“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14, ESV)
Hebrews 5 talks about two types of believers that were ever present in the early church. One type of believer could only handle spiritual “milk”. This person was a spiritual infant. Like an infant needs its mother’s milk in order to survive and cannot really function on its own without it, an infantile Christian cannot seem to function on its own without a constant source of care and feeding and nurturing by those who are more mature in faith. Though an infant child will grow up to be an adult, some spiritual infants never grow beyond the stage of needing “milk”. They do not grow in the Spirit. They do not understand weightier matters of faith. They see their surroundings and faith practices from a child’s point of view, never growing up to lead others to Christ, to face spiritual battles, nor to grow closer to God. They rely on the faith of others instead of being an example to follow. The second type of believer moves past a spiritually infantile stage. They become faithful leaders and teachers and pastors and elders. They grow closer to God. Their faith withstands the tests of time. They have the kind of faith that overcomes obstacles and tests and challenges. These mature believers enjoy the “solid food” of the gospel. They do not need to be babied. They are ready to lead when obstacles arise or when called by God.
Today’s scripture goes one step further by not only restating that “solid food” is intended for the mature in faith, but it also states something very important about the character of these mature leaders. Mature Christians retain the ability to “have their powers of discernment trained … to distinguish good from evil”. Stated simply, whoever is mature in Christ will have the innate ability to distinguish what is good and right and holy from what is bad and wrong and evil.
If you watch closely the politics and policies of the world over time, you will notice that what is right and wrong changes with the powers that be and time and the situation. In some ancient societies, men having sex with religious women workers was seen as “normal”. In ancient Rome, sex with children was allowed for the powerful or the elite. Both were seen as wrongful in the churches of the day. One hundred years ago, most if not all politicians said that divorce was wrong and marriage was good for society. Now, there are many politicians who argue for divorce. Five hundred years ago, the death of a baby in the womb was seen as a terrible thing. Now, there are whole groups of people who believe abortion is a great thing. Just fifteen years ago, changing a person’s sex through the use of surgeries and drugs was seen as a signs of a psychological problem. Now, trans people are seen as heroes. They win swimming contests against women and are praised. They win beauty pageants and win awards for their heroic stands on trans rights. Ethics and morals and values often change with time. Right and wrong are constantly changing in the eyes of the world. It’s not that way with God’s laws. As Hebrews 13:8 states: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” As Jesus also stated, “not a dot will change from the law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17). With these words, our Bible proclaims that God’s law was meant for all times and seasons and peoples. And God’s law does not change.
Don’t you see? Throughout time, good and bad and right and wrong change for the world. As times and seasons change, it is crucial that the faithful hold onto God’s view of right and wrong. Baby Christians can be swayed to believe a lie. Their limited faith causes them to be susceptible to the temptations of the world. On the other hand, mature Christians can distinguish right from wrong in God’s eyes. Our scripture for today reaffirms this reality.
A number of years ago, I was approached by a man whose father had died two years before. Because the man asked for a counseling session, I assumed he wanted to work through some of his grief. However, our conversation didn’t go as expected. A few minutes after exchanging pleasantries, the man asked me “Could you do my wedding? I found someone I very much love and want to get married in the church.” I was very happy for him, until he told me who he desired to wed. He told me that his “bride to be” was his own stepmother. Over the next half hour, he explained to me how much he loved her and how they had so many things in common. I, on the other hand, ended up telling him that not only was this forbidden in the Bible (Leviticus 18:8), it would cause many problems in his family and in the church family. He was undeterred. He left very upset that I would not perform his wedding ceremony at the church. He put pressure on other members of the church to change my mind. He caused untold grief when he told his friends that “the pastor refused to do my wedding….how terrible is that?” His anger at my refusal to officiate at his wedding helped fuel anger against me in that church. I ended up leaving that church not many months later.
I could not in good conscience officiate at a wedding between a man and his stepmother. I think it was not right before God. When I prayed, I felt the Spirit telling me it was inappropriate. I would not back down. And I paid a big price for my beliefs. Some years later, the man’s sister told me that she was against the wedding as well. She and several family members had similar feelings about that situation.
I believe the truly faithful mature Christian knows right from wrong. He or she has a strong connection to God and desires to live a righteous life. That person is grounded in a deep understanding of God and the scriptures and can distinguish right from wrong. The scripture for today explains this important character of mature faith.
It must also be noted that even mature Christians can be deceived. Just as Adam and Eve were deceived by the serpent to go against God, and David was deceived in his lust for Bathsheba, anyone can fail to do what is right. The temptations of this world and the deceptions garnered by Satan can cloud the truth. Then, even a mature Christian can believe a lie.
