FIRST PRINCIPLES. Hebrews 5:12. Unfortunately, many believers, like the Hebrews who read this letter, remain spiritual children who want the same things they always claimed for themselves. They favored the doctrine of legalism, such as "dos and don'ts," to justify their behavior. They sought the traditions of men that others before them had followed, allowing them to blame their unbelief on what others had taught. For these reasons, and possibly others, they did not progress beyond the basics of Christianity. They seemingly couldn't understand how Christ was their high priest because they clung to Judaism and wanted to blend in with their old culture.
Learning “first principles” is like learning the alphabet and numbers, as well as understanding how to add and subtract. If we don’t learn these basics first, we won’t understand reading, writing, and arithmetic. Some fundamental Christian teaching is necessary before a person is even saved. They need to know what sin is and that there are consequences that follow sinning. Sin separates a person from God and must be personally faced to be forgiven.
Repentance for sin is where one must begin. Acknowledging our own guilt and intentionally turning away from sin while turning to God is a “first principle.” Then, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is revealed to us through God’s word, is “turning to God.” Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as one’s personal Savior enables God to give us the gift of “eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
When God saves us, we leave the sinful state in which we were comfortable and rise to a higher level of new life in Christ. Spiritual discernment is vital for growing from spiritual infancy to maturity as grown sons and daughters of God who share our lives with Him. Our minds must be open intellectually to grasp deeper truths of the faith. Our consciences must respond morally to the proper conduct of mature believers who are disciples of our Lord. Our senses need to be more sensitive emotionally so we can empathize with others while offering guidance based on our own experiences with God. Our bodies need to be brought under physical control so we do not give in to temptation when it arises.
Spiritual immaturity, caused by not reading the scriptures in the Bible and not obeying God’s instructions, leaves people in spiritual infancy. The Hebrew believers addressed in this epistle were not moving beyond the traditions that gave them a national identity. Judaism mixed traditions, legalism, man-made practices, and endless discussions of their heritage—creating a religion of their own making. When we are mature in Christ, we will be able to recognize false teachings and wrong interpretations of scripture as we hear them, allowing us to avoid or correct them when possible.
The Hebrew Christians would not be able to understand the significance of the high priestly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ until they got past the ties of Judaism. They had to stop trying to tie their religion and culture to their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we come to Christ, “old things are passed away; behold, all things become new.” Thirty years had passed since the Holy Spirit was sent, and some still hadn’t progressed in their understanding of the doctrines of the New Testament.
There are times when we realize that the core doctrines of the Christian faith need to be taught again. When new believers come to faith in Christ and join the local church, they need to be taught the “first principles.” Others who have been saved for a while can become careless and start listening to false teachers who claim to have a “new revelation from God.” Still, others only want to hear what makes them feel good, like drinking warm milk before bed so they can sleep like babies.
Some people claim to be saved but only want to be good citizens and avoid being seen as bigots or intolerant of what others imagine. Their thinking is “your truth is your truth and my truth is my truth,” so they just agree to differ and try to be nice. These people are tossed around by every new doctrine or are stuck in the particular denomination they call “my church.”
Those people generally lack interest in pursuing holiness or dedicating their lives to God. They don’t genuinely hunger and thirst for righteousness and truth. Instead, they place a complacent trust in grace without having faith and works to prove the reality of the new birth. There is no real difference before a profession of being saved and after.
A new convert is naturally a spiritual baby, but worldly, complacent, and lazy professing Christians are unnatural babies. Faith and love promote growth. Apathy, worldliness, and indolence make people lukewarm, lacking any desire for spiritual “meat” that provides strength, clear spiritual vision, sensitive perspectives on life, and an established heart and mind that is “stayed on Christ.”