Lake Geneva Bible Conference 1984-04 Hebrews 6:1 — William MacDonald

Depend on dear Milton Schrader always to say the gracious thing I've known him for years and it's always been like that. I think I better learn something from him. Before we go to today's passage, I'd like to just add a little postscript to last night.

The Meaning of “Preached to the Spirits in Prison”

We were really pressed for time and several questions have been raised about that expression in first Peter three. He went and preached to the spirit in prison. I mentioned that I believe that that refers to the Lord Jesus preaching through Noah to the men of Noah's day who rejected the message and are now in prison.

However, there is the other view known as the compartment theory. That's good. I call that one a theory. I never use that word theory of my own. But there is this compartment theory that at the time of the Lord Jesus death, she all or Hades was divided into two compartments, the saved and the unsaved, and that at the time of his death, the Lord Jesus went to she all and emptied the saved compartment and took those people home to heaven.

I believe that in the Old Testament, the things went directly to heaven, not to show. Well, it raises a question, because in Ephesians chapter four, there is an extra two expressions there that are used in connection with the compartment theory, and I'll just read them to you.

Ephesians chapter four, verse eight. Says when he wherefore he says when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. That expression led captivity captive is used to explain Jesus going down into she all and taking home the redeemed with him to heaven.

Verse nine. Now that he ascended, what is it, but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth. That verse is also used to picture the Lord Jesus going down into that compartment in she all and questions have been asked about those two expressions.

He led captivity captive and he descended into the lower parts of the earth. With regard to the expression, he led captivity captive. Turn back to Judges chapter five and verse twelve Judges chapter five and verse twelve.

This is the song of Deborah, one of the most majestic poems in the whole Old Testament. It says in verse twelve, awake, awake, Deborah, awake, awake, utter a song, arise Barak and lead by captivity captive, thou son of Abba, Noah.

Now when it says lead by captivity captive, it's not talking about leading your friends captive but leading your enemies captive. This is the other use of that expression in the Bible lead by captivity captive.

And so what I believe it's saying in Ephesians chapter four is that the Lord Jesus in his glorious ascension led captivity captive. It was a glorious triumph over his enemies, not in connection with his friends.

“The Lower Parts of the Earth” and the Incarnation

With regard to the expression, he descended into the lower parts of the earth. I'd also like you to turn back to Psalm 139. In Psalm 139, David is describing his birth and actually he's describing his formation in his mother's womb.

And beginning in verse 13 of Psalm 139, it says, for thou has possessed my reigns. And that possessed means formed. It speaks of God putting together the various parts of the body in the womb. Thou has covered me in my mother's womb and the word covered there really means knit.

And it's a very picturesque word describing how the muscles and nerves and ligaments and veins and arteries are all knit together in the human body. Beautiful. I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous of thy work and that my soul knoweth right well.

My frame that my substance, the word substance there really means frame. It means the skeletal structure, the skeleton. My skeleton, my frame was not hidden from thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

That's a strange expression, isn't it? He's describing the formation of the fetus in the mother's womb. And he says, curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Was David formed under the ground?

Not at all. The lowest parts of the earth. There is a figurative poetic expression, strange as it may seem, it's a poetic expression for the mother's womb. You say, I don't understand, neither do I. But you have to get used to figures of speech.

When you study the Bible, says verse 69, I did see my substance and there it's really mine. Unperfect substance. It's just another expression for the fetus. And in my book were all my members written, which day by day were fashioned.

But as yet there was none of them. But his whole diary was written ahead of time before he ever came to the birth. Well, I mentioned that the lowest parts of the earth in this verse of Scripture, if you study the passage carefully, the lowest parts of the earth can only mean the mother's womb.

And I believe that's what it means in Ephesians chapter four. It's referring to the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's referring to Mary's womb now that he ascended. What is it? But that he first descended into the lower parts of the earth.

The argument there is that in the psalm you read about the Messiah ascending back to heaven. How could he ascend back to heaven? He already always lived in heaven. It assumes that he first came down to the earth in incarnation, was born of the Virgin Mary.

Now, if any of you have any further question or would like to talk about it further, I'd be delighted to talk to you about it. But I just wanted to add that postscript leading captivity captive in the Bible has nothing to do with emancipating friends and taking them to a brighter sphere.

It has to do with triumph over one's enemies. The lower, the lower parts of the earth could mean the surface of the earth. I believe here it means the womb of the Virgin Mary. And the Lord Jesus came down in incarnation, suffered, bled and died, and then ascended back to heaven.

Hebrews 6 and the Warning Against Apostasy

Now, the passage I had particularly in mind for this morning was Hebrews chapter six. And a lot of people have asked if we were going to speak about that. And so let's read the first part of Hebrews chapter six.

We'll begin with verse one, Hebrews chapter six, verse one. And I might just say I've been very gratified by the interest that's been shown in Bible study this week. It did my heart good to look out this morning and see a couple of fellows just standing there with their Bibles open and discussing the word of God.

That makes me rejoice. It really does. Hebrews six, verse one, therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God and the doctrine of baptism and of laying on of hands and of resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment.

