Hebrews 5:12, commentary and pictures

After sufficient time and opportunity believers ought to be teachers able to teach others the first principles of God's word. Instead those rebuked need to be taught again the first principles of the oracles of God and have become such as have need of milk and not strong meat. Milk is the rudiments, the very alphabet of Christian faith in its simplest form, while strong meat is experience in spiritual life, the mystery of godliness and the deeper revealings of salvation given as the church is able to bear. Remaining babes is their own fault for not receiving truth in faith, not advancing onward and upward in full consecration, and for keeping receiving instruction without passing it on to others. Growth into full maturity requires surrendering unreservedly and learning Christ's meekness, and taking in the Word and imparting it enlarges capacity until the senses are exercised to discern both good and evil.

Verse Setting and Rebuke

For the time they have had and the opportunity given them, believers ought to be teachers able to teach others the first principles of God's word. Ministers in particular ought after sufficient time to be teachers able to bring truth to minds so it can be grasped and practiced, and an able man anchored firm as a rock upon every point of present truth. Instead those addressed have need that one teach them again which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. Those who live on milk are unskilful and inexperienced in the word of righteousness as babes, lacking by use the exercised senses to discern both good and evil that mark those of full age.

The words were first spoken to Jewish converts who remained spiritually weak, slow to understand, and dull of hearing despite abundant advantages to increase in understanding of Christ, His work, and His power to save to the uttermost all who come to Him. Their spiritual weakness and lack of perception prevented plain utterance of the mystery of godliness which would otherwise have been a savor of life unto life. The same childish condition while grown to manhood and womanhood marks many today who favor their own ideas and plans over the Lord's plans of Christlike service, do not fully discern the value of Bible truth, and cannot bear the plain application and requirements of Scripture. Though they ought with the whole heart to offer themselves for God's work, they are hindrances and not a strength to the church.

The rebuke also applies to leaders and teachers at Battle Creek and many educated there who do not understand the real groundwork of faith and must be taught again the first principles of present truth. People educated in Battle Creek still needed to learn those first principles of present truth. People who lack understanding because they read Scripture mechanically and follow inherited religious forms without new understanding or changed heart need to be taught the first principles as those without gospel privileges.

Milk Meat and Discernment

Milk is the rudiments, the very alphabet, of Christian faith and doctrine presented in its simplest form, gentle beginning truth for those with no experimental knowledge of the way of salvation. Those who are carnal in mind are but babes in the knowledge of Christ, unable to discern sacred things because spiritual things must be spiritually discerned. The teacher must therefore sow the seed and leave those who follow to water it and carry the work forward, for true Christianity is a religion of progress ever giving light and blessing with still greater light and blessing in reserve to transform the carnal mind into harmony with spiritual things.

Strong meat is experience in spiritual life, the mystery of godliness, the sacred revealings of God, the mysteries of salvation, and spiritual light and knowledge given in due season as the church is able to bear. It is the deeper teaching of gospel truth which believers should learn as they mature, and the time spent studying how one mind can control another should instead be spent searching God's Word for the knowledge of true godliness that this meat imparts. Strong meat also means all the straight, weighty truths of God's way, which must be learned and endured and not merely tasted as milk.

The solemn, weighty truth is strong meat to those ignorant of it because it is so different in character and work from popular errors and from the errors preached from popular pulpits that when first brought before people it almost takes away their breath and senses and overwhelms them. It cannot be digested in large amounts, and minds cannot grasp so much at once, since some catch an idea quickly while others are slow to comprehend new and startling truths that involve great changes and present a cross at every step. It must therefore be dealt out discreetly and judiciously, point after point, only a few essential points spoken slowly, distinctly and with clear utterance at a time, with time to digest what is heard before another truth follows. Given this way the truth is fastened like a nail in a sure place and hearers will be eager to hear more instead of becoming weary and confused, whereas long discourses bringing much matter at once weary and confuse so that two thirds is lost.

Those who live on milk are unskilful and inexperienced in the word of righteousness, while those of full age have by use had their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. The rebuke falls on those who have had enough time and opportunity to become teachers and to become firmly grounded in faith, yet still need to be taught again the basic truths of God's word and remain like infants needing milk rather than solid food. They are called to keep growing and to exercise spiritual understanding so they can grasp deeper truths, and the warning applies especially to those who should know the foundational teaching of Christ and to men who take church responsibilities without being entrusted by God yet remain unable to receive deeper instruction. Some Bible truth is milk and some is strong meat, and hearers must be given only what they are prepared to receive. The teaching on the nonimmortality of the soul apart from Christ is such strong meat to unbelievers prejudiced against it, and thrusting it upon the unprepared by a combative, debating course increases prejudice, stirs opposition, confirms unbelief, loses the good impression a wise course might have made, and drives farther off souls that might have been won; workers should instead lay off combative armor, meet people where they are on common ground with the simple lessons of Christ, and win hearts first. Believers must not remain content with only milk but must move beyond being fed only the milk of the word and seek the meat that makes them strong in Christ.

