As has already been established in part 1 of this series, Christ is the basis of our faith, and the grounding upon which the church is built. There can be no foundation laid without Christ being established as the cornerstone. Here are some facts from the gospel accounts about Christ that must be established before anyone can attempt to rightly build on this foundation:
- Christ is the sinless Son of God born of a virgin.
- Christ performed miracles and forgave sins during his earthly ministry.
- Christ willingly died in consecration to his Father’s will.
- Christ rose bodily from the dead.
- Christ ascended to heaven after his resurrection.
- Christ will return to the earth and establish a literal and unending kingdom of which he will be the head.
We must now address the question of how the church is to build upon the foundation that has been established. In other words, which teachings apart from the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God are to be emphasized in order to secure a doctrinal foundation in those who already believe in Christ?
Many churches today disagree about which teachings are essentials. In fact, some teachings which are identified as essential are not even emphasized in the New Testament. The doctrine of the Trinity, while certainly important in my opinion, is not essential considering the New Testament record of doctrinal emphases; yet it is regarded as such in many churches. Again, I am not saying it is unimportant, because I believe it is. But it is not listed among the foundational doctrines of Christ listed in Hebrews 6, and there little if any evidence that teaching about the triune nature of God was a major emphasis of the early church. I comment on this only to communicate that what church tradition has prioritized in the way of teaching, in many instances, is not the express priority of God as outlined in the Scriptures.
The First Principles of the Oracles of God
In Hebrews 6, the author outlines the foundational teachings of Christ:
1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Here we see that these teachings are the basis from which one may progress toward spiritual maturity. Believers who lack this foundation are not in a position to lead successful Christian lives.
The Sincere Milk of the Word
Jesus, quoting from Deuteronomy, said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4). By this he illustrated that God’s word is a source of spiritual sustenance, just like natural food is a source of physical sustenance. This same principle is emphasized in the epistles.
Just as there are stages of physical development, there are stages of spiritual development for believers. The stage of spiritual development one is in determines the proper diet he should partake of. Naturally speaking, infants need a steady diet of milk before they are capable of digesting solid food. The same is true for spiritual babies. Notice what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:
1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able.
Here Paul explained his responsibility to “feed” the Corinthians. He determined their spiritual condition and taught them accordingly.
In Hebrews 5, the chapter preceding the one where the foundational teachings are presented, the author indicates that this audience was maturing at a much slower rate than they should have been. Although they should have grown considerably more, they had not graduated beyond babyhood.
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
From this point, the author transitions into his statement about the foundational teachings of Christ in the very next verse in chapter 6, making it clear that the milk he was referring to were these basic doctrines. These are synonymous with the “first principles of the oracles of God” listed in Hebrews 5:12.
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