Hebrews 6:1-7 English Standard Version

6 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, ² and of instruction about washings,^{[Or baptisms (that is, cleansing rites)]} the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ³ And this we will do if God permits. ⁴ For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. ⁷ For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.

Has anyone else struggled with these verses? I did at one time. I struggled with them for a number of years. Prayer did not bring consolation to my soul. I sought understanding and it escaped me. At the time of my struggle I was not trained up in my own heavenly gifts. That may have been the reason that peace was withheld from me. I will not lay claims to the why but to who.

The key to my peace in these verses came with in verse 1. I had not gone on to maturity at that time. I was in a rush for knowledge and we know that knowledge “puffs up”; 1 Cor. 8:1. It can make one proud and God loves us enough to withhold the knowledge of a thing which will cause pride in us. This is seen in verse 3 above, “if God permits”. Maturity seeks permission.

If it be your will O Lord.

1 Corinthians 9:4,5,8,9 English Standard Version

⁴ I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵ that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— ⁸ who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Not too long ago these verses were used to bring a point home in another study. As I read it again the word enrich struck me. Over the years I have I the idiom “Boy that’s rich!” without attaching any real significance in being rich. That has nothing to do with wealth and we understand that. Do we understand what it means for us to be enriched?

Thoughts of the refining fire will come to mind and we will allow ourselves to feel better that what we endure makes us more valuable for service. That was my thinking but others might have a different take on those passages. That is fine.

Today as I ponder the words again in 1 Corinthians 9 I am struck with another awareness I missed before. We are enriched “in Him”. He who has no sin has no need to be enriched from impurities. He is perfect already. This enrichment, this refinement is in speech and knowledge not sin nature.

It would be so much easier on us if we were purified from our sin nature but we are not. We remain as we always were with this sin nature. 1 John 1:8 says “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

This refining is in our speech and knowledge. It has little to do with our sin nature unless it helps us resist giving into our nature.

Yes it would have been easier on us if we were purged in the flesh of all sin but we are not.

It remains so that we will have the choice to love God or to give in to our sin nature.

Love is a choice.