Hebrews: The Daily Discipline of a Devoted LifeSample

Apparently sharks grow according to the size of tank you place them in. If you place them in a small tank, their growth will be stunted. Place them in the open sea and they will reach their full potential. The concern in this passage is that the spiritual growth of these Jewish Christians has been stunted, and a lack of growth in the New Testament always leads to speculation over how real repentance was to begin with. This uncomfortable passage forces us to consider:   

• Are we making progress in the faith? The writer can’t continue his teaching on Melchizedek, begun in the previous verses, because his readers cannot take it. They should have progressed in the faith enough to be teachers now (5:12), but they love ‘milk’ rather than ‘solid food’ or meat, and have not trained themselves for deep teaching. It forces us to ask, ‘Have we moved on from the basics of our faith? How hungry are we for deeper doctrine? What does it say about our faith if we’ve lost our hunger for Bible doctrine?’   
• The sign that we are making progress is fruitfulness, not spiritual experience. The writer talks about those who have been ‘enlightened’ (6:4), who have tasted something of the power of the Holy Spirit. They have rich Christian experience, but that counts for nothing. It is like those who will say to Jesus on the Last Day, ‘“...Lord, did we not … in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” Then [he] will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me”’ (Mt. 7:22–23). The proof we have truly trusted in Christ is that we become like ‘land … that produces a crop’ that is ‘useful’ (6:7). Don’t substitute your own powerful spiritual experiences for real obedience to God’s Word.   
• Make sure we are growing in good works. The writer talks about ‘things that accompany salvation’ (6:9), and mentions the Hebrews’ love and the fellow believers they have helped as evidence that their salvation was authentic (6:10). We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. Showing practical love, servant-heartedness, and personal witness are signs that we have been truly saved, and that the Holy Spirit is at work in us. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that we were saved to pursue the good works that God ‘prepared in advance for us to do’. 

Reflection

What evidence is there in your life that you have been truly saved?