Hebrews: The New Covenant Administration of Christ Max A Forsythe (c) Anno Domini 2002

From the Pulpit at Pilgrim's Rest Presbyterian Church in America

“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.  And this we will do if God permits.  For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then fall away, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.”

Introduction:  One of the great and enduring frustrations of twenty-five years in public education was the inane and continuous pressure from authorities who should have known better:  to continually dumb down the curriculum to lower and lower levels of understanding.  Early on in this corruption process we were informed of a methodology to supposedly measure the readability of our texts and materials.  The primary means of doing this was to count the syllables in every word and then to process that total by a means I have long forgotten.  Since every effort was to dumb down the curriculum to a fifth grade reading level or below my partner in teaching Social Studies and I quickly discovered that in order to teach government in our modern age  you could not afford to use words like “constitution,” legislature,” “independence,” and even the word “government” itself because the very moment you used that word in a sentence  you thereby raised the sentence to the eleventh grade level or higher.

Therefore, in the definitive world of social adjusters  it became an impossible dream to teach our future citizens how the processes of democratic and republican government could ever work to their benefit!  With that example in mind, let us carefully consider the textual implications of the first word in our passage today:  “Therefore.”  Commentator John Brown has more than a whole page of close arguments to match the qualification here to specific words and concepts in chapter five:  “The first point which requires our attention,” he writes, “is the connection of this short paragraph or, in other words, the force of the particle ‘therefore.’”  Does the word reflect back upon verse eleven, verse twelve or even the fourteenth of the last chapter?  “None of these modes of stating the connection appears satisfactory,” Brown observes.  Further, he writes:  “The reason for the Apostle’s ‘leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, and going on to perfection,’ is to be found, I apprehend, not in the preceding, but in the following context.”

Brown then declares the view that “The improbability, the moral impossibility, of reclaiming those of the Hebrews who, after having once been enlightened, had sunk into such a state of spiritual apathy as that described in the preceding verses, is the reason why the Apostle, instead of wasting time on them, proceeds to unfold the higher principles of Christianity to those of them who were disposed and capable of entering with advantage on their study.”

Oooh  how harsh and judgmental that observation is!  But, just as my partner in democratic-republican theories of representative government knew all to well  there were and are people who will not and cannot get it!  In other words, not everyone can profit from an education at any and every level.  And to cater to the contemporary “egalitarian” principles is to finally realize why the “one eyed man” must be king in the village of the blind!  Unless of course  the blind gang up on him and put out his eye!  And that is precisely what modern contemporary education is all about  blinding everyone to the obvious knowledge and understanding that nature’s God would teach not only by general revelation, but also through special and specific revelation.

Development:  “Therefore,” the Apostle begins and then continues to move the argument forward, rather than backwards to the elementary things which have already proven too difficult for some to appraise rightly.  F.F. Bruce agrees with the procedure that my teaching buddy always intended in our pathetic circumstances.  “Probably because there particular condition of immaturity is such that only an appreciation of what is involved in Christ’s high priesthood will cure it.  Their minds require to be stretched, and this will stretch them as nothing else can.  They have remained immature too long; ‘therefore’ he will give them something calculated to take them out of their immaturity.”

John Owen is a friendlier teacher in that he outlines carefully the chapter before us to tell us what the issues are and how they will be covered.

“First, the apostle explains what he is going to talk about and what he will omit (verses 1-3).

Second, he calls the Hebrews to special diligence about the teachings of Christianity and progress in the knowledge of Christ.  He does this by considering the great sin and inevitable destruction of apostates (verses 4-8).

Third, the apostle expresses the hope that this is not the case with the Hebrews and that this sin will not be found among them … (verses 9-12).

Fourth, the apostle encourages them to persevere; he reminds them of the example of Abraham, who first received the promises, and of the nature of the promises themselves, their confirmation by God’s oath, and the help we may obtain from our hope in Christ (verses 13-20).”

We will consider the first two points only this morning and then delve into the third and fourth over the next two weeks. 

Now, some would suppose that “the elementary doctrine of Christ” was wrapped up in the foundational theology of the Old Covenant.   However, this does appear to be the case, instead what the Apostle is talking about are specially the saving graces whereby we are born again into a new and vibrant relationship with the Lord God of all the earth through the ministry of Jesus Christ and by the power and witness of the Holy Spirit.

If a person does not understand these essential doctrines, “therefore” they will find everything beyond incomprehensible as well.  It always upsets me that when the media want some sacred text explained for public consumption, hardly ever do they ask someone who actually believes the documents that they are supposed to explain!  This is why the Apostle is not overly concerned with repeating the foundational concepts yet again and again.

