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THE CRITICAL NEED FOR SPIRITUAL PROGRESS

We have before us here in Hebrews 6 the first 12 verses, a very remarkable passage of Scripture. Actually, it begins a few verses earlier which we will look at in a moment. And it has a very abrupt beginning and a very perplexing and disturbing ending to this particular section. But it has one theme throughout and that is spiritual growth. Growing up spiritually, changing. When I was a young father at home we had marks on a wall.  We would mark off a ruler on top of their head where they were at that time. Then we would measure and each child would stand there straining for their worth, trying to get another fraction of an inch out to prove that they were really growing and so forth. Here God says to us. “Here my child. Come stand by the measurement. Let me see how you are doing spiritually.” Now this text is not asking you, are you a good person? God is not saying, “Come let me find out about the things that you believe.” That’s not it either. He’s not saying, “How active of a person are you? How active are you in the church?” He is not saying that either. But in this passage God is saying, “How is it in your personal character?” He is saying, “Are my purposes being realized for your life?” He is saying, “Are you becoming more and more like my Son the Lord Jesus Christ? Let me see and measure the impact that your life is having on the people around you. Let me discover what your place in the church really is and how edifying you are.”  A Christian should and must grow spiritually in the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s what this passage is saying in substance. And I’d like to suggest a couple of real strong reasons derived from the text, why we should thus grow. READ MORE…