Hebrews 6:1 instructs us: “Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God …”.

There seems to be, unfortunately, a kind of apathetic contentment among many of the people of God — and even among many of His ministers who are leading them — which breeds a satisfaction with a basic level of understanding of the faith: what Hebrews calls here “the elementary teaching about the Christ.” Anything further is dismissed as “for the theologians” and not “normal” Christians like them. But the writer of Hebrews says we are not to be content with a “primary school” level of Christianity. He adjures: “Let us press on to maturity.”

For many of us as individual Christians, this means that we should stop being content with an “elementary school” level understanding of theology. “Christianity 101” has its place — but we shouldn’t be content to stop there!

For those of us in ministry — pastors and teachers — it is time to reverse a generations-old trend of “dumbing down” our preaching and teaching. The people we teach can and will handle more than what we have been giving them. In fact, the best of them are waiting for a challenge! Ephesians 4:13 says that the goal of our pastoring and teaching is not to have a church full of spiritual babes, but of mature men who measure up to the stature of the fullness of Christ!

So let’s heed the words of Hebrews: it’s time to leave the elementary teaching about Christ — and press on to maturity!