Bruce observes that “Before he goes on, however, he lists some of the rudiments, quoting perhaps from a catechesis familiar to himself and his readers.  Six matters are listed, which fall naturally into three pairs.”  These pairs are:

“repentance from dead works” and “faith toward God.”
“instructions about ablutions” and the “laying on of hands.”
“resurrection of the dead” and “eternal judgment.”

It is very possible that in a non-Pauline church plant that these elements could be considered a suitable foundation for the new Christian teachings.  Bruce tells us “When we consider the ‘rudiments’ one by one, it is remarkable how little in the list is distinctive of Christianity, for practically every item could have its place in a fairly orthodox Jewish community.  Each of them, indeed, acquires a new significance in a Christian context; but the impression we get is that existing Jewish beliefs and practices were used as a foundation on which to build Christian truth.”

What all of this is leading up to is an uncanny relationship to the instructions given within the liberal main-line denominations where by an actual and real immunity to the doctrines of grace are imposed, embraced and enforced!  Bruce admonishes us in this regard:  the apostle “is stating a practical truth that has verified itself repeatedly in the experience of the visible Church.  Those who have shared the covenant privileges of the people of God, and then deliberately renounce them, are the most difficult persons of all to reclaim for the faith.”  In the next paragraph he even suggests the same, identical “immunization” example of apostasy that I just shared with you!

Let us be certain to understand that while many of the worldly can embrace the doctrines of Christ and live a life apparently within the Covenant of grace, still at the very bottom of their being  they have not embraced Christ completely.  A biblical example of this is our Lord’s parable of the sower and the seed.  Another example would be the people who having left Egypt wanted to return there instead of seeking after the everlasting rest promised to them that would persevere.

You should realize that many weeks instruction could be well spent in consideration of six rudiments of faith passed over as well as the four experiences of grace mentioned here:

 those once enlightened.
 those who had tasted the heavenly gift.
 those who had partaken of the Holy Spirit.
those who had tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come.

Application:  But, like the Apostle I am concerned that we move on to the precise point for understanding this text.  Now I well realize that many, many valid points may be drawn from the majority of texts in the scriptures and various commentators give different insights as they are enabled by the Holy Spirit.

The essential and necessary point for today’s section and every section is this: that we give the utmost attention to the doctrines of grace as they center upon the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is, as this letter unfolds  the very sacrifice of the Great High Priest Himself that saves us from the power of sin and He it is who guarantees the promised life to come!

Please understand that in the context of this scriptural portion, neither the apostle, nor any radically real Christian Church would teach from this a doctrine that any or every sin committed after conversion dooms the sinner to perdition!  After all it is in the constant repentance and application of grace that is seemed to be crucifying Christ all over again and again.  Of this conceptual misunderstanding the Apostle will have more to say later in this book.

Commentator Raymond Brown is positively pastoral in his concerns for us as we read these last few verses.  “It is probably true to say that these warnings here and elsewhere in Hebrews have caused more unnecessary anxiety to believers than almost any other verses in the New Testament.  Aware of moral failure or spiritual apathy, thoughtful people the world over have been haunted by these passages, some driven to despair at the thought that, having neglected or forsaken Christ, they have forfeited for ever the blessings of the gospel.”

“We are not here dealing with the sincere believer,” he continues several pages later, “who is depressed about his spiritual failure, of the [one] who has temporarily lost interest in the things of God.”

Instead, it is the rejecter of Christ’s saving purpose or even one who denies the reality of sin  who is in mind here.  A couple years ago I visited an area church in my home county when I had taken a week’s vacation from the pulpit.  There I heard a very personable young pastor speak of a false gospel  that which is contained in the apostate writing: Jonathan Livingston Seagull.   I have not been back since then, because I do not think the people in power are any longer open to the true gospel of grace.  They have become instead, students of ethical issues  whereby the human race may be improved for this life alone.

The Apostle to the Hebrews is wise beyond his own age  disparate and apostate churches have abounded in every clime and continent.  And it is well-nigh impossible to reclaim a lost denomination.  It has happened  but not enough to give us any hope of a general transformation of the so called Christian culture.

So let us close with another scriptural admonition which comes close to being the heart’s desire of the Apostle to the Hebrews in this section:  “He was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God.  For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.”  Therefore, we might add to this line of thinking:  Therefore, “examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.  Test yourselves.  Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?  - unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”  (2 Corinthians 13: 4-5)

The test is simple enough, do you consider yourself to be in Christ?  Or is it more proper to believe that Christ is in you?  Therein is a world of difference, but if you have the correct focus for your heart and mind  there is hope eternal for those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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