When parents bring home a new baby, family and friends may have a celebratory party for the new family. Perhaps the new uncle is cooking up some steaks on the backyard barbecue. Everyone will sit down to enjoy the nice dinner. The newborn baby may be in the arms of mother or father, or another relative, but the baby is not taking part in this delicious meal in their honor. Nobody would dare give this little baby a nice piece of steak! All they can have is milk for four to six months before soft or pureed food is added to their diet. However, when that child is school age and older, if they are still only having milk, there is something wrong. Our Scripture today from the Book of Hebrews gives a similar analogy for how Christians need to grow spiritually beyond the basics.
Just like with physical babies, spiritual babies, those who are newly saved, can only handle spiritual milk. These would be the basic principles of salvation, such as Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, His resurrection on the third day, the Bible being the inerrant Word of God, etc. As the weeks and months pass after one is saved, they should be growing spiritually, just as a newborn baby grows. Soon the baby is rolling over, then learning to sit up, crawl, and then stand before the first year is over. And importantly, as we read here, they learn to eat solid food. Many of these believers the author was writing to were stunted in their spiritual growth. Spiritually they were still drinking milk when they should have been way beyond that. They should be teaching other new believers, but instead they were needing to be taught themselves (Hebrews 5:12).
As a baby grows, their muscles develop and gain strength to crawl, stand, and then walk. If they never moved their muscles, they would not have the strength to do this. If you’ve ever broken an arm or leg and had it immobilized in a cast, you might remember how weak that limb was when the cast came off. The muscles had begun to atrophy. In order to counteract that you need to exercise those muscles. Our spiritual muscles can also atrophy quickly when we don’t use them. Spiritual exercises, such as Bible reading, prayer, and obedience, are more important than physical exercise.
One sign of spiritual immaturity is failing to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:14). A spiritually mature Christian, one who is eating “meat”, will show discernment. Discernment knows that there is a line separating between good and evil. It acts like an umpire in life. One with discernment has skill and accuracy in reading character, and will detect and identify the real truth Discernment reads between the lines of the visible. It is cultivated by saturating the heart and mind with Scripture.
Another sign of spiritual maturity is that of having a degree of patience (Hebrews 6:12). Patience is available through the power of the Holy Spirit. It allows us to have the mindset that says we are willing to let go of immediate gratification and wait for God to supply our needs. Patience reveals itself when we are willing to wait without frustration while suffering, or experiencing a strong desire. Patience means accepting whatever the Lord chooses to give or not give, and willingly receiving it on His timetable.
The author felt that he could expect better things from those he was writing to, that they could handle meat, and not just milk (Hebrews 6:9). He then closes this passage with reminding them that God is not unjust, He will remember all that they have done and suffered for Him (Hebrews 6:10). God is faithful to take special note of those who serve Him. He is faithful. He is steadfast in His allegiance to His people. God will not leave us in the lurch. He is firm in His adherence to His promises. God keeps His Word. He is not fickle. God does not have hot and cold temperamental moods. Let us be faithful to Him. Let us go on past the baby bottle of milk and on to the spiritual steak dinner!
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