Do not depart from the truth 

Hebrews 6:1-20; 5/8/2022; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

This is a question of theology, a question of truth, and more importantly, a question of our daily life. Even if you believe in God, will you still backtrack?  Sometimes this type of discussion may be moot, because not to apostasy is the commandment of the Lord and the invitation of His love. Let’s look at the first point:

 Not laying again the foundation

Why does Paul stress “Not laying again the foundation”? Apparently it is because some people will find other foundations in other places after they have believed in the Lord. First, repentance from acts that lead to death. What’s the meaning? That is: Faith alone is not enough, and there are many actions in Judaism.  At that time, there were many believers of Jewish background in the church, and it was natural that they would come to the church with their original growth background.  This is quite similar to the situation of the church today.  In addition to believing in Jesus Christ, it seems that we need to add our past patriotism, nationalism, Confucianism, and family values. For example, if you believe in Jesus, you must be able to save China, otherwise you will simply not be able to believe in it! Or on the contrary, it seems that the United States and Europe are equivalent to Christianity, and supporting Europe and the United States is like standing on the commanding heights of faith.  These phenomena are somewhat similar to the “repentance from acts that lead to death” in those days,  and God said it was not desirable!

Second, various etiquette. Paul speaks of “instruction about cleansing rites,”  and also includes “the laying on of hands” and many other ceremonies.  Explain that by the time Paul wrote Hebrews, there were already different ways of baptism.  Peter held an evangelistic meeting in Jerusalem, and at one time, 3,000 people believed in the Lord, and all of them were baptized.  There should be no baptism pools on the Temple Mount, and watering and sprinkling should be a high probability event. The theological stance of our church is based on the Southern Baptist Convention, but not baptism.  Baptists insist on church baptism, and it is understandable.  However, if the obsession with Baptists outweighs the faith in the Lord, it is putting the cart before the horse.  I’ve heard a pastor say it’s staggering to wish he was married to a Baptist!

Finally, the resurrection judgment. It is not difficult to believe in the resurrection of Christ, but to live out the power of the resurrection of the Lord!  In fact, it is Romans 12:1-2, which teaches about the transformation of the mind.  It is no longer me, but Christ lives in me, who is now alive, both physically and mentally!  Live or die, it’s the Lord’s!  Every day, every thought is for the Lord.  At the same time, we should face every detail of life, including every word and behavior,  with awe!  Everything you do is counted as an account to the Lord.  Whatever we do, we must do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Judgment is not to judge others,  but to face the future judgment with confidence.  Because judgment begins in the house of God, every child of God should be prepared to be ready for judgment. This is magnanimity.  Let’s look at the second point:

 Do not dishonor Christ

Probably no one wants to deliberately dishonor Christ, right?  Even the people who crucified Jesus, Jesus prayed for them, saying what they did, they didn’t know.  First of all, people who knowingly commit crimes are not included.  That’s why we have teachings of fundamental truth that make clear the reasons for our beliefs.  You may be unclear when you are praying to accept salvation, and the baptism class may not understand it well, so let’s go to the basic truth class again.  Of course, the best thing to do is to keep taking discipleship.  Some might say it’s better that I don’t attend as many church activities.  Lest you know a lot, you will be judged heavily, will you?  The Lord will reveal everything before the judgment seat. If the pastor is not faithful and teaches the truth of the church, he will of course suffer a heavier judgment!  What if the church teaches us enough?  There are 52 Sunday messages,  52 Sunday schools,  52 discipleship lessons in a year, not including all kinds of counseling and help.  What was said, how it was said, and what was taught was recorded.

Second, there is no sacrifice of back to repentance.  Judas betraying the Lord for glory seems to be a sin compared to Peter’s denial of the Lord three times.  But the fact is that Peter repented and Judas hanged.  Where is the difference?  Peter was weak and fell down, met his own bottleneck, and couldn’t get over it!  Judas, on the other hand, deliberately betrayed and abandoned the Lord wholeheartedly, and even blocked the way to repentance by himself.  Just as Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden, God “he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24) ”  Those who are disciplined by the church today, even if they are suspended from communion, removed from their names, or excommunicated from the church, have an opportunity to repent.  If you “lay down” yourself to the end, there is really no sacrifice to repent again!

Lastly, what you sow is what you reap.  All things created by God are perfect in their time! The Garden of Eden God gave to Adam and Eve was “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. (Hebrews 6:7)”  However, the first ancestor did not cherish grace when facing it,  but was rebellious and ungrateful. Just ask: “But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. (Hebrews 6:8)” The sinful nature of human beings makes us complain, bitter, unthankful, and cursed in everything!  In fact, God’s requirements are not high, just truly repenting.  Begin by confessing your sins, and live out a sad and contrite testimony!  You can’t be like Cain,  who committed murder,  as if he had won the jackpot, arrogantly before God, and challenged the bottom line of God’s authority and grace. Let’s look at the third point:

 Do not lose faith

Whether a person is weak and stumble, or is really apostate, the key is to see whether he has the faith to repent!  It is to believe the words of the Bible: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)” First, believe that God is righteous.  In fact, it is very easy for us to fall into a situation where we think we are wronged,  and the reason is very simple, because our hearts have long been distorted by sin.  Even in the midst of grievances, still believing that God is righteous is actually the standard of believers.  However, a person with unclean lips, living among a people with unclean lips, has a low probability of uttering words of grace.  If it is combined with the inner level of people, there really is not even a righteous person!  Where is there any grievance?  In the face of God’s righteousness, apart from confessing and repenting, man cannot even find a place to stand!  Where does your grievance come from? The darkness deep in your heart betrayed your intention to show off the light!  God knows that, doesn’t He?

Second, hold onto your hope in the Lord.  Paul said, “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. (Hebrews 6:11)” Hope is not a feeling, and hope is not vanity, but the actual realization of life.  Diligence is the attitude of serving God, and your attitude determines your spiritual height!  The level of diligence determines the level of our satisfaction and expectations!  In other words, if we always feel as though others did something wrong to us,  it is due to our motives for serving. Maybe we are not looking at the Lord, but at someone.  Or just aim at yourself, go your own way, and be on your own!

Finally, connect with each other in love.  Paul’s warning is stern, yet merciful: “Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. (Hebrews 6:9)” Even if we are walking on the road of backsliding, the love of the Lord is also sending us a signal: Turn back!  Even if you are a prodigal son, and you have broken the heart of the Father again and again, He is still waiting for you on your way back! He has prepared for you rings, robes, and shoes that only sons can wear (Luke 15:22),  just as the Father has prepared Jesus Christ for us that only children of God can wear!

  Conclusion

Dear brothers and sisters, God’s command is not to apostate!  Then we don’t have to lay any other foundation, we must not shame Christ again, and we must not lose our original faith. Do you want to?

Let us pray……

Hebrews 6:1-20

1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 

2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 

3 And God permitting, we will do so.

4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 

5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 

6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 

7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 

8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 

10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 

11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 

12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 

14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”

15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 

17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 

18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 

19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 

20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.