You have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someoneto teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk,not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word ofrighteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers ofdiscernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Heb 5:11-14

The author rebukes the Hebrews for being dull of hearingregarding things about Jesus. They have been Christians long enough that theyshould be able to teach, but they need to be taught the basics. Because they arestill having problems paying attention to the gospel, they are in danger of driftingaway.

This is the state of most people in the US who call themselvesChristians. They know just enough to understand that salvation is in Jesus.But, they don’t have enough understanding about the gospel to realize that thatthe gospel pertains to every aspect of their lives. It is about how to liveholy lives, to overcome temptations, how to treat others, how to be more likeJesus and less like the world around them.

Why are they in this “barely saved” condition. The end ofthe paragraph is the reason. They have not become mature in their faith becausethey don’t have discernment. Discernment can only come by constant practice identifyinggood from evil. In other words, they have not been consistently studying theirBibles, the whole Bible, not just favorite passages or books. If they arereading, they are cherry picking the verses that tell them what they want tohear. They listen to preachers who tickle their ears with what they want tohear. They don’t check what their teachers are telling them against the Bible. Ifthey are saved, the remain baby Christians feeding only on milk and not solidfood.

Lord, help me to be consistent in my Bible study. To becomemature and live a life that brings glory to you.

Copyright by Ray Ruppert