Hebrews 5:11-6:3 "A Double-Barrel of Warning and a Boatload of Hope, Part 1"

Hebrews 5:11-6:3

"A Double-Barrel of Warning and a Boatload of Hope, Part 1"

This VERY challenging passage casts a clear a loud warning against those who fail to grow and develop in their faith.  In the context, this warning is about stopping at the point of Judaism.  The references to immature faith all point to shared teachings between Judaism and Christianity.  Don’t stay in that incomplete faith.  Enter the faith of Christ!  Otherwise, once having heard of Christ and turned away, back to Judaism, you will not find salvation. This message focuses only on the "First Barrel" directed at those in the room, the immature believer. Next time, we will focus on the other warning in vs 4-8.

1. 6:4-6 are often lifted out of context and used as proof-texts for a doctrine of apostasy.  
1. This is a sermon.  Context matters. Thoughts flow.
2. The phrase “You are a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” in 5:10 and again at the end of Ch 6 form parenthesis in the thought.  This whole section is one idea.
3. It begins with statements of their immaturity and inability to leave elementary doctrines shared by Christianity and Judaism,
4. Moves to warnings that such people, who have heard the truth of Christ but turned away from it, are not saved,
5. Then concludes with a long and strong encouragement to remain confident in the salvation that the believing Hebrews do have.
6. More space is given to the assurance of salvation in this passage than on the impossibility of a particular group to be saved, but we focus on the impossibility and forget about the context.
2. A statement about Systematizing theology:
1. Systems are good, because they allow you to quickly evaluate ideas against the system and judge them as valid or not.
2. Systems are good because they allow us to build consistent theologies by which to live our lives.  
3. Systems are dangerous when we come to a passage that seems not to fit.  We can’t decide before hand that the passage cannot mean what it clearly means.
4. We must not let the voice of the system be louder than the voice of the text.  
5. We must be okay with mystery.  
6. We must make room in our theologies for the carefully exposited meaning of every text.  
3. Note the pronouns in this passage.
1. Vs 11-1:  Us, we, you.  Clearly those in the room hearing the sermon.
2. 6:4-8: Those, they, a sense that these people are not in the room.
3. 6:9-20:  Us, we, you.  Back to inclusion.
4. Harder to see in English, but the verb tenses also change.  
1. 5:11-6:1 are mostly in the perfect tense.
2. 6:2-6:6 are all Aorist verbs
3. 6:9-6:20 are back to mostly perfect or present tenses.
5. There is a grammatical basis for setting the warning passage in 6:3-8 outside the present audience and in a different temporal sense.
6. C.f. Parable of the soils in Matt 13
1. Not every seed which springs up goes to maturity.  
2. Is the springing up salvation?  No.  
3. Salvation bears itself out into maturity and fruitfulness (Rom 8:30; eph 2:8-10)
4. Those who do not mature to fruitfulness are not saved (Jas 2:14-26; 1Jn 2:28-3:10)
5. Those who just hear and receive but then do not mature “die” in the parable.  Death is not eternal life.
7. 5:11-6:4 deals with immaturity in those who are attending church.  
8. 5:11 Immaturity limits what can be learned/Taught
1. The comparison of Jesus and Melchizedek is detailed and hard to comprehend, and the preacher isn’t sure that everyone will receive it.  
2. He does eventually get to it in Ch 7.
3. The audience has “become hard of hearing.”
1. Perfect tense.  A past event with ongoing consequences.
2. “Lazy of hearing.”
3. Difference between hearing and paying attention.
4. “He who has ears to hear”
9. 5:12 Immaturity limits what the body can do
1. It has been long enough that the audience ought to be mature, but they aren’t.
2. Arrested development.  Adolescence, but worse.
3. “Basic principles of the Oracles of God.”
1. These will be listed in 6:1-2.
2. Not “Christian” principles, but truths shared with Judaism and Christianity.
3. These Hebrew believers are still in the room (us, you, we), but are not passing through to the teachings of Christ.  These are curious Jews who are not maturing in Christ because they are still hanging on to the common ground.
10. 5:13:Immaturity limits what people understand the word to mean (from purpose of parables)
1. They need the basic teachings again and are “unskilled in the word of righteousness,”  the gospel.
2. They are spiritually children, unlearned, and not advancing.  
3. Milk and meat is a common Pauline analogy.  
11. 5:14
1. Solid food for the mature Teleion, Those who have reached the end.  
1. Even the young believer who puts their faith in christ is, in a sense, already mature (Rom 8:30; Col 1:3-6; 2:10) although it will still be worked out in time (Phil 1:6)
2. Men conduct experiments which may fail; God works out his declared plan, perfect and final from eternity past (Eph 1:11; 3:10-11)
3. Those who are sitting in church for years and are still not Christians are needing the gospel again and again.  Those who have embraced Christ in truth are in one day, ready for meat.
2. Conscience trained by constant use. The Holy Spirit constantly teaches us His will (John 16:8).  As we mature, we will learn His ways through the experience of His constant leadership as well as through His word.
12. Ch 6:1-4 The list of “elementary doctrines”
1. Not a list of explicitly Christian doctrines, shared doctrines with Judaism.
2. These “immature” believers are still Jews, but are interested in finding out about Jesus as Messiah or they are afraid of committing because of persecution at the time.
3. G: “The Beginnings of the Christ words”  
4. 3 sets of 2. Joined by “and.” No articles. The head of the list is “The Beginnings”
1. Repentance from dead works and faith toward God.
1. Works that lead to death (Ex 31:14, etc.)
2. Resting in faith (Gen 15:6; Hab 2:4)
2. Instructions about washings and the laying on of hands.
1. Washings, G: Baptismoi, plural, not Baptismos, sing.  In the NT Plural is always a reference to the OT Mikvah, not believer’s baptism.  Baptized once!
2. Laying on of hands for ordination (Lev 8) and Blessing (Gen 48:14; Lev 9)
3. The resurrection of the dead and judgment to come.
1. Resurrection: Job 19:25-26; Isa 26:19
2. Judgment to come: (Ex 34)
5. The problem is that these “baby” believers were still dabbling on the fence on the mid-ground and not committing to Jesus for real.