First Principles Defined

The oracles of God are the Scriptures, God's own instruction given to be obeyed, containing glorious truths and privileges and duties many of His people do not yet suspect are in the Bible. The first principles of those oracles are the essential knowledge of salvation and true godliness, knowledge revealed from eternity that expresses God's mind and purpose. They are the knowledge of God as Creator and of Jesus Christ as Redeemer, and the righteousness that forms a character approved by God.

They are the gospel itself, Christ formed within as the hope of glory, with the urgent need to believe in Christ. They are also the present truths that called God's people out of the world and established them as a people, so that to reject the messages given for their time leaves one unsettled about the foundation of faith and hinders unity with those who accept the truth. They include the foundation principles of the love and fear of God, which must be learned before anyone is ready to teach others.

The oracles have been so manifestly neglected that few in the world have divine knowledge of them, even among those who profess to explain them to others. Learned men with college education who serve as shepherds and ought for the time to be teachers feeding the flock do not feed it, because they do not dig for the continually unfolding excellencies of Scripture as for hidden treasures like precious jewels. As followers go on in the path of humble obedience doing God's will, more and more of the oracles will be laid open before them, they will know more and more of them, and they will be established in right doctrines.

Causes of Remaining Babes

The fault for remaining babes lies with the believers themselves and not with their instructors, for they did not receive truth in faith and retain it, so memory is weak and they cannot hold the truths essential to character building. Despite time and opportunity and abundant advantages to increase in understanding of Christ, His work, and His power to save to the uttermost all who come to Him, they remained spiritually weak, slow to understand, and dull of hearing. This leaves them with an indistinct and confused view of Christ's power to save and transform His people.

They did not improve opportunity to learn more of themes of eternal interest, nor advance onward and upward. They did not thoroughly consecrate themselves from the first reception of truth by surrendering unreservedly, denying self, taking up the cross and following Christ, and learning His lessons in companionship with Him. Remaining a babe while claiming long standing comes from standing in one's own light and carrying oneself too independently to be advised or counseled. It is caused by remaining unwilling to learn, which unfits even those responsible for instruction to teach faithfully.

Position, extensive book learning, college education, or claim to special knowledge and experience does not make one mature. One may gain all that books can give and yet remain ignorant of the first principles of righteousness that form a character approved by God. One may think to have special knowledge of God and claim experience, yet remain almost a stranger to the first principles of truth and still have much to learn. Even a teacher may need to be taught again the basics of true Christian experience and divine life.

Keeping on receiving instruction without passing it on leaves experience never advanced beyond the ABC of divine things. True Christians take in instruction from the Word and impart it to others, and doing so enlarges capacity to receive and supports growth beyond milk to meat. Continual preaching to established churches without leading them to serve and help others makes them weak and helpless, needing milk and not strong meat. Hovering over churches in this way keeps members as consumers and not producers.

Taking the responsibilities of the church without being entrusted by God leaves men unskilful in the word of righteousness as babes who can take only milk and not strong meat, because they have not by use had their senses exercised to discern both good and evil as those of full age have. Taking the place of teachers while needing instruction themselves, such persons spread unbelief by confusing others with sophistries and falsehoods and leading them onto wrong paths. Ministers who promote fanciful, imaginary ideas without foundation in Scripture show the same need to return to the first principles of Christ's teaching and learn from experienced believers.

Growth Into Full Maturity

Christian growth means moving beyond infancy in understanding and in knowledge gained through experience of the Spirit, developing the character that will hear Well done.
Full consecration from the first reception of truth — unreserved surrender, self-denial, taking up the cross, following in companionship and learning lessons — makes wholehearted Christians who believe and practice the Word, are continually enlightened, and stand fully on one side.
Growth requires becoming firmly grounded in faith, learning meekness and lowliness, accepting training and discipline, putting the light given into practical use including in home life, and exercising spiritual understanding to grasp deeper truths and discern good from evil.

Taking in instruction from the Word and imparting it to others enlarges capacity to receive, while merely receiving without passing it on leaves experience never advanced beyond the ABC of divine things as babes needing milk instead of meat.
Missionary work at home, in the neighborhood, and in the church helps young converts grow beyond that stage.

Souls only a month or two old in the truth, once convinced and willing, must move very fast from gentle beginning truth to all the straight weighty truths of the way, learning in a few months what others learned over years.
The haste is because the time of trouble such as never was is about to come and they must be able to endure every straight truth and stand in the day of battle.
When received, truth works like leaven to purify the heart and purge the passions of the natural heart.
Talking of feeding souls months in the truth upon milk is a disgrace showing ignorance of the Spirit's leading and failure to see the time, and those weeks and months in the church who cannot learn the straightness of the way and hear all straight truth were held to be better cut off from Israel.

Recent converts and souls newly come to the faith are babes in Christ and in the truth who need timely, simple spiritual nourishment suited to their growth and not advanced teaching.
Being entrusted with their care requires showing the power of grace in character at home and wisdom in the church, and failure at home means failure in wisdom in the church and disqualification from that care.

