Hebrews – Spiritual Infants

By Now You Ought to…​

Hebrews 5:11-14 (WEB)
11 About him we have many words to say, and hard to interpret, seeing you have become dull of hearing.

The writer of Hebrews tells his audience that he is having difficulty explaining spiritual ideas to them because: “you have become dull of hearing.”

12 For when by reason of the time you ought to be teachers, you again need to have someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God. You have come to need milk, and not solid food.

By reason of time. His audience have been Christians for some time. They are NOT new Christians. And yet they need to be TAUGHT AGAIN the rudiments (elementary, primitive) of the first principles of God’s word.

The writer calls these 1st Principle teachings: “milk,” not “solid food.”

13 For everyone who lives on milk is not experienced in the word of righteousness, for he is a baby.

There are two levels of experience in Christ. Immature (baby, infant) Christians and Mature (full grown) Christians. And, “by reason of time,” every Christian should move from the immature stage to maturity. From feeding on “milk” to “solid food.”

14 But solid food is for those who are full grown, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.

How do we move on to maturity? Those who by reason of use… use of what? Use the “milk” you are fed from the Scriptures to “exercise” your senses to “discern good and evil.”

We don’t instinctively, intrinsically, know good from evil. It’s something WE MUST LEARN. And only the scriptures CAN reveal the difference.