Milk and Meat: resurrection of the dead part 5

Daniel 12:2 - And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt.

John 11:25 - Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

1 Thessalonians 4:14 - For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

John 6:40 - And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

1 Corinthians 6:14 - And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

Luke 14:14 - And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

John 14:19 - Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1 Peter 1:3 - Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Hebrews 11:19 - Accounting that God [was] able to raise [him] up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Acts 24:15 - And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

1 Corinthians 15:12-32 - Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

John 6:54 - Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Acts 3:15 - And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

Sam 2:6; Job 14:10-14; Job 19:25-27; Ps 16:9-11; Ps 17:15; Ps 49:15; Ps 73:23-26; Is 25:8; Is 26:19-21; Is 3:10-12; Ezek 37:1-14; Dan 12:2; Dan 12:13; Hos 6:1-4; Hos 13:14

We often hear disagreements about the idea of rapture both when it shall be and if any such thing shall be. The word rapture does not appear in scripture but that is to be expected as it is a theological word in the sense that trinity is also not seen. Theology is not scripture although sound theology is based on scripture.

Theology is at its core the explanation of men trying to reach a conclusion of the why or how of certain things found in scripture that are hard to understand. For this reason we all have theology some good some bad as it is based on understanding of scripture as a whole.

In the end regardless of theology the scriptures say what they say. As to trinity, God is one and also seen in Father, Word, and Spirit. In a similar way there is a day when the dead in Christ will rise and as Paul assures us in Thessalonians those who are still living in their corruptible body will also resurrect despite not yet dying. How well we understand these ideas that seem to conflict on the surface is secondary to our acceptance that all God has told us is true.

Many of the things we accept as true about what happens when we die are founded more in an acceptance of the Greek thought of an afterlife as they are in scripture. This is to say instead of allowing the scripture to teach us we find scripture to support our already held beliefs. If we were to strip away what we believe and search for what is plainly stated in scripture would we have the discipline to learn line upon line, precept on precept or would we simply jump to those versus that we have used to support our belief.

This article is not about the afterlife it is about the resurrection, but in truth we must touch on the first to see that it does not have the position of effecting the truth of the second. There are two main ideas in Christianity about what happens when we die one is that we have an immortal soul the other is called soul sleep.

The idea of the immortal soul in a nutshell says when our earthly body dies we go to either heaven or hell to await a resurrection of our body once more, at which time we will go to either heaven or hell.

Soul sleep says our body goes back to dust while our soul remains in the earth in a stasis or sleep until the resurrection when we are awakened with a new body, at which time we will go to heaven or hell.

There is a third option held by some that we have the life we live and then we are no more.

It is interesting to me that these three opinions also existed in Jesus day. There were a large number of Jews who’s understanding of the scriptures had been influenced by the Greek thought of the day, also in the Pharisees we see a belief in a bodily resurrection at a time set by the Lord, and in the Sadducees we see a belief that only this physical life exist for us.

While all of this is interesting our need is not to find what makes sense to us, but to find what God has given by His own word.

In the Old Testament versus above and also from the description of Abel’s blood calling from the ground and Samuel coming up from in the earth it would seem that soul sleep follows scripture better than the other two.

When we come to the New Testament we see Jesus teaching people from a place of where they are.

 To those who have the influence of Greek thought He teaches a parable the rich man and Lazarus. The point of this parable is not to teach about the afterlife but instead about the unbelieving heart of those who by uncircumcised ears would not hear Moses witness of Him as Messiah, by uncircumcised eyes they would not see the witness of God in His life, and by uncircumcised heart they would not believe His redemption though He rose from the dead. However we cannot simply dismiss what He has said for even in His parables He never bore a false witness of the Father.  

To the Sadducees He bluntly tells them they misunderstand the scripture for the scripture lead to life not death. God is not the source and generator of death but of life. It is of note that to the Pharisees Jesus quotes from the prophets but to the Sadducees who consider only Moses to be scripture He quotes from Moses.

To the Pharisees He is blunter to say that since you believe you will stand before God then concern yourselves with those things that are from God and not men.

You might notice He never gives a dissertation on which view is correct. Why? Divisions are a work of the flesh and our Lord had no part in sin and men’s desire to be regarded above another; instead He encouraged us to lean not to our own understanding but in all things seek after God to both will and do and teach in us.

So it is as His disciple I encourage you to trust in God to show you how to have life now and life everlasting.