Hebrews 5:1-10. Jesus is Greater Than the Aaronic High Priest

Hebrews 5:1-10

Jesus is Superior to Aaron

This passage compares the priesthood of Aaron with that of Jesus with regard to fitness for service.  It begins by setting out the qualifications and then concludes by describing Jesus’ fitness for the office of High Priest and his superiority to Aaron’s.  Application is made to our confidence before God and the universal priesthood of believers.

1. The Ordination of the High Priest
1. Aaron: Chosen from among men (vs 1)  
1. Lev 8 for the process of ordination and his consecration from among men.
2. Ex 28 for the priestly garments
3. Ex 29:1-9 The dressing of the priests for their ordination
4. Psa 105:26 Aaron whom he had chosen.
2. Jesus: The only unique Son of God (vs 5; Ps 2:7), which together with his Humanity (ch 4) makes him fit.

3. Aaron: Appointed by Men to stand before God (vs 1)
1. Vs 4: God is behind the appointment process as men are chosen, but it is constrained by many things: Levite, Descendant of Aaron’s first son, Elected by the body of Priests
2. By the time of Jesus, the office of the High Priest was bought and sold as a political favor.  Josephus: some of the High Priests weren’t even member of the Levites.  1Macc7:9
3. When Jesus was tried, there were two men serving as High Priests, Caiaphas and Annas Lk 3:2

4. Jesus: Appointed by God to reveal himself to man (vs 5-6; Psa 110:4; John 8:54; vs 10)
4. The Job of a Priest is to intercede (vs 1):
1. Examples of intercession between people:
1. Gen 37:21, 26
2. Gen 44:33
3. 1 Sam 19:4
4. 1 Sam 25:24
5. Phlm 10
2. Priests can deal gently with the sins of men (vs 2) because they themselves are sinners
1. Words for overt transgressions are not used here.  “Wayward, ignorant, and weakness” correspond more to the idea of “unintentional sins.”
2. Compare Lev 1-8 with Numbers 15:30  This is going to become important later on.
3. The only recourse for premeditated sin is broken appeal to the mercy of God and repentance.  Psalm 51
3. Aaron was a sinner and needed to offer sacrifices to be heard (vs 3; Lev 4:3; 9:7; 16;6)

