- Hebrews 5:11-14

If I am not moving forward in my faith development I am moving backward, whether I realize it or not. We would like to think we are just "holding steady", but in principle this never happens. If one is holding a steady level of faith, this is actually negative progress. The reason being, from the day we are baptized we should be growing up in the Lord. The letter of Hebrews teaches us this.

¹¹Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. ¹²For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

- Hebrews 5:11-14

The statement "though by this time you ought to be teachers," infers that there should be a steady progress of spiritual maturity among God's children. Each child of God should be progressing toward being a teacher of the Word. If that progress is not taking place in our lives, then we are in fact digressing.

Christians should be continually training themselves to get off the milk and on to solid food. Imagine a kid in junior high or high school walking around sucking on a baby bottle and wearing diapers. If a child stopped growing emotionally, any parent would be concerned. If a child stopped growing physically, you would not think, "Well, at least he is not shrinking!" would you? No, that's crazy. You would be alarmed that the natural process of growth had been disrupted, especially if it was your own child.