How God’s revelation stretches us to keep learning

Posted at Reformation Scotland:

Teachers tend to worry when children don’t make progress in the classroom, and will put in extra support to ensure that they don’t fall behind. But as learners in Christ’s school, do we notice when we fail to grow? What extra steps do pastors take when they notice members of the congregation getting stuck at the first principles of the doctrines of Christ? It’s not as if the gospel is a shallow subject or the Bible something superficial. In the following updated extract, Westminster Assembly member William Gouge discusses the criticism made in the letter to the Hebrews, which mentions learning about Christ, the believer’s high priest, “of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God …” (Hebrews 5:10–12).

The revelations of Scripture are profound

The previous chapters of Hebrews have been discussing the doctrine of Christ’s priesthood, which contains many profound mysteries. Christ’s priesthood is the main ground of our salvation. Most of the profoundest points of our Christian religion must be known in order to attain the knowledge of this, including the distinction between Father and Son, the distinction between the two natures of Christ (and how in both natures He was our priest — God, for works of authority and dignity; man, for works of service and suffering), as well as the union of those two natures in one person (because the perfection of all the things which Christ did as our priest did consisted in this).

It can be no wonder that so many heresies have started up in all ages about the priesthood of Christ. Most of the heresies of the Roman Church, especially those that are most fundamental, are about Christ’s priesthood. For there are two parts to Christ’s priesthood — the offering of His sacrifice, and His continual intercession — and most of their capital heresies are against these two. These include, for example, the sacrifice of the mass (which they say is a true, real, propitiatory sacrifice for the living and dead), their sacrificing priests, their doctrines of merit, of supererogation, of intercession of saints and angels, and most of their errors about the sacraments.

From this, we can see how necessary it is to be well instructed in the priesthood of Christ. Ministers should be stirred up to study and to preach Christ’s priesthood, as well as other doctrines. The people also should be stirred up to attend to it patiently and diligently.

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