Image for a moment you went to pick up your child from their first grade classroom. You are surprised to see a 30 year of man sitting in one of the small chairs with a pencil and note pad writing the ABC’s. You quietly ask the teacher why this man is there. She replies, “Oh! He’s been here for the past 24 years. He won’t go to the second grade because he’s comfortable just writing the ABC’s.”
I’m sure you’re thinking what a ridiculous story. I agree; it is. But imagine again that when you go to church Sunday morning everyone is wearing a sticky label stating what spiritual grade they are in. You are surprised to see people who have been Christians for many years, but their label states they are in the 1st grade. Sadly, this story is all too often the reality.
The writer of the Book of Hebrews says, For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of God’s revelation. You need milk, not solid food (Hebrews 5:12 HCSB). The word used here for basic principles could literally be translated, ABC’s. The author then admonishes them; Therefore, leaving the elementary message about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity . . . (Hebrews 6:1 HCSB). In order words, they needed to move beyond the spiritual ABC’s and go to the 2nd grade, 3rd grade, etc. until they graduate.
When I first began teaching, I developed a seminar designed to train mature believers to disciple new converts. It covered the basic elements which new converts, with no Biblical background, needed to know. I taught this in several churches and what I discovered totally surprised me. A number of the people had been Christians for decades, but would come after the sessions and tell me that they had never been taught these ABC’s. It was all new to them. I thought, “No wonder God’s people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge!”
ABC’s don’t actually teach us anything about life, or history, or literature, or science. The ABC’s merely provides the tools to understand words and thoughts that allow the student to begin studying. The elementary principles of God equips new Christians to begin a lifelong journey of learning about God from scripture. My grandson came in this morning happy he was out of school for the summer. He’s going into the 6th grade, but wishes it was the 12th grade. However, there is not a means of quick learning. It is a process. Christianity is also a process of learning. We only graduate when we depart this life – in other words, when we die.
The New Testament repeatedly tells us to grow in the knowledge of God. This knowledge trains us to distinguish between good and evil. Note some other things the knowledge of God does for us— shows us the hope of His calling; our grace and peace will be multiplied; will know the spirit of deception; will know that we have eternal life; and the list keeps going far beyond the scope of this Sustaining Word.
Jesus warned that in the last days that we must guard ourselves against deception. It’s easy to deceive a first grader. The LORD doesn’t intend for us to stay in the spiritual first grade. He wants us to grow into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.
About a year after I completed my doctorate, I was spiritually miserable. The Holy Spirit showed me that I had stopped growing in my knowledge of Him. I thought I had finished school, but realized the schooling I’d just completed had only prepared me to begin learning. I haven’t been miserable since then.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you your spiritual grade level. Are you still in the 1st grade? If you’re a new believer, that’s okay. But if you’ve been a Christian for some time, and are still practicing your ABC’, it’s time to go to the second grade and third grade until you get to God’s college. There are wonderful things to learn in His Word.
Sustaining Word for the Week: Move on to the next grade even if you’re in graduate school. Don’t stop until you graduate into eternity.