The call of Hebrews is not a gentle suggestion to grow up, but an urgent summons: leave behind the elementary, move forward into the fullness of Christ. This is not a matter of spiritual curiosity or optional enrichment—it is the difference between standing in your inheritance and forfeiting it through spiritual regression. The warning is clear: to cling to the Law of Moses or religious legalism is to neglect the great salvation provided in Christ, with consequences as dire as the judgment that befell Jerusalem for rejecting Him.
From Milk to Meat: The Demand for Maturity
The “milk” of the Word—those foundational doctrines of repentance, faith, and dead works—was never meant to be a permanent diet. Milk is for infants, for those who are still tossed about by doubts regarding their standing before God, who wonder if their failures have disqualified them, who anxiously try to perfect themselves by the obsolete Law. But God calls us to move on to “meat": the solid food of Christ’s high priesthood, His finished work, and our secure position in Him.
To remain on milk is not harmless. It is to risk spiritual backsliding, to be vulnerable to deception, and to forfeit the assurance and discernment that come only through embracing Christ’s sufficiency. The one who refuses to move on is not just immature—they are in danger of drifting away, of being swept back into the shadows of religious systems that Christ has rendered obsolete.
Christ’s High Priesthood: The End of Legalism
The Book of Hebrews sets Christ before us as the merciful and faithful High Priest, appointed by God—not as a distant judge, but as the One who has entered the holiest place for us. He identifies with our weaknesses, having been tempted in every way, yet without sin. He is our mediator, not only securing our forgiveness but granting us bold access to the Father.
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” (Hebrews 4:14)
To revert to the Law of Moses, or to any form of religious legalism, is to declare Christ’s work insufficient. It is to exchange the reality for the shadow, to abandon the living way for a dead system that never perfected anyone. The Law is now unprofitable for righteousness; Christ alone is our access, our righteousness, our rest.
If you accept the error that the Law or your own works can supplement Christ, you lose everything: justification, inheritance, sonship. You place yourself under a ministry of accusation, not reconciliation. You forfeit the boldness to enter God’s presence and the cleansing of conscience that only Christ’s blood provides.
The Necessity of Discernment and Holding Fast
The enemy does not tempt believers with obvious evil, but with religious substitutes—doctrines of demons masquerading as piety. The Hebrews were not drawn back to paganism, but to the Law, to a system God Himself had rendered obsolete. The result is always the same: confusion, accusation, and a loss of spiritual confidence.
God’s discipline is not punitive wrath, but loving correction. He disciplines us so that we might share in His holiness—not by returning to works, but by learning to rest in Christ’s sufficiency. Those who internalize the Word, who exercise their senses to discern good from evil, are equipped to withstand every accusation and deception.
“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)
Union with Christ: The End of Shame and the Beginning of Inheritance
The answer to accusation, shame, and spiritual defeat is not self-effort, but union with Christ in His death and resurrection. To confess Jesus as Lord is to declare the end of your old life and the beginning of a new creation. You are not striving for blessing—you are already blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). You do not labor for holiness—you have been sanctified by His blood.
The mature believer is not one who has mastered religious technique, but one who stands confidently in the finished work of Christ. This is the “meat” of the Word: Christ as your High Priest, your righteousness, your life. Anything less is a return to bondage.
What Is Lost If You Refuse to Move On
If you cling to the Law or to your own performance, you lose the very heart of the gospel. You lose the assurance of sonship, the enjoyment of your inheritance, and the cleansing of your conscience. You become susceptible to every wind of doctrine, every accusation, every spiritual attack. You forfeit the boldness to approach God and the rest that comes from knowing your salvation is secure. This is not a secondary issue—it is salvific.
The Only Way Forward: Christ Alone
The call is clear: reject the shadows, embrace the substance. Refuse the legalism that nullifies grace. Stand in the doctrine of Christ, discerning truth from error, and let your heart be established by grace, not by works. Let us move on to perfection—not by our own strength, but by resting in the One who is both the author and finisher of our faith.
Let us not be those who shrink back, but those who press on to maturity, holding fast to the confession of our hope without wavering. The feast is set before us—let us leave the milk behind and partake of the meat, for Christ Himself is our portion, our priest, and our perfection.
