Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 105

April 15;    Hebrews 5:12;    105/260(II);     ‘All Over Again’

Hebrews 5:12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!     NIV

Here is an erroneous assumption.  You are a mature Christian based on the amount of time you have been saved.  Maturity in the things of God do not come by the length of time you have been a Christian chronologically.  Maturity in the things of God comes from the amount of time you spend in Bible reading and study.  Your diligence in the Word of God builds a firm foundation in you for spiritual maturity.  The Lord Jesus told us in John 17:17 that the Word of God is truth.  He also tells us in John 8:31-32 that if we continue spending time in the Word of God, we are His disciples indeed and we shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free.  Freedom in life, as well as maturity comes from known truth.  God’s Word is truth.  If we do not take time to read the truth, the Word of God cannot make us free.  You cannot benefit from what you do not know.  Notice, the Lord Jesus tells us that if we continue in the Word we are His disciples and we will know the truth and be made free.  The Lord Jesus promised freedom to disciples, not converts.  The people in this verse that Paul is talking about, seem to be those who though they have been Born Again for a considerable period of time, they are not mature.  That means they have spent little time in God’s Word.  Based on how long they have been saved, they should be helping the church by teaching new Christians.  This was not the case.  It is like they are starting their walk with Jesus all over and need to be diligent and take seriously their commitment to the Bible.  They have to start with the basics they should have learned.  Let this not be said of us.