LET US PRESS ON TO SPIRITUAL MATURITY

The physical world often gives us clues about spiritual realities. For example, if we compare developed nations, like those in Europe, with less developed ones, like many in Africa, we can observe a clear difference. In developing countries, people spend most of their lives struggling to meet basic needs—such as food, shelter, and clothing. If someone is able to secure these, they are considered to have “made it” in life. This is why these nations are often labeled as “developing.”

In contrast, in developed nations, these basic needs are usually already taken care of, often from birth, because of the systems their governments have established. This freedom allows people to focus on other things, like research, technology, space exploration, and innovations that advance their societies. It is through these advancements that these nations are seen as powerful and progressive.

This pattern mirrors what we see in the spiritual realm. The Apostle Paul observed that many Christians were still spiritually immature, even after years of walking with God. They were still stuck on the foundational teachings of the faith. They hadn’t grown beyond basic principles. The spiritual life of these believers had plateaued; they kept hearing the same elementary teachings. But maturity requires progress. If they were struggling with the basics, how could they handle deeper truths?

Paul described these foundational teachings in Hebrews 6:1–2:

Repentance from dead works
Faith toward God
The doctrine of baptisms
The laying on of hands
Resurrection of the dead
Eternal judgment

These are the basics that many Christians hear constantly—in churches, Bible studies, and online. Yet, if we remain focused on just these and never grow, are we not still spiritual infants? Aren’t we still spiritually impoverished?

Theologians often refer to these teachings as “elementary doctrines,” the initial teachings that must be mastered before one can progress into deeper spiritual truths. Hebrews 5:11–14 highlights the difference between spiritual milk and solid food. Spiritual milk represents the fundamental teachings (like repentance and baptism), while solid food refers to the deeper, more mature understanding of God’s Word. Paul was frustrated that his audience could not handle solid food—meaning, they could not grasp deeper revelations of Christ because they were still clinging to the basics.

“Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
— Hebrews 5:11–14

Paul’s appeal in Hebrews 6:1–2 is a call to move beyond these elementary principles:

“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation…”
— Hebrews 6:1

The foundation is important, but it is not the end goal. The goal is to build the house, which means pressing on to spiritual maturity, to a more complete knowledge of Christ.

Paul even referred to Melchizedek—a mysterious figure from the Old Testament—to explain the depth of Jesus’ priesthood. Melchizedek had no recorded beginning or end, just as Christ, our eternal High Priest, has no end (Hebrews 7:1–3). These are deeper spiritual truths that Paul could not share with his audience because they were not yet ready for them.

There is so much more about Christ and God’s plan that we do not yet fully understand. As 1 Corinthians 2:9 says:

“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’”
— 1 Corinthians 2:9

The ultimate mystery will be revealed when the seventh angel sounds his trumpet, signaling the end of all things and the completion of God’s plan. Revelation 10:7 makes it clear that the fullness of God’s mystery will be revealed at that time:

“But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.”
— Revelation 10:7

Until that time, God is calling us to grow spiritually, to move beyond elementary teachings and pursue a deeper relationship with Him. As Ephesians 4:13 encourages:

“Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”
— Ephesians 4:13

Repentance and baptism are just the beginning. They are the foundation upon which we must build. But God desires that we grow, that we move toward spiritual maturity, learning the deeper truths of the faith. Solid food represents the deeper mysteries of God—truths about Christ’s eternal priesthood, His ongoing revelation, and His ultimate return.

If we grow beyond the basics, God will lead us into greater spiritual maturity. The goal is not to remain on the foundation, but to build a life that reflects the fullness of Christ.