Our understanding of what happens in between this life and the next is not what the author of Hebrews has included as the milk of Gods teaching. It is this that on that day men will stand before God in His full presence. No unressurected man has done that; visions of Him: yes, dreams of Him: yes, manifestations of Him: yes, but to stand in His physical presence no. Moses was the closest but was warned that to stand in His full presence no man could do.

On that day if you have His life in you the consuming fire of His presence will burn away every spec of darkness and you shall be as He is. If you do not have His life in you all that you are shall be eternally consumed.

This is a milk teaching because it keeps us mindful of our need and promise of His life in us while at the same time assuring us that anything and everything in us that is offensive to Him and ourselves shall be completely taken away.   

Milk and meat: laying on of hands part 4

 

 

 

 

1 Timothy 5:22

Bad CompanyOrdinationEvil AssociationsParticipation, In Sin

AssociationsRashnessPurity Of HeartCharacter

Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.

 

Mark 10:16

Baby dedicationTendernessPersonal Contact

Everlasting ArmsTouching For Healing

And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

 

Luke 4:40

SpiritsLaying On Hands To Healdoctors

HandsHealing

While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them.

 

Acts 8:17

Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.

 

Revelation 1:17

VisionChrist's HandsExperience, of GodJesus Christ, Eternity OfBeginning And EndDeliverance, Source OfNames And Titles For ChristChrist's Right Hand

BeginningThe I Am's Of ChristGesturesLaying On Hands To HealInferiorityAn Overpowering PresenceFeet

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,

 

Leviticus 1:4

Animal Sacrifices, BurntHands On HeadsHeads

Laying Hands On SacrificesHandsSubstitution

'He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.

 

Leviticus 3:2

Hands On HeadsSacrifices At The DoorwayFellowship Offering

Laying Hands On SacrificesSprinklingSprinkling Blood

'He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and slay it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood around on the altar.

 

Leviticus 4:15

Hands On Heads

Laying Hands On Sacrifices

'Then the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD, and the bull shall be slain before the LORD.

 

Leviticus 16:21

Driving Out AnimalsLaying Hands On SacrificesWorship, Elements Of

Animal Sacrifices, As A Type Of ChristHands On Heads

"Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness.

 

Numbers 8:10

and present the Levites before the LORD; and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites.

 

Numbers 27:18

The Spirit Of GodThe Holy Spirit, And Sanctification

HandsMoses, Life Of

So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;

 

Deuteronomy 34:9

Spirit, Emotional Aspects OfWisdom, Human Importance

The Holy Spirit, And SanctificationHands

Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.

 

 

 

The laying on of hands is found throughout scripture. If we look at the development of this teaching we find its purpose for our modern faith.

It is seldom dealt with in large part by the church and when it is; commonly it is compartmentalized from scripture and as such loses much of its true meaning. At laying on of hands core in its simplest form is to share what is in one with another.

Some have described this as a transfer from one to another, but transfer has the idea of a thing leaving one and going into anouther. Yet Paul warns Timothy to lay his hands on no man suddenly that he would not be found to share in another man’s sins. In like manner, as a wire receives an electrical charge when a connection is made to it; not taking the charge out of the first wire but sharing and extending that same charge, the laying on of Hands connects us to another so that what has been given to us from God is shared with those upon whom we lay our hands.

In this example God is generator of all power, all authority, and all life, our Master, savior, and mediator is the strong arm of His living word,  and the Holy Spirit is the right hand of God laid upon us who believe. Thereby making us one with all by infusing the life of God into us; therefor if we connect to others with what is generated by us we steal, kill, and destroy those around us and disconnect from the life of God, but if instead we let the Life of God flow out of us to others then we become not a destination for Gods blessings but a conduit of His life.

With this in mind consider the following verses: Psalms 63:8, Psalms 139:10, Isaiah 41:13, Lamentations 2:3, Psalms 16:11, Psalms 48:10, Psalms 73:23, Isaiah 62:8, Psalms 60:5, Psalms 108:6, Psalms 17:7, Psalms 20:6, Psalms 80:15, Psalms 138:7, Psalms 44:3, Psalms 78:54, Isaiah 41:10, Exodus 15:6, Psalms 21:8, Hebrews 1:13, Matthew 22:44, Luke 22:69, Hebrews 1:3, Acts 2:33, Acts 5:31, Revelation 5:1-7, Matthew 25:32-34, Revelation 1:20, and Revelation 2:1

In the same way that the law taught that a man could be made unclean by touching what was unclean so it also teaches in the sacrifices that by the willful laying on of hands sin of the man was laid upon the victim. This also was a sharing not a transfer; for God tells them that the sacrifice of a thousand bulls and goats will not be accepted if their heart is not toward Him.

