A Spiritual Foundation for Christians: Hebrews 6: 1-2

By Michael McKeon

What we believe is the most important thing about us, it influences our values and decisions in this life and determines our eternity.
Those who choose God receive His help in this life and have a wonderful glorious future. If we build on a spiritual foundation that includes the teaching in the letter to the Hebrews chapter 6 verses 1-2:

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fountain Springs Ministries Pty Ltd
• Release date: Mar 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9780995408821

Book preview

Introduction

Hebrews 6:

1Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

2Of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

Anyone without a solid Biblical foundation is prone to be spiritually confused and easily deceived by godless beliefs. The most important thing about a person is what they believe; it will influence their values, set them on a path throughout life and determine their ultimate end. There is no need to be a spiritual Tower of Pisa, waiting to fall. The study of these foundation teachings from Hebrews 6:1–2 will build a spiritual foundation in a person’s life that is Biblically sound and will assist them to grow and mature in the way God intends.

This book is Biblical spirituality. Only the Word of God will feed our spirits in a way that will allow us to mature the way God has designed. Many Christians try to understand God with their mind. It is possible to engage your mind in religious theory that diminishes faith in the Word of God, and the result is spiritual dissatisfaction. You can spend many years in a church feeding from tradition and end up spiritually dissatisfied. Our spirits ache for a relationship with God, and too often they have been robbed by a theology and spirituality that is not wholly based on God’s Word.

This book will help the reader give an account to others about what the Bible says about these subjects and what they believe. I always strive to minister strictly according to the Word of God and look for consistency with the Word of God in what is being taught or preached by others.

I like to see people grow spiritually and become more like Jesus. I believe that we should be able to notice a development in our relationship with God as time goes on, and that others should be able to see that development as well. In order to grow and become the people God wants us to be it is essential that we get the foundation of our belief right. It is amazing what people believe, even Christians. We need to base our belief on what God says, and then we will develop spiritually established and fulfilled lives.

I

A Personal Foundation

The gospels record where Jesus spoke about the absolute need to have a personal spiritual foundation and how to develop one. These accounts are in Matthew 7:24 to 27 and Luke 6:46 to 6:49.

Just as a building can have a strong or weak foundation, our lives can as well. Sometimes you see someone who seems to have a lot going for them. They could be intelligent, attractive, or wealthy, but they can also have a fatal flaw in themselves. It may not be easily recognizable, but it’s there. There is a problem with what they believe, and, as they go through life, they just don’t do as well as they could have, or through their own actions things go badly wrong and they do serious harm to themselves or others. This is because there is a problem with their spiritual foundation. According to their own thinking, everything should have gone well, but it hasn’t.

The higher you are going to rise in life, the more important it is to have the right foundation. The foundation has to be right to keep the building stable through the storms we face. We need to take the time to get the foundations of our beliefs and lives right. The most important thing about a person is what they believe; this will determine the story of their life.

You can know a person at one point, but over time what they believe will determine or change who they become in the years ahead. It’s especially important, therefore, for young people to choose godly friends who will encourage their relationship with God and not discourage them.

Luke 6:46–49:

46But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?

47Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:

48He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.

49But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.

If you’re serious about having a truly successful life here on earth, and then for eternity, you have to do it God’s way. Jesus outlines some principles in this parable that will lead us to an established and fulfilling life.

In Luke 6:46, Jesus explains that it is not good enough to simply hear the Word of God, whether that’s in church or anywhere else. He almost complains, But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? It’s not enough to just hear, to just belong to a church or to just know that there is a God.

Remember, James said that even demons know that there is a God (James 2:19). God wants to see us respond from our heart. He wants a relationship of love with us that is proven by what we do. In John 14:24, He says, He who does not love Me does not keep My words.

So, it’s not enough to just hear the Word of God; He expects something more than that from us. He’s waiting for us to do His Word. In Luke 6:47, Jesus provides three conditions that are essential to follow:

1.Whoever comes to Me;

2.and hears My sayings;

3.and does them.

First, we have to turn to Jesus. In life we have to make an effort to seek God with all our heart. It is those individuals who want to be in God’s perfect will who will find it for their lives. They will develop a personal relationship with the God who is love and enter into all His promises. They are the ones who will walk on the water and out of the spiritual ruts in life.

We have to get ourselves into a position to hear the Word of God.

Proverbs 4:20-22 says:

20.My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

21.Do not let them depart from your eyes;

Keep them in the midst of your heart;

22.For they are life to those who find them,

And health to all their flesh.

23.Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of life.

Second, we can hear the Word preached and taught in church. We can hear the Word of God through a variety of technologies. We can even hear it when we read it to ourselves. We have to make an effort to hear the Word of God. We have to do whatever it takes to overcome every obstacle to hearing from God. His Word is His will. As we listen to the Word of God we are renewing or reprogramming our thinking to think the way God thinks.

He thinks in terms of possibilities. If something’s not yet created, God thinks and then He speaks it into existence. He wants us to think the way He does; nothing is impossible to God (Luke 1:37). This change of thinking, believing and living is only possible by giving attention to His Words in the Bible. The more attention we give to God’s Word, the more we change our thinking to be like His. We change from thinking something is impossible to possible, from doubt and fear to faith, from sickness to healing, and from failure to victory. The more we believe and think like Him, the more we act like Him. God wants us to live achieving our potential, and the only way to do that is to act on His Word.

I used to think that God wanted me to do a whole lot for Him and He would do a little for me. I believed He would forgive my sins and I hoped to go to heaven but after that I didn’t expect God to do much in my life. But as I read the Bible and had sound teaching inspired by the Holy Spirit, I found out that God will do far more for me than I was being asked to do for Him.

Third, when we desire to do the will of God with all our heart, the truth is revealed to us. It is not just a matter of studying the Bible with our minds. There are many brilliant people studying the Bible today whose spiritual eyes are only partly opened to the revelations of God because they do not seek to do His will with all their heart. They are not entering into the deeper things of God because they choose to obey God only so far. Consciously or unconsciously, they have decided that this is the limit for them. They won’t walk on the water by faith with God; they like their comfort zone and won’t leave it. They might be afraid of what others, even in the church, would say if they were to believe something that was consistent with the Bible but different to their religious tradition.

John 7:17:

If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.

Obedience is a key to a good relationship with God. It is the key to receiving revelation from God and it is a key to building a spiritual foundation for our lives that works.

We have to decide to obey. The choice to believe and obey saves a life for eternity. We can apply what some people call the ‘rocking chair test’ to our decisions. That means: will we be happy with the decisions we made in life when we look back from our rocking chair in old age?

The only sure way to build a life that will pass the test and avoid regret is the life that is built on obeying God’s Word. That is the