“Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end, so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance” (Hebrews 6:11-12, CSB).

As we’ve mentioned previously in these posts from the Book of Hebrews, one of the primary themes of the Hebrew writer is faithfulness–the perseverance of one’s faith to the end of their life on earth.

Continuing this theme in Chapter 6, the Hebrews writer admonished the Hebrew Christians to become mature in their faith. While they may have experienced aspects of the Christian life, even belief in Christ and the fellowship of the Christian community and the work of the Holy Spirit in their midst, unless they became grounded in the teachings of Christ they were vulnerable to apostasy–to the abandoning of their faith.

This provocation to spiritual maturity and warning about apostasy in vs. 1-8 is best understood from the perspective of a well-known parable of Jesus. Jesus told the the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:18-23, Mark 4:13-20, and Luke 8:11-5. He described the sower’s seed as representing the Word of God. When it was sowed some of the seed fell on rocky ground, some seed fell among the weeds and some seed fell on good ground.

Jesus explained the meaning of the parable like this: “And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away. Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown” (Mark 4:16-20, CSB).

The Hebrews writer made a similar analogy in vs. 7-8 when referring to those who became spiritually mature and those who fell away or abandoned faith in Christ. Those who became spiritually mature were fruitful and productive while those whose faith was short-lived had no root and were easily deceived! Apostasy results from not giving due diligence to growing and maturing spiritually in Christ (vs. 11).

Some people think that once you believe or get baptized that you are a Christian. The Hebrews writer explains that becoming a Christian is not the same as being a Christian. Being a Christian is not a one-time experience but a lifetime endeavor! It’s about devotion to the teachings of Christ so that you become productive for the gospel of Christ to the end of your life in this world.

But, this admonition to spiritual maturity in Christ is predicated upon a warning about spiritual laziness. Being lazy about your faith in Christ makes you vulnerable to apostasy. Allow me to suggest some rather obvious ways we become lazy in our faith (and, consequently vulnerable to apostasy): 1) Don’t participate regularly in worship services and group bible study; 2) Don’t read and study the Bible individually; 3) Don’t pray and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in your everyday life; 4) Don’t share the gospel with others.

So, being a Christian means being a diligent Christian. You avoid spiritual laziness by practicing spiritual diligence and then you will experience the full assurance of your hope for eternal life in Christ.

You have commanded that your precepts be diligently kept. (Psalm 119:4, CSB)