Hard Lessons

Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you 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. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:11-14 KJV)

The letter to the Hebrews has just as much application for Christians today as when it was written to Christians of Jewish background. There  are times when it is necessary to remind us of the “first principles of the oracles of God” when we should be sufficiently well-versed that we should be teaching them.

Instead, we have leaders of churches who do not teach from Isaiah:

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:20-21 KJV)

They ignore the same message in the New Testament:

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (Romans 1:25-27 KJV)

God allows them to make these choices and they live with the consequences:

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; (Romans 1:28 KJV)

The word translated ‘reprobate’ (ἀδόκιμος - adokimos) is shown in Strong’s as: unapproved, rejected; by implication worthless, castaway. Not something we’d want. God allows this to occur, just as evil has existed from this world’s creation. Because it exists, should we embrace it?  Or, should we seek God’s will?