And this will we do, if God permits, for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the son of God afresh and put him to an open shame.

For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them, by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God. But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned.

But beloved, we are persuaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name, and that ye have ministered to the saints and do minister.

And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope, even to the end, that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

The book was written to the Hebrews. It was written to the Jewish people in the early days of the Christian faith. The nation had been sleeping for centuries in a sense. And all of a sudden the announcement comes of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And some people think, is this indeed the Messiah? There was a movement toward Christ in those days. Some people, some Jewish people, came and genuinely received him as Lord and Savior. They were truly born again.

Others wanted to get on the bandwagon. Others professed to be followers of the Lord Jesus. They were never really born again. But they professed to become his followers. They were baptized and perhaps received into fellowship in local congregations.

Of course, when Jews then as now professed faith in the Lord Jesus, a terrible storm of opposition arose. They were traitors. They were considered renegades. They were thrown out of their homes. They lost their employment.

They were subjected to all kinds of harassment. They were persecuted. And in some cases, they were put to death. The pressure on a professed believer in Jesus was enormous then as it is now. Some years ago I was in Israel.

I was introduced to a young fellow who had recently confessed his faith in Christ. We tried to carry on a conversation with him. I think we were with him about a half an hour. And during that half hour, he did nothing but weep, sob convulsively because of the pressures he was being subjected to.

It's important to see that in connection with this epistle. Under such pressure, there was a temptation to turn back. You can hear the rabbis presenting all the strong reasons why they should turn back to Judaism.

The beauty of the Judaistic system, the priesthood, the sacrifices, the elaborate garments, the furniture of the temple, and so forth. Some Jews who had professed faith in Christ turned back to Judaism.

They abandoned Christ. They turned their backs on Him. They utterly repudiated Him. They were never truly born again. They were what we call apostates. An apostate is the person who professes faith in Christ.

He may be baptized. He may have been in fellowship. It doesn't make any difference. But he subsequently repudiates Christ and maliciously turns his back on Christ. He renounces the Christian faith. He's an apostate.

And throughout the book of Hebrews, you have these very solemn warnings against apostasy. That's what it's all about. I don't think you can understand the book of Hebrews unless you see this. I have read, I can't document it today, but I have read that when a Jew wanted to go back into Judaism, when he could no longer take the pressure and decided to abandon his profession of faith in Christ, that they have a little ceremony that he went through, where they put the blood of an animal down on the floor and they said, okay, if you want to come back to Judaism, that represents the blood of Christ.

Walk over it. In many cases, they did it. They walked over it. The background of what we're going to be reading this morning. I'd like to go back to the previous chapter, chapter 5. And there's a lot of part of that chapter.

From Elementary Principles to Christian Maturity

The writer says, verse 11, of whom we have many things to say and hard to be uttered seeing that ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you, which be the first principles of the oracles of God.

And have become such as of need of milk, and not of strong meat. For everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

I should just explain that the Jewish people living under the law were being taught by God the elementary principles of religion. That's what the Old Testament was all about. We give children blocks. The blocks have A, B, C on one side.

They have 1, 2, 3 on the other. The children are learning the elementary principles of the alphabet, of words, and also of numerals as well. They're playing with blocks. That's what Israel was doing in the Old Testament, was playing with the elementary principles of religion.

God was teaching Israel basic principles in those days. Now the full revelation of the Lord Jesus had come, and there was the necessity of leaving those things and going on to maturity. And that's exactly what the writer is saying here in verse 1 of chapter 6.

Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ. And where Christ there, of course, has the idea of the Messiah. We're not to leave the Messiah. But we're to leave those elementary principles led up to him.

Elementary principles connected with the Messiah and go on unto sinless perfection. It does not mean absolute holiness, but it means maturity. And here it means the maturity of the Christian. Stop playing.

Come, enamored. Put aside the types and the shadows and become engrossed. He goes off on a trip. And his wife has a picture of him up on the piano. And every day she goes up to the picture and she says, Darling, I really love you.

And she does. After six mornings she goes up to him and says, I love you. And they're occupied with the things already. But that's what they were doing. They were still occupied with the types and the shadows that Savior had come.

And so the writer says we want to leave these ABCs of We want maturity in the Christian life. Not laying again the foundation up. Now, in the next word, something we have now has nothing to do with the New Testament.

He's describing things that Israel learned in the Old Testament. Repentance from dead. What does that mean, repentance from dead? Well, it means from the works of the law. The works of the law. Never.

Life given by God that they could never produce life. Faith toward God. The people in the Old Testament were taught to read all about it in Hebrews chapter 11. The great patriarchs of the Old Testament and how they put in God.

But notice it doesn't say faith in the Lord. In the New Testament, invariably, Christ is said to be the object of the doctrine of baptism. When you come to baptisms here, we naturally think of Christian baptism.

We think of baptism by immersion. We think of baptism of the Spirit. That's not what's referred to here. The baptisms here are the ceremonial washings of the Old Testament. How the parts of the sacrifices had to be washed.

How the people had to go through. If you put the word washings there,.