3926 — Leaving First Principles
By J. F.
First of all, we are taught that we should not always abide on mere fundamentals. We should leave the doctrines of the first principles, or in other words, the mere rudiments of Christianity. It does not mean that these first principles are not true, and that they should not be held with us all the while, but we should build upon them. A building that never gets beyond its foundation is neither beautiful nor valuable. We like to see erected on a good foundation a strong, beautiful superstructure, that will be a blessing to humanity and a beauty to the world; and so God wants us to go on,—not to lay again by going back into sin and selfishness and repentance from dead works. Let our faith develop character, let our baptism show what our life should be,—a new life in Christ Jesus. Let all these truths which we receive in the fundamentals help us to build for God, and thus will we do, if God permit, we are told. Then another class is mentioned. (See also answers on questions pertaining to Heb. 10:26-30.) There are some who are enlightened, who have tasted of the heavenly gift, who have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the age to come, and such fell away; but those who thus fall away, having this wonderful knowledge of the truth, we are told it is impossible to renew to repentance. Why?—They crucified to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame. The full meaning of the scripture is shown by the illustration that is used in verses 7 and 8. Here is land which is drinking in the rain continually, but instead of bearing that which is good, it brings forth thorns and thistles; and of course the more rain it drinks in, the more thorns and thistles it bears. So it is with a heart that continually rejects God's goodness until it is utterly filled with that which is evil. Consequently it is rejected. But on the other hand, if that land which drinks in the rain brings forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it was tilled, that receives blessing from God. The heart that is satisfied with its own selfishness until it can not see the difference between its own selfishness and God's demands, becomes hopeless at last. The Lord has no means of reaching it. The unforgivable sin is the unrepentable sin.