How mature is your faith? How well are you able to determine God’s idea of right and wrong? Sin may cause you or other mature Christians to be deceived about what is right and wrong for a time. However, God’s morals and values and character do not change. God’s law clarifies right and wrong, good and evil, faithful from faithless. How close are you with God? Have you noticed the difference between your view of what is good and evil and the world’s opinions of good and evil? Do you find yourself frustrated or hurt by those who want to manipulate public opinion about what is good and evil to suit their own situation? If you truly are a mature Christian, you should see much more clearly how the world manipulates values and ethics and morality for deceptive purposes. It should serve as just another sign that the Holy Spirit is shaping your view of the world!
Today’s scripture goes one step further by not only restating that “solid food” is intended for the mature in faith, but it also states something very important about the character of these mature leaders. Mature Christians retain the ability to “have their powers of discernment trained … to distinguish good from evil”. Stated simply, whoever is mature in Christ will have the innate ability to distinguish what is good and right and holy from what is bad and wrong and evil.
If you watch closely the politics and policies of the world over time, you will notice that what is right and wrong changes with the powers that be and time and the situation. In some ancient societies, men having sex with religious women workers was seen as “normal”. In ancient Rome, sex with children was allowed for the powerful or the elite. Both were seen as wrongful in the churches of the day. One hundred years ago, most if not all politicians said that divorce was wrong and marriage was good for society. Now, there are many politicians who argue for divorce. Five hundred years ago, the death of a baby in the womb was seen as a terrible thing. Now, there are whole groups of people who believe abortion is a great thing. Just fifteen years ago, changing a person’s sex through the use of surgeries and drugs was seen as a signs of a psychological problem. Now, trans people are seen as heroes. They win swimming contests against women and are praised. They win beauty pageants and win awards for their heroic stands on trans rights. Ethics and morals and values often change with time. Right and wrong are constantly changing in the eyes of the world. It’s not that way with God’s laws. As Hebrews 13:8 states: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” As Jesus also stated, “not a dot will change from the law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17). With these words, our Bible proclaims that God’s law was meant for all times and seasons and peoples. And God’s law does not change.
Don’t you see? Throughout time, good and bad and right and wrong change for the world. As times and seasons change, it is crucial that the faithful hold onto God’s view of right and wrong. Baby Christians can be swayed to believe a lie. Their limited faith causes them to be susceptible to the temptations of the world. On the other hand, mature Christians can distinguish right from wrong in God’s eyes. Our scripture for today reaffirms this reality.
A number of years ago, I was approached by a man whose father had died two years before. Because the man asked for a counseling session, I assumed he wanted to work through some of his grief. However, our conversation didn’t go as expected. A few minutes after exchanging pleasantries, the man asked me “Could you do my wedding? I found someone I very much love and want to get married in the church.” I was very happy for him, until he told me who he desired to wed. He told me that his “bride to be” was his own stepmother. Over the next half hour, he explained to me how much he loved her and how they had so many things in common. I, on the other hand, ended up telling him that not only was this forbidden in the Bible (Leviticus 18:8), it would cause many problems in his family and in the church family. He was undeterred. He left very upset that I would not perform his wedding ceremony at the church. He put pressure on other members of the church to change my mind. He caused untold grief when he told his friends that “the pastor refused to do my wedding….how terrible is that?” His anger at my refusal to officiate at his wedding helped fuel anger against me in that church. I ended up leaving that church not many months later.
I could not in good conscience officiate at a wedding between a man and his stepmother. I think it was not right before God. When I prayed, I felt the Spirit telling me it was inappropriate. I would not back down. And I paid a big price for my beliefs. Some years later, the man’s sister told me that she was against the wedding as well. She and several family members had similar feelings about that situation.
I believe the truly faithful mature Christian knows right from wrong. He or she has a strong connection to God and desires to live a righteous life. That person is grounded in a deep understanding of God and the scriptures and can distinguish right from wrong. The scripture for today explains this important character of mature faith.
It must also be noted that even mature Christians can be deceived. Just as Adam and Eve were deceived by the serpent to go against God, and David was deceived in his lust for Bathsheba, anyone can fail to do what is right. The temptations of this world and the deceptions garnered by Satan can cloud the truth. Then, even a mature Christian can believe a lie.
How mature is your faith? How well are you able to determine God’s idea of right and wrong? Sin may cause you or other mature Christians to be deceived about what is right and wrong for a time. However, God’s morals and values and character do not change. God’s law clarifies right and wrong, good and evil, faithful from faithless. How close are you with God? Have you noticed the difference between your view of what is good and evil and the world’s opinions of good and evil? Do you find yourself frustrated or hurt by those who want to manipulate public opinion about what is good and evil to suit their own situation? If you truly are a mature Christian, you should see much more clearly how the world manipulates values and ethics and morality for deceptive purposes. It should serve as just another sign that the Holy Spirit is shaping your view of the world!