First Grade Education = First Grade Faith
I was reading Hebrews 6:1-2 the other day, which talks about faith, repentance, baptisms and the laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. These are known as the elementary principals of God’s Word. A.W. Tozer referred to these as “first grade knowledge”, in his book, 'Success and the Christian, The Cost of Spiritual Maturity'. The writer of Hebrews refers to these by using common items: a baby, milk and meat. The baby represents most “Christians” (immature in their faith) and the milk represents the elementary principals of God’s Word. These are the basics of knowledge of Christ and God. Notice I didn’t say understanding! I said knowledge, big difference. Meat, of course, is the deep stuff of God; the goods!
Look at it this way…a first grader comes home and reads from a picture book. These books have simple words that tell a story and have pictures that show what the words are describing. Try covering the pictures! Chances are they can’t read the words anymore. Why, because they assimilate the picture with the group of words, but there is no understanding of the words, just knowledge of what the words should be (memorization). This is normal for a first grader, but is it normal for a mature person? Absolutely not!
In Hebrews 5: 11-12 the writer has a ton of important information that he needs to teach, but he couldn’t. Why? Because they weren’t able to understand. Why? The Greek words used here literally mean that one is slow to learn. Here, “slow to learn” doesn’t mean a disability or an inability. On the contrary, it is laziness, down right pure laziness! Literally, the people were slow to learn, they didn’t care to learn more. They were comfortable with the knowledge of the minor things of God with no desire to understand. Learn just enough to get by. As a matter of fact, not only did they not understand, but they were constantly rehashing what they already should have known.
Let me give you a very loose translation of what one of their services may have been like. The teacher stands up and tells everyone about Christ and that they should believe and hope in his true existence. He tells of forgiveness, about baptism and then being baptized in the Spirit. Next, that they should pray for one another’s needs and goes over healing real quick. After putting their faith in Christ, receiving their forgiveness, being cleansed and made whole, they were told of eternal life, through the rising of their souls into heaven, as Christ did. Those that didn’t go through the process are left with one option, eternal judgment.
Now then, when you return for the next message, usually the next afternoon, you heard the same message. Then the following day you hear the same set of messages, just maybe in different words. Over and over again. Hello!?!? Does this sound familiar to anyone????? Has anyone listened to the same message, time and time again, only with different words every once in a while? Have you been totally satisfied with it? The answer is “Yes!” by the way. You go, you listen, you bob your head up and down because you agree with it. You leave and return to church a week later to do it all again. That is what the writer is talking about: First grade with weekends off! Yeah Baby!
So what about you? What grade are you in? First grade? Have you even grown from your infancy yet? Do you go to church once a week and keep yourself at a safe-superficial distance, so you don’t have to deal with those life changing, transforming issues that God is just dying to tear out of you and bless you with His victory? If so, do something about it, don't stay where you are.
But how do we get passed a first grade level faith and begin to mature? God tells us to put these simple truths away. Don’t discard them, but put them away and desire more! Learn them, understand them, believe them, but grow in your faith! Use them for a foundation and build upon them! Start right now. Begin to read God’s word right where you are. Take time to meditate on what you learn and embrace the changes God has in store for you. You will never be the same, I guarantee it!
One thing is for sure, there are no short cuts. There is no one else that can do this for you. Just you and you alone. In the end, you won’t be standing next to your wife or husband or preacher, when you stand before God. They won’t be there for you to point to, and say, “Go ahead, tell them what I know!” Get out of your diapers, man! Grow and mature, that is what God is calling on us to do.
Look at it this way…a first grader comes home and reads from a picture book. These books have simple words that tell a story and have pictures that show what the words are describing. Try covering the pictures! Chances are they can’t read the words anymore. Why, because they assimilate the picture with the group of words, but there is no understanding of the words, just knowledge of what the words should be (memorization). This is normal for a first grader, but is it normal for a mature person? Absolutely not!
In Hebrews 5: 11-12 the writer has a ton of important information that he needs to teach, but he couldn’t. Why? Because they weren’t able to understand. Why? The Greek words used here literally mean that one is slow to learn. Here, “slow to learn” doesn’t mean a disability or an inability. On the contrary, it is laziness, down right pure laziness! Literally, the people were slow to learn, they didn’t care to learn more. They were comfortable with the knowledge of the minor things of God with no desire to understand. Learn just enough to get by. As a matter of fact, not only did they not understand, but they were constantly rehashing what they already should have known.
Let me give you a very loose translation of what one of their services may have been like. The teacher stands up and tells everyone about Christ and that they should believe and hope in his true existence. He tells of forgiveness, about baptism and then being baptized in the Spirit. Next, that they should pray for one another’s needs and goes over healing real quick. After putting their faith in Christ, receiving their forgiveness, being cleansed and made whole, they were told of eternal life, through the rising of their souls into heaven, as Christ did. Those that didn’t go through the process are left with one option, eternal judgment.
Now then, when you return for the next message, usually the next afternoon, you heard the same message. Then the following day you hear the same set of messages, just maybe in different words. Over and over again. Hello!?!? Does this sound familiar to anyone????? Has anyone listened to the same message, time and time again, only with different words every once in a while? Have you been totally satisfied with it? The answer is “Yes!” by the way. You go, you listen, you bob your head up and down because you agree with it. You leave and return to church a week later to do it all again. That is what the writer is talking about: First grade with weekends off! Yeah Baby!
So what about you? What grade are you in? First grade? Have you even grown from your infancy yet? Do you go to church once a week and keep yourself at a safe-superficial distance, so you don’t have to deal with those life changing, transforming issues that God is just dying to tear out of you and bless you with His victory? If so, do something about it, don't stay where you are.
But how do we get passed a first grade level faith and begin to mature? God tells us to put these simple truths away. Don’t discard them, but put them away and desire more! Learn them, understand them, believe them, but grow in your faith! Use them for a foundation and build upon them! Start right now. Begin to read God’s word right where you are. Take time to meditate on what you learn and embrace the changes God has in store for you. You will never be the same, I guarantee it!
One thing is for sure, there are no short cuts. There is no one else that can do this for you. Just you and you alone. In the end, you won’t be standing next to your wife or husband or preacher, when you stand before God. They won’t be there for you to point to, and say, “Go ahead, tell them what I know!” Get out of your diapers, man! Grow and mature, that is what God is calling on us to do.
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