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Dr. Larry Mercer, Senior Vice President of Media and Church Ministries, invites you to uphold in prayer the preaching of God’s Word through various media avenues at Moody, as well as MBI’s outreach to the local churches and missionaries overseas.
TODAY IN THE WORDShane, a sophomore in high school, discovered the importance of a good academic foundation when he took geometry. Although he liked the course, he struggled to do well. As a freshman he had studied algebra, a subject he didn’t like and therefore didn’t work to learn. Since certain basic algebraic concepts reappear in geometry, he wasn’t equipped to succeed despite liking the class. In general, in order to advance in our knowledge of any subject we must build upon the things we already know. This same principle certainly applies to our spiritual growth.
As we saw earlier in our study, Hebrews was written to Christians who considered turning away from Jesus. The verses we read today give us another clue into what might be causing this spiritual drift–their failure to grow from the basics of Christian belief into a mature faith.
Apparently these Christians had been believers long enough that they should have been ready to teach others about the faith (v. 12). Yet, they were still immature; that is, they were slow to learn (v. 11). In light of the discussion in Hebrews 3:7-4:13, “slow to learn” means that they were slow to obey God’s Word.
In addition, they hadn’t sufficiently understood the basics of the faith or the implications of those foundational tenets (Heb. 5:12-13). As a result, they were not prepared for advanced teaching about things like the high priesthood of Jesus. Nor were they equipped to discern properly between what was good and what was evil (v. 14). This spiritual immaturity left them vulnerable to a deadly spiritual drift.
Growing in maturity means moving beyond the basics of the faith (6:1-3). Practically this means not only growing in our understanding of Christian doctrine, but also becoming quick to obey God’s Word. In other words, if we want to grow in our faith, we must not simply study Scripture but also respond to it (cf. James 1:22-25). We must, by constant use of God’s Word, train ourselves to distinguish between good and evil.
TODAY ALONG THE WAYIn our hectic lives we often fail to spend time taking stock of our spiritual health. Today would be a good day to check your spiritual pulse. Try to identify one area of your spiritual life that you think needs more development. Think about one practical step you can take to grow in that area. Perhaps you know of a Bible study or Sunday school class that you can attend at your church. Your pastor would also be happy to point out good books you can read. Whatever you decide, don’t allow spiritual drift to go unchecked!
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