The Milk by which We Grow in Christ
Peter and Rohnel, unto the church of Christ and the scattered pilgrims in the world, grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The links below go to each of the six essential doctrines separately posted. However, you can access the entire study of all six in one place by CLICKING HERE.
The Foundational Doctrines:
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Repentance from Dead Works
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Faith Towards God
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The Two Baptisms
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Laying on of Hands
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Resurrection from the Dead
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Eternal Judgment
The following is the introduction to the study on the six essential doctrines.
Introduction to the Essential Doctrines of Christ
The doctrine of God our Father gives us understanding of His ways.
Pro 4:1 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding;
Pro 4:2 For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law.
We receive His living doctrine, the understanding of the Father and the wisdom of Christ, the living Word of the Commandments, both of whom come to us as the Promise, also known as the Holy Spirit.
Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Pro 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
God, who is Spirit, sent the Son, the Living Word of Commandments of God, into this world to save the world from their sins. Our first experiences of hearing about the Lord are all false doctrines and the commandments of men. However, A day comes when the Truth, Jesus Christ, the Living Gospel, is preached to us in the power and authority of those the Father sends.
Mat 7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
Mat 7:29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
All stumble upon hearing the doctrine of Christ, still being in the flesh, and mixing it with our carnal reasonings. We go backward, get drunk on the knowledge, and are captured and taken into Spiritual Babylon, where we await the appointed time for Christ to come again in the power and Spirit of the Living Gospel, the Promise that is salvation. In the appointed times of the Father, all who erred will come to understanding and learn the true doctrine of Christ, the six essential doctrines also known as the milk.
Isa 29:24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.
These essential doctrines are the milk of Jesus Christ, and are not what we thought when we were yet carnal and separated from the Living God.
These six essential doctrines in the Book of Hebrews form the foundation of the living and active faith that works in us after the Promise comes. The Book of Hebrews is written to those who should be mature, having received the Promise of the power of the indwelling Father and the Son, also known as the Holy Spirit. Those who receive the Promise are likened to angels, becoming flaming ministers, and are to be shepherds of the sheep, always working in the Lord’s harvest field.
Yet these Hebrews were acting like babies, unable to eat strong meat and not fulfilling their ministry. Paul rebukes them because they remain as children and have not matured. They are still on the milk and are not acting in their faith and exercising spiritual discernment and judgment in walking in the Spirit of power that has come to them.
Heb 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
Heb 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
These six doctrines are the basic building blocks of our faith, our walk in the Spirit, and God’s plan for all His creation. This milk forms the strong bones which support our walk in the Spirit that has come so we do not fulfill the lusts that still live in our flesh. The milk of the Word is good and wonderful, and we taste this milk when the Lord comes to us for salvation, being born again by the Water and the Spirit. The milk sets the basis, builds the bones, the doctrine on which our spiritual temple is built, and how we serve the Lord.
1Pe 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
1Pe 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
1Pe 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
After hearing and receiving the Gospel, we must tarry and wait in the womb to be born again in the power of the Spirit. Here in the womb, we are being nourished and fed by our spiritual mother, the Body of Christ, when we assemble in the holy city of Jerusalem. Hearing the Gospel preached is our spiritual day of preparation, which cannot be skipped to bring forth a healthy newborn son or daughter of God. This is also our espousal period, where we are engaged to be married to Christ in Spirit, yet we wait for the bridegroom to come. We need to watch and pray, thinking of our Lord, our husband, and not sleep.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
The way of the Lord is to speak of things that are not as if they already were. Such is our attitude as we tarry in faith waiting for the Promise to come.
The Elementary Doctrines – The Milk of the Word
Hebrews shows the six doctrines that equip us to run the race with endurance. These principles are the building blocks of faith, and our walk in Jesus Christ as we wait for the Promise and even after the Promise comes.
Heb 6:1 Therefore, 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,
Heb 6:2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3 And this we will do if God permits.
Understanding these essential doctrines and having them cemented in our hearts empowers us to move onward to perfection [maturity] in Christ Jesus. We don’t need anything else, as the Promise given, the power unto salvation, does the rest. After receiving the Promise, We have tasted the heavenly gift, and there is no turning back.
Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
Heb 6:5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
Heb 6:6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
When the Lord comes with the Father, we are given spiritual blessings in the heavenly places we cannot comprehend until they come. Yet the race still needs to run, and we need to move on, apply these blessings in all our behavior and thoughts to grow in the knowledge and grace that now lives within us. Engaging and fighting the fight of faith is how the mature man of Christ, lacking nothing, comes forth in due time. Peter called this, making our calling and election sure. We do this by ensuring the Spirit’s fruits manifest in our lives. These fruits prove our faith and make our election sure, as we have proven ourselves faithful
2Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
Blessed are those whose eyes can see, and ears can hear these truths now revealed, as many before you have desired to see them but were not able. We hope that these summaries of the essential doctrines, the milk, are helpful to be studied and referred to, as they are the foundational building blocks of the living Temple of God we have become.
Here is the link to the complete study containing all the doctrines in one document. The Essential Doctrine of the Father and the Son