In this same way we must believe in our heart that Christ has brought His Holy life into us before the confession of our mouth can be effective.  If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and that God has raised Him from the dead but our heart does not cleave to Him we are liars and what comes from our mouth is just a lie.

Now we begin to see the why of laying on of hands and also the how of the sick can be healed by such. Do we also see the reason for James instruction to call for the elders; there is a certain maturity of trust in the life of Christ to live through us and a necessity of abandonment of trust in what can be generated by ourselves. Faith is not a trust in what God has made me but instead a reliance upon who He is, through His Son, by His Spirit, living in me, shared with my brethren that as is written we may know to be one.

Perhaps we can also see why John warns us not to pray for one who has committed a sin unto death (if you are worried you have done this you probably have not; for those who do such have no desire to have the life of God), or why Paul says lay hands on no man suddenly, and an elder should not be a novice to the faith.

At the same time we are warned not to make ourselves partakers of another man’s sins we are also taught that we must share with others the life, and power and witness of Christ which God has shared with us.

The warning of the parable of the talents is that what God gives to us cannot be hidden or it will be lost. Also we may share in each other’s reward simply by providing for one another as our Lord has said if we give a glass of water to a prophet because He is a prophet then we receive a prophet’s reward. One body, one Faith, one life, one reward no man can have the life of God if he remains by himself.

Milk and Meat: babtism part 3

HEBREWS 6: 1-2

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

The author of Hebrews has listed the foundational “milk” of our Christian lives as being contained in the foundation of repentance from dead works, faith toward God, and the teachings of baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. He goes on to conclude that for as long as we are not in a full knowledge of these things we will not walk in the meat of righteousness.

 This righteousness spoken of is not merely a correct action but a change of the life in us to the place that all that we are is from and toward God that we may share the testimony of Jesus that if you have seen me You have seen the Father; not that I say any born of man have attained to such but we are to press forward toward that mark of the high call of God in Christ Jesus.

Let us look at the teachings of the scripture as to the nature and purpose of baptisms. In the modern church we have divisions over water baptism both in its effect in the life of the believer and in the proper way the baptism should be conducted and the formulas by which it should be officiated.

These divisions come in most part from trying to draw an understanding from a surface look at the subject.  This is very much like trying to judge the worth of a house by its brick and paint and windows. We know that the framework of a house has a greater value than that which is seen by the eye, and that the framework can only be as correct as the foundation is solid and squared.

When we begin to see this subject in its fullness we see that it permeates both the old and new testaments. This post will hopefully start us on a path to discovering all God has taught us by baptisms as it cannot deal with the massive volume of this teaching throughout the scriptures.

Before I move forward I would like to point out the author says baptisms, plural, and that to group our baptism into His death, into repentance, into His body, into the Holy Spirit and fire, the washing of His word, and feet washing all into our water baptism is to short the vast truths that the Spirit will lead us into if we follow His lead. If you think you know you cannot be taught in the same way that our Lord said it is the sick that need a physician so only those who realize their need for truth are lead to it.

1 PETER 3: 20-21

…when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water, The like figure whereunto baptism does also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

1 CORINTHIANS 10: 1-4

Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.  

It is by these two witnesses that we find the foundational basis of the framework of the washings and purifications found in the Law leading to fulfillment in Christ by whom the ordinance of baptism has been given to us. What basic understanding can we learn by these two events: in both there is a necessity of destruction of the will and the work of man? We can draw that the very nature of man is to do evil and to bring about the destruction of both himself and those around Him, that He considers himself to be the power by which he draws his life.

The Noah flood and the red sea experience where not about the reformation or rehabilitation of the carnal man that is received from the inheritance of Adams flesh, but about its destruction. The only thing that remains in either instance is what God has set aside by His word.

His word is life. Noah and his family were not saved by their work on the arc; instead their work on the arc was the direct result of faith that what God had spoken was true and sure to come. The children of Israel in a similar way have the name given by God for His set aside promise and as such the promises of an inheritance from Him as opposed to the inheritance from Adam of slavery to sin and death.

So we can see that the purification of baptism is a judgment by which man (symbolized by the dust of the earth) is taken away from the promise of life in God’s word. For both Noah and Israel though they lived among the children of men and though the children of men had rule of them the grace of the word of God had set them apart.

Also of note is that not only did baptism destroy the old way of life, and save out the individuals who had trusted in God’s word, but it also was the coming into a new place of life and relationship, and revelation of God.  

