. Stagnation in Christian education is not supported by the Word of God so if you find yourself there, today is the day to change that. For there is no shortage of Christian resources for you to access free every day online. I post a lot of messages daily on The Christian Walk ministry page for the express purpose of helping other Christians grow in their knowledge of our Lord and the will He has for their lives. There are daily Bible reading guides and daily devotions you can read. You can join a small group at your church that studies the Bible weekly. Finally, we can learn a lot by simply praying to our Lord and asking Him to impart wisdom and understanding upon us. Trust me when I say, He will never leave you void when you intentionally seek His truth and direction.

Today, it’s time to examine ourselves to see where we stand in regard to our knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith. If we find ourselves stuck in the basics, it’s time to grow spiritually and never look back. The Lord expects nothing less.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.