Tackling a Tough One (part 1)

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,  Hebrews 6:1  ESV

Elementary – What are we to make of this statement?  Is the author of Hebrews telling us that we need to move on from the simple ideas of Yeshua never to repeat a previously-laid foundation of “works” and “faith” toward God?  Does he mean that we should progress past Yeshua’s introductory thought as if it no longer has value for the mature believer?  Does he suggest that Yeshua’s simple doctrine of repentance must be put behind us as we grow?  And what does he mean by “repentance from dead works”?  Does that mean, as most Christians read it, that the “law” doesn’t count anymore; that the “law” is associated with “dead works”?

Answering these questions requires some serious study of the Greek text. Unfortunately, for most of us, that means the answers are hidden from view.  We have to rely on the expertise of others and that usually means we are subject to the bias and theological presuppositions of the experts.  So we must proceed carefully, constantly asking “Why does the translator say this?  What would this have meant to the first century reader, especially to the first century Jewish (Messianic or otherwise) reader (since the letter to the Hebrews presupposes an audience familiar with all kinds of Jewish thought and customs)?”

Let’s start with the idea of “the elementary doctrine of Christ.”  The author of Hebrews instructs us to “leave” this.  The Greek verb is aphiemi, “to send away, to go, to release, to give up, to let go.”  The noun almost always means “forgiveness,” where the idea is “to pardon.”  It is found throughout the gospels.  Forgiveness is a central theme of Yeshua’s message and while it may seem simple, it is hardly “elementary” in the sense that it can be later cast aside.  Without it, nothing else happens.  Since the author of the letter is exhorting his readers to become mature in their understanding and practice, his emphasis is not on abandoning prior teaching but rather on building upon it so that the believer does not get stuck in the first steps of the process.  It is noteworthy that aphiemi is not used in Hebrews for forgiveness, as it is in the gospels.  This means that we can’t understand the meaning of aphiemi until we resolve the question about what is “elementary doctrine?”

That expression is arches Christou logon.  But this presents a translation problem.  Literally it is “beginning Christ’s words.”  Does it mean “the words spoken by Christ” or does it mean “the spoken word about Christ”?  Furthermore, does it refer to those words spoken during His ministry on earth, or does it refer to the general teaching about the Messiah or does it refer to the eschatological Christ, the exalted King?  The ESV, NASB and NIV translation of arches as “elementary” could lead us to think that whatever this “doctrine” is, it is simple and suitable only for the less-informed, the simple.  But that places an artificial value on the meaning of the text.  The Greek word, arche, means “beginning, first, ancient, foundational.”  Procreation is the beginning of life on earth, but it isn’t “simple.”  It is foundational.  It is first.  But one would hardly argue that it is elementary in the sense that it is suitable only for simple people.  If that were the case, we would have no hesitation at all telling the youngest child how we came to be.  We must read this word, arches, as “basic, first, foundational,” not as “simple, that is, of no ultimate value.”

The ESV needlessly complicates the problem by translating Christou logon (the words of Christ or the words about Christ) as “doctrine.”  In our culture, “doctrine” carries the nuance of inflexible dogma, a final and complete statement of a Scriptural truth.  One does not leave doctrines behind.  To do so is tantamount to heresy.  But if we stick to the direct meaning of the expression Christou logon, then we have either “the words of Christ” or  “the words about Christ.”  Either choice shifts us away from the idea that we are to let go of a doctrine.  Now the focus must be on these words, not the theological propositions found in these words.

This should help us decide what the author means.  If his point is to move beyond the first words of Yeshua (or about Yeshua), then we see that he is not advocating abandoning the teaching in those words but rather building upon them.  In this sense, the foundation words of Yeshua bring us peace with God because they offer us true forgiveness.  But this is only the first step in our relationship.  We are not intended to stay there.  We are to “press on” (pheromentha – “to bear, i.e. to produce, to carry, to bring forth”) toward maturity.  Certainly we cannot bear fruit of righteousness by abandoning the words of Yeshua.  We must take those words as the foundation for further development.  We must bring forth what the words imply.  That is maturity, to move beyond the first step of repentance and forgiveness toward the full implementation of Yeshua’s calling.  Given the context of the previous chapter, this must be clear.  Remaining followers who claim nothing more than being forgiven is not the intention or the program of Yeshua.  We are called to more than that.  We can’t get going until we have taken that step, but to stay there is to defeat the entire purpose of forgiveness.

At this point, Hebrews leaves us with a crucial question:  are we resting in kindergarten?

But this, of course, is not the end of the story, as we shall see.

Topical Index:  elementary, arches, Hebrews 6:1, doctrine