REALITY OR COUNTERFEIT. Hebrews 6 There are some fundamental truths in Christianity. Believers can choose to remain at the basic level of faith, staying spiritual children whose growth in Christ is limited. They may be unwilling to move from their "need of milk" to "strong meat" or truths that deepen their faith in Christ and their commitment to His word. It's not that basic truths are unimportant or false, but maturity as a child of God doesn't happen when we only look back at our starting point. It's essential to recognize and evaluate our faith in Christ to see if we are showing signs of growth.
The author of the book of Hebrews was preparing his readers to understand and accept the teaching about the high priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this chapter, he mentions their spiritual immaturity and warns them about those who fall away. Then he makes a positive statement about their spiritual progress and emphasizes the importance of knowing and following those who came before them.
We should not ignore or dismiss our spiritual heritage as unimportant. Past believers who have gone before us have experienced God's promises and serve as examples of faithfulness. They faced many different life situations similar to those we will encounter when we choose to “live godly in Christ Jesus.” Life is unfruitful and unsatisfying when we remain in spiritual infancy or childhood.
The Hebrew believers heard the Gospel and believed it, but for some of them, it was simply an addition to what they already had in Judaism. The keys to the kingdom that the Lord gave Peter were to reveal the conditions under which God would forgive the Jews [Acts 2]. Then he was the one who opened the door to the Gentiles [Acts 10], making it clear that anyone who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ would receive remission of sins. Both Jews and Gentiles can be redeemed and enter the kingdom of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We know Peter didn’t have the keys to salvation, which is only through the sacrifice and shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Attempting to add anything to the work of Christ and the message of the Gospel is a very serious matter. The public baptism of Jews was not uncommon because a Jewish proselyte would be baptized, followers of John the Baptist were baptized, and Jews who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ were baptized in His name when they identified themselves with Him. When Gentiles who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ were baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, they rejected idolatry or any previous religious or irreligious beliefs. They were identified as “Christians.” The open testimony of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was a public rejection or even considered a challenge to Caesar, who believed himself to be a god. That could have meant death for many believers.
This section of Hebrews emphasizes these issues to warn us about the risks of counterfeit Christianity. Spiritual infants need to mature; if there are no signs of growth, it signals a lack of spiritual life. The falling away refers to unbelievers who initially seemed like true Christians but lacked a genuine root of salvation.