Sealing The Threat Of Apostasy

SEALING the THREAT of APOSTASY—Hebrews 6:1-12

Attention:

Need:

How can someone preach or teach the word of God year after year & then walk away from it forever? If ‘once saved always saved’ is true, then how can that be?

Can I be lost forever?

Can I be saved forever?

The writer to the Hebrews was not satisfied with apostasy’s threat to his audience. & thus tried to circumvent that threat.

The threat of apostasy is unacceptable & preventable.

We may have unwittingly placed ourselves under the threat of apostasy.

What seals the threat of apostasy?

3 factors sealing the threat of apostasy.

1—A factor sealing the threat of apostasy is...

A FOUNDATIONAL STASIS(:1-3)

Explanation:(:1-3)Stagnant

:1—“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, ....”

Due to the above argument dealing with the products of spiritual maturity, let’s be mature & “leave”(standing) the elementary teaching about the Christ.

This teaching is not an impersonal non-experiential relationship with “the Christ” as if only thru a description...as if only understood superficially thru history or record.

We are called to “press on”—make an effort/work/earnestly attempt.

Maturity must include an earnest effort on the part of the one in need of maturity. Maturity is relative to the one involved—But it is expected of all!

Spiritual Maturity is the goal of saving faith.

Examples of foundational/building blocks of salvation follow...

Mature Christians never have occasion for laying these foundational stones again. They must lay them & build upon them. It is the reason that they are laid in the first place....to hold a structure quite different from the foundation. One must admit their sinfulness, believe on Christ & commit themselves to His work in them.

“Leaving”—afihmi—1) To send away; 2) To permit, allow, not to hinder, to give up a thing to a person;3) To leave, go way from one. Strong— To send forth, in various applications (as follow):-- Cry, forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave, let (alone, be, go, have), omit, put (send) away, remit, suffer, yield up.

“Discussion/Doctrine/Teaching(s)”—logov—Strong—Something said (including the thought); by implication A topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension, A computation; specifically (with the article in John) the Divine Expression (i.e. Christ):-- Account, cause, communication, X concerning, doctrine, fame, X have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say(-ing), shew, X speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work.

“Elementary principles/Principles”—arch—1) Beginning, origin; 2) The person or thing that commences, the first person or thing in a series, the leader; 3) That by which anything begins to be, the origin, the active cause;4) The extremity of a thing—4a) Of the corners of a sail; 5) The first place, principality, rule, magistracy. Strong—(properly abstract) A commencement, or(concretely) Chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank):-- Beginning, corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule.

“Go on/Press on/”—ferw—1) To carry; 2) To bear, i.e. endure, to endure the rigor of a thing, to bear patiently one's conduct, or spare one (abstain from punishing or destroying); 3) To bring, bring to, bring forward.

“Perfection/Maturity”—teleiothv—N.—1) Perfection—1a) The state of the more intelligent, 1b) Moral & spiritual perfection. From —teleiov—Adj.—Strong—Complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental & moral character, etc.); neuter Completeness:-- Of full age, man, perfect.

:1“....not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works & of faith toward God,”

:2—“of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, & of eternal judgment.”

A spiritual foundation is already laid for the Christian.

These go hand-in-hand. A person who truly turns away from or forsakes “dead works,” will of necessity place their faith in God rather than in their own ability to follow religious prescription.

Examples of foundational/building blocks of salvation follow...

They are...

1) “Repentance”—“from dead works”(mechanical sacrifice)

Mic. 6:6-8—“With what shall I come before the LORD, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Hos. 6:6—“For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”

Titus 2—“who[Jesus] gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed & purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

Eph. 2:10—“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”