When I was in junior high school, I was involved in 4-H. My 4-H advisor, Mr. Walker, was very much an outdoor kind of guy. He was the one who inspired me to go tent-camping when Rachel and I got married. He introduced me to white-water rafting and to rock climbing. I have been rock-climbing twice. For safety, you are on a rope, with a belay, and you have someone whom you trust holding onto the rope to keep you safe, at least, when you are a junior high school kid in 4-H.
All those safety features are designed to keep you safe. In Christianity, Jesus has designed several safety features to keep us safe from Satan and to try to ensure that we make it to heaven.
In our text for study, the Hebrew writer will mention three of those “walls of defense” to keep us faithful to God: the Word, Christian fellowship, and Jesus Christ.
LET US PRESS ON TO MATURITY (Don’t forget Bible study!) – 6:1-8:
We have to leave the “elementary” principles of Christ in order to mature in our faith. If we try to live our lives based solely on a handful of Bible verses, then our defense against the trials of life and the doubts that Satan throws at us will be extremely thin. But the more we know of God’s Word and the more we walk with Christ in prayer, Bible study, fellowship with fellow Christians, and in worship, then the stronger and thicker our “wall of defense” will be!
If you and I do not keep our spirits in tune with the Word of God, our spiritual lives can spiral downward and we can lose control of our spiritual health so that we can get to the point where biblical teaching does not phase us anymore. Those are the ones for whom it is impossible to “renew them again to repentance.”
SHOW THE SAME DILIGENCE (Don’t forget Christian fellowship!)- 6:9-12:
But the Hebrew writer is hopeful for the Christians he is writing to (ver. 9). They were already serving each other and Christian fellowship and service are some of the most important things that Christians can do to stay faithful to Christ! God will not forget our service (ver. 10)! God is diligent to remember and to bless Christians who are active and faithful.
WE WOULD HAVE STRONG ENCOURAGEMENT (Don’t forget Jesus!)- 6:13-20:
When God wanted to encourage His children that He would absolutely fulfill what He had told them, He could not swear by someone greater than Himself. He could only swear by Himself and that’s what He did. Jehovah God swore an oath to show that His purpose was unchangeable and God cannot tell a lie in any way, shape, or form.
So the situation with Abraham is given as an illustration of the fact that Christians can also rely on God to fulfill His promises. That’s why we can take refuge in Jesus Christ and be strongly encouraged to find our hope in Him (ver. 18)!
We need to mature in our faith and knowledge so we will have the diligence we need to stay faithful and find our encouragement in Christ and His promises.
Paul Holland
