Hebrews 6 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,
2 Of the doctrine of
baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of
eternal judgment.
3 And this will we do, if
God permit.
The writer of Hebrews encourages those early
Christians to focus on moving toward perfection as God will permit. Another
old-timey word for it would be sanctification.
The model we have for this sanctification is
Jesus himself in the Garden of Gethsemane in which he subordinated his will to
his Father’s will.
We as Christians experience two Gardens in our
walk toward Christ.
The first garden is our own figurative Garden of
Eden in which, when tempted, we allow our personal will to be deceived into
thinking that our will is deserving of full expression. But, like Adam and Eve,
when we have broken relationship with God, all things break up around us. By
breaking relationship with the One that actively maintains all good things for
us, we bring upon ourselves calamities of all sorts.
The second garden we experience is our own Garden
of Gethsemane. This is the garden in which we have learned to trust so thoroughly
that we will faithfully, like Christ, humble ourselves to God’s call and
purpose for us.
What happens in between those two gardens is
called sanctification.
Let us live by the advice by which Apostle Paul encouraged
the Romans…
5 Therefore being justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have
access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the
glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we
glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience;
and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not
ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost
which is given unto us.
