6 Therefore let us go on towards perfection, leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works and faith towards God, 2 instruction about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement. 3 And we will do this, if God permits. 4 For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, since on their own they are crucifying again the Son of God and are holding him up to contempt. 7 Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it repeatedly, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and on the verge of being cursed; its end is to be burned over. Hebrews 6:1-8
Building a house is an often long and tortuous process, that often has many steps that must be done on order to complete. The first steps of digging and laying the foundation must be done before you can begin to build the framework. The framework must be completed before you can install the roof and walls. The roof and walls must be done before you can install windows, doors, plumbing and wiring. Lastly, you install flooring, siding, drywall. Would you spend your entire time laying the foundation and never get to the framework and then to the roof or walls? Not if you want to stay in business. The goal is to finish the house, and that means moving through the steps, to complete the project.
The Author of the letter to Hebrews was also in construction work. But he was not building a house but a church or assembly of people. His struggles lie in the group of people that had at one time learned the basics of faith and action but were struggling to press on in the process of learning and following Christ. Perhaps this explains why he wrote, therefore let us go on towards perfection, leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation. The process of building a church of people, not necessarily an institution, requires completing steps in order, but you never spend your entire time building a foundation. Once it has been laid, you move on to the next steps. The congregation was tired and apathetic and instead of moving past the beginning stages of life together, they were regressing. So, he writes to move on past the foundation stage to the next, to move on to completion or maturity.
In our journeys of discipleship are we pressing on in the process or are we regressing? Are we stuck at the foundation laying or moving on and through the next steps of growth? He lists the foundation elements: repentance from dead works and faith towards God,instruction about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement. But they serve only as the foundation of the church, to be the support and grounding of God’s people, but once laid, the people need to press on to action. Proper knowing always leads to proper acting, and here is our great struggle. The entire goal for which the Father sent the Son and Spirit into the world is to create a people built on the foundation of Christ. But we get stuck on the foundation instead of pressing on. We become mired in the basics instead of living into and living from those basics into “right” actions. We end up being an unfinished house with a foundation but nothing else: with good theology, if we have any at all, but no righteousness.
But the specific situation the author is writing to is not that the people are not progressing or stuck, they are regressing, they are wanting to go back and leaving Christ entirely. The Author offers a warning to them, and us, for it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened … and then have fallen away since on their own they are crucifying again the Son of God and are holding him up to contempt. Once a person has left Christ completely, who could forgive their sins and re-create them? One would need another Christ to bring them back to the first Christ. Perhaps this serves as a warning, to take responsibility for our following Christ. Not to fall or move away, but to press forward in following Christ.
I think we all become tired in our discipleship. Whether our burdens and experiences weigh heavy on our spirits, or our circumstances and situations seem impossible to overcome or resolve, our journeys following Jesus can exhaust us. Friends rejoice, you are among the many disciples across the ages and globe who struggle following Jesus. But what must never happen is our exhaustion and weakness cause us to quit. God’s work upon us takes time, it takes training in discipline, and it requires the diligence of faith. We must never stop at the basics but press forward to “right” actions. We must never go back and leave Christ entirely but press forward to the finished building. Our journeys will be at times sweat and hardship, but through the Spirit of Jesus Christ, we can become the finished building, the body of Christ. Amen.
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