Teaching Suited to Capacity

Ministers are not to give the strongest teaching to spiritual beginners, but are to teach truth gradually and with care according to what people are prepared to receive, giving beginners simple nourishment rather than advanced teaching. Those who need the basic teachings of Christianity must be taught those first principles step by step before further instruction, and the Sabbath is not to be introduced until learners know the first principles of the religion of Jesus Christ. Because the solemn, weighty truth is strong meat to those ignorant of it, so different from popular errors that when first brought before people it almost takes away breath and senses, it must be dealt out discreetly and judiciously, point after point, with only a few essential points spoken slowly, distinctly, and with clear utterance at a time, allowing time to digest what is heard before another truth follows.

The preacher must carry the understanding and sympathies of the people with him, must not place the crib too high for slow minds nor soar too high for them to follow, and must stop when no more can be comprehended and profited by at once, since some catch an idea quickly while others are slow to comprehend new and startling truths that involve great changes and present a cross at every step. Long discourses that bring much matter at once weary and confuse hearers so that two thirds is lost, while truth given point by point is fastened like a nail in a sure place, sustains interest, fixes each point firmly, and leaves hearers eager to hear more. Workers are to meet people where they are on common ground with the simple lessons of Christ, laying off combative armor and debating spirit and winning hearts first, for thrusting disputed strong meat upon the unprepared increases prejudice, stirs opposition, confirms unbelief, loses the good impression a wise course might have made, and drives farther off souls that might have been won.

Strong meat of this kind includes the teaching on the nonimmortality of the soul apart from Christ when unbelievers are prejudiced against it, since some Bible truth is milk and some is strong meat and hearers must be given only what they are prepared to receive. Instruction must at the same time present truth as it is in Jesus fully and without mixing in personal ideas, traditions, or suppositions that obscure God's precepts.

Charge to Ministers Teachers

After sufficient time ministers ought to be teachers able to bring truth to the mind of the people in a way that can be grasped and practiced, and the rebuke is against remaining as babes who must be taught again the first principles and can receive only milk and not solid food. Every laborer supported as a minister must feel the burden of his work and seek more effective methods of teaching, and to all who desire and seek to improve, methods that make ministry bear more fruit will be revealed, so that this rebuke will not have to be spoken against them. Ministers who for the time ought to be teachers but still have need to be taught again the first principles of the oracles of God are not qualified to minister unless they take heed to themselves and learn them. There are first principles to be comprehended and learned, and those who have learned these first principles will seek diligently to understand the precious mysteries of the gospel.

Unconverted ministers and elders supported from the Lord's treasury ought to be teachers but still need to be taught again the first principles of the gospel, which mean Christ formed within, the hope of glory. Their lack of spirituality disqualifies them from paid gospel work, and when they truly believe in Christ it will be seen in faith that works by love and purifies the soul. A person's position or learning does not ensure understanding of the first principles of divine life, and even a teacher may need to be taught the basics of true Christian experience. Teachers must keep learning, submit to God's discipline, let Christ's grace subdue their hearts, and renounce worldly habits and ideas that conflict with God's mind.

Continual preaching to established churches does not strengthen members but makes them weak and helpless, needing milk and not strong meat. Hovering over churches keeps members as consumers and not producers, while the call is to leave the ninety and nine and hunt for the lost sheep. Church members who by this time ought to be strong are backsliding and in peril because they are famishing for wholesome gospel truth and are dying for the nourishing meat of the Word. That meat is pure provender thoroughly winnowed that teaches how to become Christians and feeds the spiritual and devotional life of the church, and time, labor, and money spent on minute mechanical instruction in how to do tract and missionary work at the neglect of that feeding deprives them of the help they should have.

Practice in Daily Life

Hebrews 5:12 warns against letting spiritual infancy continue when time and opportunity should have made believers teachers, for those who still need milk instead of solid food must learn meekness and lowliness, accept training and discipline, and put the light given them into practical use, including in home life. The same warning shows that without full surrender and obedience, those with ample opportunity can remain unable to bear plain application of truth, failing to value it, to remember first principles of Christlike service, and to be a strength rather than a hindrance to the church. Growth therefore means favoring the Lord's plans over one's own and advancing in Christian experience instead of remaining children in spiritual things.

The oracles of God are God's instruction, and children are to be disciplined, educated, and trained to obey it, with faithfulness to that instruction preparing them for a place in the home above. Souls newly come to the faith are babes who need simple spiritual nourishment rather than advanced teaching, and being entrusted with their care requires showing the power of Christ's grace in character at home and wisdom in the church. Failure to show that grace at home is failure to show wisdom in the church and disqualifies from caring for these new believers.

The first principles of the oracles are the knowledge of God the Creator and Jesus Christ the Redeemer and the righteousness that gives a character approved of God, and true education in them renews the mind and transforms the character. That education strengthens and fortifies the mind against deception, enables understanding of God's voice, and fits the learner to work with Christ. Youth who gain this knowledge can gain all else that is essential, while gathering all that books can give without it leaves one ignorant of those first principles. Those entrusted with God's teachings are to adorn the doctrine they profess through well-ordered lives and godly conduct, setting aside self-seeking so that Christ's character may be formed in them and they may grow into Christ their living Head. Time spent studying how one mind can control another should instead be spent searching God's Word for the knowledge of true godliness, which belongs to the deeper teaching of gospel truth learned as believers mature.