notes

Main point summary

Growing is hard if you don't like food. If this is you, revisit the basics and renew your love for the gospel.

notes 1454155887377 Main point summary Growing is hard if you don't like food. If this is you, revisit the basics and renew your love for the gospel.

Arc Heb 5:11-14

editing

NT

Hebrews 5:11-14

esv

mine

About this we have much to say,

We have a lot to say about this (that is, Christ being in the order of Melchizedek.)

and it is c hard to explain,

however it is difficult to explain

since you have become dull of hearing.

because your spiritual heart has become sluggish.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers,

That is , by this time you should be teachers

you need someone to teach you again d the basic principles of the oracles of God.

however , you need someone to explain to you, once again, the elementary truths about God.

concessive

You need e milk,

That is , you need easily digestable gospel basics,

not solid food,

not the weighty doctrine,

negativepositive

for everyone who lives on milk

because if someone lives on milk

is unskilled in the word of righteousness,

then they don't know how to handle the word

conditional

since he is f a child.

because they are spiritual children.

ground

But solid food is for g the mature,

But solid food is for the spiritually mature

for those who have their powers h of discernment trained

that is , for those who have their perceptive faculty trained

by constant practice

by regular use

actionmanner

to distinguish good from evil.

to discern good and evil.

actionpurpose

ideaexplanation

The word for "dull" is translated "sluggish" in Heb 6:11-12.

This indicates that they heard and believed the gospel, but somehow, perhaps a combination of things including human weakness and the stress of persecution, their appreciation of the gospel had become clouded, and so they were not growing.

Spiritual age does not equate to spiritual maturity (.... however all growth is by God's grace (Heb 6:3).)

They became dull, and they had to be taught again. This implies that there was a time when they weren't dull. At one time, they had receptive hearts with a taste for God's goodness. Hebrews 6:4-5

discourse

1425197947986 Arc Heb 5:11-14 1452981924 1454155492 editing NT 58 5 11 5 14 Hebrews 5:11-14 esv mine About this we have much to say, We have a lot to say about this (that is, Christ being in the order of Melchizedek.) i1 and it is c hard to explain, however it is difficult to explain i5 since you have become dull of hearing. because your spiritual heart has become sluggish. i6 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, That is , by this time you should be teachers i2 you need someone to teach you again d the basic principles of the oracles of God. however , you need someone to explain to you, once again, the elementary truths about God. i9 i16 concessive 2 You need e milk, That is , you need easily digestable gospel basics, i10 not solid food, not the weighty doctrine, i12 i13 negativepositive 1 1 for everyone who lives on milk because if someone lives on milk i3 is unskilled in the word of righteousness, then they don't know how to handle the word i14 i15 conditional 2 since he is f a child. because they are spiritual children. i11 i18 ground 1 But solid food is for g the mature, But solid food is for the spiritually mature i4 for those who have their powers h of discernment trained that is , for those who have their perceptive faculty trained i19 by constant practice by regular use i20 i22 actionmanner 1 to distinguish good from evil. to discern good and evil. i21 i23 actionpurpose 2 i24 ideaexplanation 1 i40 negativepositive 2 i39 ground 1 i34 ideaexplanation 1 i37 ideaexplanation 1 i31 ground 1 i28 concessive 2 5 0 The word for "dull" is translated "sluggish" in Heb 6:11-12. 1 182 100 4348 3571 word-esv-1452806233089 415 50 1263 383 -83 5 0 This indicates that they heard and believed the gospel, but somehow, perhaps a combination of things including human weakness and the stress of persecution, their appreciation of the gospel had become clouded, and so they were not growing. 1 229 175 2903 4286 word-esv-1452982662109 500 86 1263 251 26 5 0 Spiritual age does not equate to spiritual maturity (.... however all growth is by God's grace (Heb 6:3).) 1 132 350 4063 4286 word-esv-1452808621353 500 50 1396 57 -39 5 0 They became dull, and they had to be taught again. This implies that there was a time when they weren't dull. At one time, they had receptive hearts with a taste for God's goodness. Hebrews 6:4-5 1 140 100 3256 3571 word-esv-1452892179330 500 57 1396 103 16 1 1 1 1 1 70 70 esv 1 mine 1 a 2 discourse 11452981924230

