LEAVING THE FIRST PRINCIPLES -- Tomorrow:
"Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits." (Hebrews 6:1-4, NKJV).
Devotion 18 of 24
For many, we have before us a very difficult text. Those who view Jesus as locking recalcitrant spirits inside God's will are very foolish. If God could tolerate personalities unlike Himself in His Presence, there would be no need for the new birth, the remission of sins, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. The very concept of justification presumes the total unacceptability of sin in the presence of the Almighty! The necessity of the new birth affirms that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor 15:50).
Those who find it difficult to believe God will not "permit" some to "go on to perfection" have not considered the whole case. The Holy Spirit speaks powerfully to this point. Here is the reason why we MUST go one to perfection. "FOR it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame" (Heb 6:4-6).
Here is something that is "impossible." Let no person, then, attempt to introduce a possibility where God has affirmed there is none! Those locked in a backward motion--who have descended beyond the circumference of sensitivity--cannot be reclaimed! Even though they once participated in the good things of God, if they did not "go on to perfection," they shall lose their inheritance just as surely as Esau lost his, and the unbelieving Israelites lost theirs.
Some people imagine that a mere decision guarantees eternal safety. Let them examine this passage with care. There is a level of genuine participation that can be forever forfeited by lingering in the realm of spiritual immaturity -- by staying in the outer court.
ONCE ENLIGHTENED. The enlightenment of the soul involves a perspective of salvation. As it is written, "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor 4:6). This is an experience involving deliverance from darkness, or spiritual ignorance (Col 1:13). The "enlightened" person sees the world for what it is, is convinced of the nature of sin, and persuaded of the grace of God. He is also certain that Divine acceptance is attainable in Christ, by grace, and through faith.
HAVE TASTED OF THE HEAVENLY GIFT. The word "gift" is here used to denote the entirety of salvation. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Eph 2:8). The word "taste" is not a light word, denoting superficial involvement. Rather, it is a strong word, describing genuineness in every sense of the word Jesus is said to have "tasted death for every man" (Heb 2:9). That certainly is not the depiction of a shallow experience. Those who have "tasted of the heavenly gift" have learned from experience that "God is gracious" (1 Pet 2:3). Such have realized the joy of forgiveness and Divine acceptance.
HAVE BECOME PARTAKERS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. God has given His Holy Spirit to those in Christ (1 Thess 4:8). Because we are sons, His Spirit is sent into our hearts, crying Abba Father (Gal 4:6). To partake of the Holy Spirit is to enjoy His communion and fellowship (2 Cor 3:14; Phil 2:1). The blessed Spirit "helps our infirmities" (Rom 8:26), coming along side, as it were, to help us navigate through the difficulties of life in the world.
HAVE TASTED OF THE GOOD WORD OF GOD. To "taste the good Word of God" is to be nourished by it: to have strength and joy imparted to us through our insight into Scripture. This experience is living "by every Word of God" (Luke 4:4). It is being made equal to the challenges of life, encouraged in the good fight of faith, and made joyful in the anticipation of glory.
HAVE TASTED THE . . . POWERS OF THE WORLD TO COME. This is heavenly citizenship--being brought into the fellowship of "the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and . . . God, the Judge of all, and . . . the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and . . . the mediator of a new covenant, and . . . the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel" (Heb 12:23-24, NASB). A lively sense of the unseen world grips the soul, and things that are not seen become the focus of the individual. When it comes to personal consciousness, the believer is more aware of heavenly personalities than of those in this world.
Some might imagine that there is safety in such experiences--that once they are attained, the person can never be lost. You might as well speculate that Adam and eve could never be cast out of the garden, Israel from Canaan, or Judas from the Apostleship. Such benighted souls forget that we are yet subject to "the wiles of the devil" and a fallen nature. We still sojourn in a "dry and thirsty land where no water is" (Psa 63:1). We still have "this treasure in earthen vessels" (2 Cor 4:7). The Holy Spirit Himself can still be "resisted," "quenched," and "grieved."
Here is something that an experience-centered religion overlooks! By "experience-centered," I mean a religious posture that looks for something to happen to them. There can be no more lofty experiences than those here mentioned. Yet, they are a means to an end, and not the end itself. They are all orienting us for the world to come, in which we shall reign with Christ. They assist us here to prepare for there.
If, however, they are viewed as great single blessings, and are not employed to make progress into the image of God's Son, they will soon be gone! The purpose of God is to conform us to the Image of His Son (Rom 8:29). To aid us in this monumental work, He has granted enlightenment, the heavenly gift, the Holy Spirit, the good word of God, and citizenship, in heaven. All are designed to underwrite the good fight of faith, helping us to "go on to perfection," where Divine fellowship is realized.
Those who "fall away" are those who "neglect so great salvation" (Heb 2:3). They are not pressing toward the mark, engaging in a fervent quest to "know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that they may attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Phil 3:10-11). The point of our text is simply this: a lack of spiritual effort gives the advantage to the devil. Digression is inevitable where progression is not made, and there are no exceptions to the rule!
The tragedy of this circumstance is that religion brought the Hebrews into spiritual danger. They had not, so far as we know, been flirting with immorality, or indulging in idolatry. Rather, they were falling back into a first-covenant-approach to God--one based upon procedure and conformity to a code. If that approach thrust them into danger, you can be sure that it does the same today.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, deliver me from the notion that there is safety in experience -- any experience. I know You alone are my High Tower and Refuge. Help me never to place the blessing above the Blesser.