Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity.
– Hebrews 6:1
I want us to think about Hebrews 6:1. This exhortation to leave the elementary doctrine of Christ like the basic doctrine of Christ, which obviously is critical and important. It’s foundational for the Christian life understanding who Jesus is, what Jesus has done for us, the gospel, we never get over that. This is basic and foundational. And in a sense we are always remembering and returning to this, but that’s not where we stop. We move on, we go on.
Hebrews 6:1 says, to maturity. We grow up more and more and more in Christ. I think about something that a group I’m a part of and our church we were talking about the other night. We were talking about how many people live the first year of the Christian life over and over and over again and never really move on from it.
Hebrews 6:1 teaches us about the call to spiritual maturity.
Like there’s just little going on to maturity. We just come back to the same basic truths over and over and we never move beyond that. We never take the time to go deeper than that, to grow in greater knowledge. Deeper intimacy with Christ and greater obedience to Christ. Many people live a Christian life for 20, or 30 years but the reality is it’s year one over and over and over again because we never push farther. And I just want to ask you like, is that you? Are you stuck in a rut like that? Maybe it’s year one over and over again. Or maybe move on into year two and you kind of stall there or year three.
But have you moved on? Especially if you follow Christ for many years, like have you moved on to your sixth and seventh and eighth and ninth, just deeper and deeper knowledge of God. Intimacy with God, joy in God, obedience to God. Year 12, and 13, and 14, and 15 to new depths, new heights, new width, new breadth, in your relationship with God.
Hebrews 6:1 teaches us the importance of progressing in our faith.
Don’t settle for year one over and over again, even if you’re a new follower of Christ. Don’t settle for month one over and over again, or year one and on and on. God has called us to so much more. And you might think, well, I’ve been a Christian for 20, 30 years now. Like what more is there? Oh, there’s tons more. God is infinite in his beauty. 30 years you’ve not even begun to scratch the surface on the beauty of God, on the glory of God. A million years from now in heaven, there will still be more beauty to be discovered in God because his beauty is infinite. So yes, 30 years is just the start. 40 years it’s like you’re barely scratching the surface.
So, grow deeper, this word in Hebrews 6 is just beckoning us to go on into greater knowledge of God, experience of God, obedience to God, enjoyment of God. God, we pray for this. I pray for this in my life.
Lord, I feel like I have seen so much beauty and so much glory in you, but I realize I’m only getting started and I want to know more. I want to see you more. I want to experience. Want to enjoy you more. I want to walk with you and deeper intimacy, greater obedience, less of me, more of you.
This verse ignites an expectation of spiritual advancement.
God, I pray for this in my own life, help me to go on to more and more maturity. And God I pray for this in every single person who’s listening to this, who knows you, made a move. God beyond the elementary doctrine of Christ may they leave that not to never come back to it, but to stand upon it and just to grow into deeper and deeper and deeper maturity in Christ.
God, I just pray that over everybody’s listening right now. I pray for more maturity. I pray that they would go on into deeper experience of you, enjoyment of your knowledge of you. Obedience to you, usefulness in your kingdom. Effect for your kingdom. God don’t let us live Christian lives for a year or two, much less 20 or 30 years without sharing the gospel and leading others to know you, making disciples who are growing in you. God, please use our lives toward that end. Help us to move on to greater and greater maturity. God, please don’t let us live year one over and over and over and over again. We pray, Hebrews 6:1 that you would help us to go on to maturity and we look forward to all that means. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