We must remember these things are given to us not so that we know history or the story of the fathers of our faith, but that we might learn what it is to live the life given to us by God. If our meanings to these things remain in the life outside of us then we cannot live out the things that they instruct us in. In other words these lessons are about what happens within us not around us. Pharaoh is our self-life who declares “who is this God that I must listen to him.” The might of Egypt coming against the promise and declaration of God is that battle that Paul mentions as the flesh warring against the Spirit and that battle is within us.

These washings do not end at the shore of our red sea, but are found in the ordinances of the law in several respects: to cleanse one for priestly services, if one becomes unclean due to contact with menstruation blood, ingesting unclean meat, part of preparation of burnt offerings, the High Priest and the one that lead away the scape goat on the day of atonement, cleansing of leapers, and several more.

The Jews in addition also washed or baptized any pot or pan or cup that a gentile had touched in case they had transferred uncleanness to it. Also a baptism for those who wished to convert to Judaism; this could well be the genesis of Johns baptism of repentance and later the baptism into the way of Christ.

The language of baptism is not solely used in teaching about conversion to the faith in the new testament but we find it used regularly.  

Milk and meat: repentance and faith part 2

*[[Heb 6:1]] KJV* Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

*[[Zec 4:6]] KJV* Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

*[[Joh 6:14-15/KJV]]*

14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

*[[Gen 3:4-5/KJV]]*

 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

*[[Gen 1:12]] KJV* And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

*[[Gen 1:25]] KJV* And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

*[[Gen 2:7]] KJV* And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

*[[Gen 3:19]] KJV* In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

*[[Gal 5:17-26/KJV]]*

 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

*[[Exo 5:4]] KJV* And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.

*[[Exo 5:13]] KJV* And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

The first ingredient of the Christian life is repentance from dead works. This is far more than being sorry for our works; for being sorry is more often than not only caused by suffering or fear of the results of sin not the sinfulness itself. This is because sin in any form cost us something but true repentance is about understanding that our own actions cannot produce the life of God in us.

The instruction of the scripture is about who we are not the things we do. To try to do what is right is to only imitate life;  we are not taught to imitate life but instead to possess life. To imitate what we believe is right but not possess those things as our nature is to be an actor. The word for actor in Jesus day was hypocrite.

In the book of John we are told of a time when those who had seen Jesus multiply a few loaves and fish into a meal for five thousand people, had seen the healings worked through Him, and had even heard as He opened the meaning of the scriptures to them; recognized that He was the promised prophet (Messiah) determined to take Him and make Him king. However Jesus knowing their intentions escaped away. Why?

He was the Messiah, He was the son of David and therefore their King, but these men as we are later told are willing to do this for the benefit it will bring to them. If we seek to make Him our Lord for the purpose of receiving His blessings instead of who He is then we too will find that when we search for Him He will have gone away from us.

Jesus told us in Luke that the kingdom of God is within you. This does not mean as false religion teaches that God is in all of us we simply have to take away the wrong thinking and fear to find God at our core. Such a statement is stupid and completely ignores the facts of the human condition that any unsaved teenager can recognize. What Jesus was saying is that Gods manifested reign and sovereignty in your land can never be had until He completely reigns and is sovereign in our hearts and minds.

The sin and death that Adam took into him is all that He could produce from himself. It is because of this that all men are born with this same sin and death as their nature. We see that in genesis every plant and every animal produced in its kind. Adam though formed of the earth was breathed into by God becoming a living soul. So we see that in His original state His life was Gods life and would have produced children of God. However after his fall He that was taken from the dust returned to dust thereby His kind was born of an earthly condition of being after His fallen kind.

So the flesh of Adam produced flesh because He thought to be life from himself he became a self and passed to all future generations the same lifeless self of flesh. To repent of dead works is to repent of trying to produce life by the self; this being the case the very act of trying to do what is right to attain to life is to continue in the sin of the Father of all flesh Adam. In Galatians five Paul warns us what the flesh manifest when we try to live by it with the conclusion that those who try to use this source can never have the place of reign and sovereignty of God.

To repent of dead works is to place our trust and dependence in Gods redemption of us by His Son for through that redemption He has afforded us His own Spirit which Adam lost and made us one with His Son and Himself. So it is that His life has become our life. When we see sin in our life we are to know that somewhere in us we are leaning on the flesh of our old nature. It is to drive us to trust Him to tear down every stronghold of self-dependence in us. We trust His power and life in us to renew our mind giving us the mind of His Messiah to the end that all that we are is Him through us.

