Growing Further Together in Christ

Hebrews 5:12 - 6:3 

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.  6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.

We ought to be growing as Christ’s disciples.  Here we see these who had known the Lord for a while were stuck in the basics of the scriptures; they needed to be taught the same elementary doctrines again and again, as babies who kept drinking milk even until years after when they should have been weaned.  We should be eating solid food as we grow in Christ, becoming skilled in the essential teachings from scripture, even able to teach others and make more disciples.  This solid food of the Bible is for maturing in Christ as we experience sanctification, being led and taught by God to know good and evil, right and wrong.  God uses His word by His Spirit in those who are His to teach and mature us, as well as others He is teaching and maturing; we are to make disciples (2 Timothy 2:2, Matthew 28:19-20) as we grow.  This is why we need to build on the basics of repentance, faith, baptism, praying, the resurrection, and eternal judgement, going deeper towards perfection of how to live the gospel and function as His body.  Our conformity to Christ is personal and corporate, therefore we are to grow together and serve Christ in the gospel together as He works in and through us as a people.  We do not neglect teaching the basics, but neither do we neglect growing further.