4. Jesus was heard because of his relationship to the Father (vs 5)
1. This has to do with Jesus’ sinlessness. 4:15
2. The “perfection” of Jesus that he achieved (vs 8-9) was not about moral perfection since he started as a sinless son.  
1. As has already be covered, Teteostai means to come to a final completion.  Jesus was always perfect, but his process, his experience, was completed in his passion.  Mission accomplished.
2. Luke 2:52.  Jesus matured, although always perfect.
5. Aaron interceded by his offering of gifts and sacrifices (vs 1)
1. The sacrificial system was a continual reminder of the price for sin (Lev 1-8).
2. The Priest bore the names of the sons of Israel over his heart while ministering (Ex 28:9-30)
6. Jesus WAS the sacrifice (vs 9).  His maturity, the completion of his mission, was His suffering.  
1. This act allowed him to become the source of salvation.  
2. Side note: His salvation is ETERNAL.  It is not fading.  It is not temporal. However, it is for those who believe.  Two truths!
7. Another aspect of intercession is prayer.  Not mentioned of the Aaronic priesthood, although it certainly happened.  
1. Examples of Intercessory Prayer:
1. Ex 32:32
2. Num 12:13
3. Num 14:7
4. Deut 9:22
5. 1 Sam 7:5
6. 1 Kings 13:6
7. 1 Chron 21:17
8. 2 Chron 30:18
2. Christ’s:
1. Lk 22:32
2. Lk 23:34
3. Jn 14:16
4. John 17:9
5. Rom 8:34
8. Heb 5:7
1. In the days of his flesh-- Not just in Gethsemane
2. Jesus prayed often (above, plus more!)
3. Supplications, Submissive request.  Part of having “good lips”
4. Loud cries and tears: “Mighty clamour.”  Gethsemane is the only time we are explicitly told that he was emotional in his prayers, but there is no reason to think that this was his only emotional prayer time!
5. “Him who was able to save Him from death.”  This also points to Gethsemane, but it also rightly just an aspect of God (1 Sam 2:6)
6. Jesus was “heard,” although God’s answer to him was not an immediate “yes.”  He was saved from corruption (Ps 16:16)
7. Heard because of “reverence”
1. Only used twice in NT.  Here and Heb 12:28.  ESV “reverence” is awkward, as is the KJV “Fear”
2. Eulabia: Eu= true, good. Labia= lips.  This is that he had “true lips.”  Jesus’ words about the Father were true.  He spoke with respect and reverence of the Father.
3. Jesus was not, like Isaiah, a “Man of unclean lips” Isa 6:5
4. If the foundation of Christ’s prayer life and the reason fo his prayers being heard is his speaking true things of God, his good theology, why would we expect that prayers based on anything else will ever be answered?
5. Jesus’ successful prayer life is now used on behalf of the church (Rom :34).
6. Not even Jesus was able to speak faith-filled words and have his will accomplished by the Father.  Where do word-of-faith people get off?

3. Application:  Christ is our high priest; we don’t need anyone else!
1. Every Levite was a “minister” before the Lord on behalf of the people.  They were servants in the temple and the tabernacle.  They assisted the Jews with their spiritual observances, but they were not intermediaries.  Num 8:5-22
2. Priests were a special class that stood between. We don’t need that any more:
1. Temple torn in two: Matt 27:51
2. We can come boldly! (4:16)
3. NT Pastors are ministers, preachers, and teachers, not priests!
4. Korah’s Rebellion  was about a Levite (Minister) trying to steal the priesthood.  Num 16
5. Saul and Uzziah
6. The concept of a Catholic priest is not biblical.
7. Today, some ministers try to stand between his people and God and make a priest out of himself.  This is an abomination!
8. Every believer can minister and be an assistant to someone’s walk with God (2pet 2:9) you cannot step in between them and God.