I wrote earlier that the teaching of scripture is about our life in Him and how it is attained to. We see an example of the battle between the flesh and the Spirit in the story of Moses confrontation with pharaoh. I have heard some compare Pharaoh to Satan and while I am not arguing against such it is easier to understand if you see him as your Adamic nature. This lesson is about the working within us not without. Pharaoh is our flesh, with YHWH, Moses and Aaron being the Father, Son, and Spirit in type. It is of note that Pharaoh who considers himself a god (source of generation) has one answer to prove he is sovereign to increase work. In genesis 5: 4 pharaoh denies that Moses and Aaron can cause you to cease from your working. The flesh ask you to work to make what is earthly into what is heavenly and when you cannot it beats you and says you are just unwilling and lazy.

The flesh will condemn you but condemnation is the opposite of faith; John tells us if our heart condemn us God is greater than our heart. Trust and rely on Gods life to be in you and will and do through you and God will give you the desires of your heart. This means He will make it your nature to act from His nature. This repentance from our dead works must be a foundation or we will gain the blessings of living Gods life through us and be lifted in pride believing we have gained this life by our hand leading us to idolatry of our flesh once more.    

Milk and meat: spiritual maturity part 1

*[[Heb 5:12-14/KJV]]*

 12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

*[[Heb 6:1-3/KJV]]*

 1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

 3 And this will we do, if God permit.

When a child is first born they have a natural reflex to suck milk. Their mouth and intestines are not yet ready for more solid food; also their bodies need the high concentrations of nutrients found in milk.

Most modern doctors say to wait until around six months old before introducing a more substantial food into their diet. Some things to look for as signs that your baby is ready are; they stare at your food when you eat and mimic opening their mouths, they reach out for your food, they don’t push food out with their tongue when it is put in their mouth with a spoon.

Now I am not a pediatrician and am in no way giving medical advice, and while giving a disclaimer let me add; when I say more substantial I am speaking of baby cereal not animal meat.

The reason I have brought these things forward is to look at the comparison given by the author of Hebrews with our spiritual maturity. The things listed as being the milk of God’s word are called by the author the principles of the doctrine of Christ.

This word principle is not speaking of a level of morality or honesty as we commonly use the word in our time, but instead it indicates a basic ingredient. So while we as Christians have different gifts and callings; there are basic teachings that all of us must have understanding of if we are to ever grow and mature in Christ.

As an example there is many different flavors of cake; each having slightly different ingredients. However all cakes

have basic ingredients that make them cake: eggs, milk, flour, and oil/butter. In a similar way Christians must have the basic ingredients of Hebrews 6:1-2 understood if they wish to grow.

If you read that last paragraph and glanced back up at the scriptures you should realize that our modern church is perhaps not living at a high level of maturity. This is not surprising as Paul told the church long ago they had many instructors but few fathers, and again if we look to John’s description of young men and fathers we will have to be honest and say that we need to grow up as a whole in the body.

The church looks for the power of God and the glory of God to be manifested, but this power and glory is not in the signs and wonders we run after. The scripture is plain enough that signs and wonders are for the unbeliever and as such they are not evidence of Gods power in our life but of our need. Consider the children of Israel in the wilderness. They were in the wilderness and witnessing mighty signs not because they had faith but to the end that they could learn to have faith. Jesus spoke two warnings on this subject that we would do well to heed; it is an evil and wicked generation that seeks a sign in order to believe Gods word and not to rejoice that sickness and demons must obey you but instead rejoice that God has joined Himself to you and He is sovereign in your heart and life.

The true power and glory of God is the living as one with God to the place that He emanates from your earthen vessel. This place of being as your Father in heaven is, of being His child in nature not just a place of nurture, that as with our Lord when someone looks at you they see your Father. The place where our the life given to us from Jesus becomes life more abundant or as Paul says from faith to faith is His righteousness revealed in us is only possessed by those who have matured to a place where they can eat the meat of Gods table.

I would like to, God willing, look at each of these ingredients one at a time; though they all work together to describe the life of God in us. With Gods help we will see not only a clearer view of the pure milk of God’s nurture for those who young in the faith, but also to establish and encourage us who should be mature to take of the meat that Jesus ate and do the will of the Father.

The church has many children who play cops and robbers claiming authority of which they still do not yet truly understand. Some must mature to young men who will wield that authority in truth, and others still must mature to Father who can encourage and instruct to the order of that authority.

I do not wish to rush something so foundational so I will separate these posts…