It is written that the Son of God learned obedience by the things which he suffered (Heb. 5. 8). It is part of human discipline under the hand of God that it should have to be so, but it is a fact hard to comprehend. The Hebrews to whom this message was written were far from maturity in faith, and were in need that someone should teach them again those things that formed the first principles of the oracles of God ; they needed the ‘milk of the word’, being “unskilled in the word of righteousness”, (or, “moral truth—Moffatt, “moral judgment”- others), which would enable them to digest the “strong meat”.
The milk of the word comprehended the first principles, which are defined as “repentance from dead works . . . faith towards God . . . doctrine of baptisms . . . laying on of hands . . . resurrection of the dead . . . eternal judgments” (chap. 6. 2).
Strong meat is for the mature, “who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
This contrast is informative, especially in the light of what is written in the following chapters. There is no difficulty in comprehending that the elementary doctrines of salvation should constitute the milk, but it is not so easy to comprehend that an advanced understanding of doctrine should not be designated by the writer to the Hebrews as strong meat, meaning by that phrase the word of righteousness the moral judgments which belong to “full age”, and it is not until the significance of the ethics of Jesus Christ as the complete way of salvation and the full intention of God are perceived that this fact appears in its true perspective.
Confirmation of this is to be found in the ensuing chapters, which carry a series of propositions in which the rituals and orders of the Mosaic institutions are used as a basis to illustrate the extraordinary superiority of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice over the “carnal ordinances” that had “waxed old and were ready to vanish away” before the overpowering glory of the great salvation out of sin, that had been achieved by the Lord.
The shadows of the Mosaic institutions are presentd as the basic instruction with which all Hebrews would be familiar. The substance which emerges from the shadows is Jesus Christ. But the proposition is not satisfied with showing that fact alone ; it goes further to establish a climax in which the moral regeneration of the believer in Christ is the objective and, at the same time, the means of his redemption. The climax in each instance is the “strong meat” instruction of the word of righteousness.
The proposition that Melchisedek was the blesser and tither of Abraham, who received the promises, finds a similitude in Christ who was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners…consecrated for evermore, who confirmed the new covenant under which the laws of God are to be written in heart and mind, when all shall know the Lord, and he will be merciful and remember their sins and iniquities no more (8. 11,12).
Then follows the proposition about the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice, as compared with animal sacrifices, in which the “purging of the conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (9. 13) replaces the ritual sanctification of the flesh. The climax here is that “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many ; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (9. 28) ; the “without sin” signifying that the purging which is effected by the operation of the “better covenant” based on “better promises” produces a “perfect” service (v. 9).
In animal sacrifices God found no pleasure. But in Jesus there was a “body prepared”, or, as in the Psalm from which it is quoted, “Mine ears hast thou opened”. By him the way was opened into the “holiest place”, so that all who believe might draw near in full assurance of faith. It is a “new and living way” provoking to “love and to good works” and the avoidance of “wilful sin”. (10.6-26) .
Following through the chapter on faith to chap. 12 we come to sundry ethical instructions, concerning :—upholding feeble hands, making straight paths, following peace, diligently avoiding any root of bitterness, purity, generosity, sanctity, good conscience, and so on at considerable length, concluding on the note of verse 28 : “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom that cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear”.
These features are not related simply to advanced doctrinal knowledge, nor to even the best of religious philosophy, but they must incorporate also the effect of the teaching of Christ upon the way of life of every believer. It would be useless to “have all knowledge and understand all mysteries”, unless the more excellent gift of charity out of a pure heart were the product of knowledge and practice (1 Car. 13). And so these climaxes are all designed to lead beyond the bare fundamental of knowledge concerning the revelation of God.
The import of all this impressive evidence from Hebrews is to emphasise the depth of character which is to be cultivated in the sincere imitation of Christ. It is essential that the milk of the word should be the base of all development, after which there should be experience in the handling of the word ; yet what really counts in the matter of salvation is the development of a state less of mind than of being. The development of this state is the Christ’s doing and is not of human ambition, lest it should be a state of self-righteousness. It is far from easy amid the problems of daily life to perceive clearly the pathway in which the example and precepts of Christ should lead, and it is only through long patience and wide experience of good and evil under the discipline of God that the choice of right can become an immediate and automatic action—and then the frailty of the flesh often intervenes. Paul describes this state of being as “Christ in you”, the rich indwelling of the mind of Christ to transform and regenerate.
A little reflection should convince that there is far more substance in the “strong meat” than can easily be digested.
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