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. And this will we do, if God permit. (Hebrews 6:1-3 AV)
1. The Foundation of Jesus Christ must be laid first. This foundation consists of receiving knowledge and understanding of six things according to Hebrews 6:1-3:
(1) Sin
(2) Faith
(3) Water Baptism
(4) Holy Spirit
(5) Resurrection
(6) Judgment
2. Once the foundation of the doctrine of Christ is laid, a student must go on to learning new things of the LORD GOD according to His Grace and Will. No student can grow to perfection, by repeatedly learning the six principles of the doctrine of Christ.
Focusing over and over and over on the six things contained within the Foundation of Jesus Christ, prevents a Christian from growing to the place that the LORD God Wills.
Many Christians become so focused on these six things, that their spiritual growth stops at that very place. I am sure you all have witnessed, and maybe even experienced this same problem:
(1) Sin Focus – When a Christian keeps dwelling on the sins of themselves and the sins of others. Usually this results in condemnation, exclusion, focus on sin, or backsliding.
(2) Faith Focus – When a Christian has a spiritual focus on his faith as an excuse to avoid the study of God’s Word. This results in a Christian that is ineffective at evangelism, makes him susceptible to becoming confused and tricked into cults and being led by false
teachers, and confuses young Christians with loose interpretations based on feelings rather than the Word of God.
(3) Water Baptism Focus – When a Christian focuses over and over on water baptism, they lose the big picture of God’s Grace that allows salvation of a sinner. This results in a Christian leading many astray by bringing people to the waters for redemption and making them feel that their act protected them from damnation. In the midst of it all, the message of free and undeserved gift of the LORD God to give us salvation through His Grace is lost, which eventually leads to confusion among Christians between the differences of faith and works.
(4) Holy Spirit Focus – When a Christian focuses on the feelings of love, joy, peace, strength and all of the other emotions felt when the Holy Spirit is moving, and rejects the day to day walk with Christ in faith. This results in a spiritual being that relies on emotion and feelings, rather than then faithful belief in Jesus Christ and the study of Word of God.
(5) Resurrection Focus – When a Christian focuses on his resurrection to heaven. This results in a Christian that becomes so caught up with his future reward, that he forgets to accomplish the Works that the LORD God has for Him to do while he is alive.
(6) Judgment Focus – When a Christian focuses excessively on the coming Judgment by Jesus Christ and the approaching Last Days. This results in apathy, fear, exclusion, separation, self focus, and a loss of credibility.
Most faithful Christians can barely wait for the Last Days to be completed, and a New World governed by our Lord Jesus Christ to be established. It’s an exciting time to be alive. But there is so much work for the LORD God to do and so few workers to do it. A Christian doing the works of God doesn’t have time to focus on the ever afters right now!
Let’s move on into perfection! When we have established our beliefs and our spiritual beings on the Foundation of Jesus Christ, then lets get going on learning the new and wonderful revelations that the LORD God Wills for us to know. Let’s stop this focus on the things we know well about our faith, and push that envelope to a place where we can become PERFECT for our King and our God!
