Hermeneutics, Discernment, and Spiritual Maturity

Bryan Brock

Have you ever been in a conversation where someone stops mid-explanation to say, “Never mind, I don’t think you would understand”? How did that make you feel? If the person had been droning on about obscure Star Wars trivia, you might have felt relieved. But if the topic had been interesting to you, or perhaps one that you have some proficiency in, then you would likely have felt insulted.

What if the conversation had been about Jesus and the personal implications of His high priestly ministry? And what if the reason given for pausing the conversation had been that you were too spiritually immature to comprehend it?

Hebrews 5:11–6:12 provides this exact scenario. The author of Hebrews interrupts his own teaching to admonish his readers for spiritual immaturity and to call them to pursue maturity. What does this have to do with us? Certainly, many of us have been Christians for years or decades, have been educated in Christian colleges or seminaries, have heard countless biblical sermons, have read the Bible faithfully, and perhaps are even involved in ministry.