Notes Heb 5:11-14

After alluding to it several times ( 2:1, 3:8, 3:12) , the author names a condition that is hindering his listeners - they have become ' dull of hearing' . Those who have this condition heard the gospel some time ago but their growth has stalled . The author (and through him, God) would like to take them on a journey into the wonders of Melchizedek as a type of Christ (and he will do that) but he wants to first address a serious problem and show them the path to recovery. We get insight into the condition from Hebrews 6:11-12 , where the word for 'dull' is translated 'sluggish'. There, the author praises them for their works (Heb 6:10), but wants them to show the same diligence at having hope. That is what he desires for them, but it's not what he is seeing. Instead (back at 5:11) it appears that they are taking it in the message, but not responding, their spiritual heart muscles are hardly moving at all. (This is not just a case of growing slowly - it is possible that they are not growing at all. And it is perilous. We see this also in Hebrew 4:2: hearing without faith is useless. And in Hebrews 6:8; a field that receives rain but doesn't produce a crop is in serious danger. Remaining a spiritual babe is not a safe option, but rather an indication that perhaps there is no life at all. So be diligent in having hope, and growing.) What then is the remedy? They need to return to the basics, the pure and wonderful milk of the gospel. They need to taste it and savor it. They need to work at having hope. It is good news, of an eternal inheritance, purchased by God through his suffering, now exalted, Son. We grow as we taste it, understand its purity, and learn to align our lives with the light. As we do this, we are strengthened to move into meat, with even greater nutrition. Some extra thoughts . Spiritual growth in one sense then is not mystical. Growth happens as we taste the wonder of the gospel, as we look on the Son (Heb 3:1), and make choices aligned to the Son's priorities. On the one hand, it is our longing and tasting and growing, and yet, on the other hand, it is God who gives the growth (Heb 6:3). Spiritual maturity is not related to intellectual brilliance, but to properly appreciating Jesus, which means understanding and making everyday decisions that are consistent with what is truly good. (Coming up ... Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrines of Christ and go on to maturity.)

1425197947986 Notes Heb 5:11-14 1452981942 1454155453 After alluding to it several times ( 2:1, 3:8, 3:12) , the author names a condition that is hindering his listeners - they have become ' dull of hearing' . Those who have this condition heard the gospel some time ago but their growth has stalled . The author (and through him, God) would like to take them on a journey into the wonders of Melchizedek as a type of Christ (and he will do that) but he wants to first address a serious problem and show them the path to recovery. We get insight into the condition from Hebrews 6:11-12 , where the word for 'dull' is translated 'sluggish'. There, the author praises them for their works (Heb 6:10), but wants them to show the same diligence at having hope. That is what he desires for them, but it's not what he is seeing. Instead (back at 5:11) it appears that they are taking it in the message, but not responding, their spiritual heart muscles are hardly moving at all. (This is not just a case of growing slowly - it is possible that they are not growing at all. And it is perilous. We see this also in Hebrew 4:2: hearing without faith is useless. And in Hebrews 6:8; a field that receives rain but doesn't produce a crop is in serious danger. Remaining a spiritual babe is not a safe option, but rather an indication that perhaps there is no life at all. So be diligent in having hope, and growing.) What then is the remedy? They need to return to the basics, the pure and wonderful milk of the gospel. They need to taste it and savor it. They need to work at having hope. It is good news, of an eternal inheritance, purchased by God through his suffering, now exalted, Son. We grow as we taste it, understand its purity, and learn to align our lives with the light. As we do this, we are strengthened to move into meat, with even greater nutrition. Some extra thoughts . Spiritual growth in one sense then is not mystical. Growth happens as we taste the wonder of the gospel, as we look on the Son (Heb 3:1), and make choices aligned to the Son's priorities. On the one hand, it is our longing and tasting and growing, and yet, on the other hand, it is God who gives the growth (Heb 6:3). Spiritual maturity is not related to intellectual brilliance, but to properly appreciating Jesus, which means understanding and making everyday decisions that are consistent with what is truly good. (Coming up ... Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrines of Christ and go on to maturity.) notes 11452981942201