Why We Need to Trust God Rather Than Our Feelings
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
Looking For Guarantees
American culture thrives on excuses and justifications, rhetoric, misinformation, and spin. All cultures do. It's called the human condition.
We say we want to know the truth, but do we? Can we handle it when the truth doesn't fit our expectations or preconceived notions?
Perhaps that's why we're so big on "money-back guarantees" in America. I'm certain we're the only country that sells extended warranties, paying twice or three times the cost of the item, just for peace of mind if it breaks.
When this quest for guaranteed guarantees carries over to spiritual truth and theology, it causes problems. The Western mind (including Americans) prizes logic and legal wording regarding theology. We like iron-clad truth!
After a quarter century of experience, I find people in most other cultures accept the truth of God’s Word more openly than a typical Westerner. It makes sense to them to trust God.
Seeking a guaranteed theological truth is an indicator we don't genuinely trust God. As if we can hold God accountable for our theological understanding of His Word. This is backward. It's we—all of humanity—who can't be trusted, not God.
Scripture Text
With this in mind, we should stop going over the elementary truths about Christ and move on to topics for more mature people. We shouldn’t repeat the basics about turning away from the useless things we did and the basics about faith in God.
We shouldn’t repeat the basic teachings about such things as baptisms, setting people apart for holy tasks, dead people coming back to life, and eternal judgment. If God permits, we will do this.
Some people once had God’s light. They experienced the heavenly gift and shared in the Holy Spirit. They experienced the goodness of God’s word and the powers of the world to come. Yet, they have deserted Christ.
They are crucifying the Son of God again and publicly disgracing him. Therefore, they cannot be led a second time to God. (Hebrews 6:1-6 GW GW)
[Context– Hebrews 6]
Key Phrase —
We should stop going over the elementary truths about Christ and move on.
Dig Deeper Into the Text—
What are we encouraged to do? What things should we not need to relearn?
Why are we encouraged to "stop going over the[se] elementary truths..."?
What are we told about "some people" and what cannot happen to them?
What are they doing when they try to "be led a second time to God"?
Things to Consider—
People disagree with what this segment of text says and means. It’s an ongoing debate. I believe most of the disagreement hinges on two issues. First, many people don’t keep the context in mind. Another reason is the preconceived beliefs people hold that bias their understanding.
This warning is part of a book-long exhortation to not abandon Christ and the New Covenant of grace. These verses reach back to the last few verses of the previous chapter (Hebrews 5:12-14). [See the previous post for those verses.]
A first experience can't be repeated. We might try to rescript it the way we want to remember it, but it won't happen again as a first experience. Nicodemus understood this even though he didn't understand the idea of spiritual new birth when Jesus spoke of the need to be "born again" (John 3:3-9).
This is the point of the warning and exhortation in this text. It's not a scare tactic, it's a warning, the third in a series of five warnings in the book of Hebrews. Most questions and opinions about verse 4 of this text focus on the word “impossible” used in other versions (Heb 6:4-6). This is one of the reasons I chose the version of this text shown above.
The apparent dilemma isn't a clever theological puzzle to challenge Christians, nor is it an issue of obedient performance. It's an issue of trust. Our trust in God needs to be greater than our reliance on feelings. We need to trust the truth of God’s Word and the power of His Spirit, than give in to doubt.
The need for Jesus to come as our Redeemer was in response to the broken trust between the first humans and their Creator. Jesus, through His death and resurrection, reversed the curse pronounced by God after Adam and Eve chose a lie over the truth of God because they chose not to trust what He said (Gen 3:11-19).
Repentance is a heart attitude, not a one-time act. It's an attitude of trust that leads to action based on God's grace at work in us. In theological terms, it's called salvation or redemption.
Each believer is called to follow Jesus personally. It’s a commitment of trust, the same way a couple makes a vow in marriage vow. It doesn’t need to be remade repeatedly, even when we stumble or fail in our commitment to Jesus. We simply need to continue with this commitment.
Just as Jesus died once and for all—for all sin, for all people, for all time (Heb 7:27; 9:12, 26, 28; 10:10, 12, 14, 18). We need to trust Him once and for all!
Answer These Questions to Apply God’s Word in Your Life—
Are you concerned whether or not you could "lose your salvation"? Why?
Have you learned to take God at His Word and trust Him over your feelings and doubts?
Are you growing in your faith and trust in God beyond elementary teachings?
How are you choosing to continue in your commitment to God daily?
Here’s a link to a free study guide for the book of Hebrews— Study Guide and Study Questions for Hebrews
