Hebrews 5:11, 14 NIV
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Jesus is a high priest who knows our weaknesses. As any good High Priest, he did not seek the glory of the position, but was appointed to it by His Father. He personally experienced the pain and struggle of obedience. He knows our frailty.
The problem lies not with our high priest, but with ourselves. Failing to practice distinguishing between good and evil, we have lost the ability to understand God's word and God's ways. We have settled for either legalism that never has to actually discern, only blindly stay in the box defined by whatever law we're taught, or by licentiousness that justifies bad behavior and excuses sin.
What is interesting is that both groups pride themselves in their position. Legalism revels in the thought that they are obeying God, without giving any thought to whether God actually set the standards they passionately defend. Licentiousness revels arrogantly in their "freedom," assuming that God, in his grace, approves of whatever they decide to do. Somewhere in the middle is a living, active relationship with God that has learned to rest in Christ, listen to him, and discern by his leading what is actually good or evil.
Because we have failed to practice discernment, we have lost our ability to understand God's word and God's ways. How many of our churches are filled with people satisfied with milk, unable to appreciate, or even accept the meat of God's word? How many of us in that condition actually believe we are eating meat? Father, forgive me for my own hard heart. Strip away the arrogance of my own ignorance and give me a heart capable of meat.
By His grace,
Rick Weinert
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