“Not Laying Again the Foundation . . . .”

“Not Laying Again the Foundation . . . .”

When you are about to build a house in this world, you usually put down the foundation once, and then you build further. However, there is no limit to foolishness in the spiritual realm! There you can lay the foundation again and again, continuing to do that for decades, until the very end!

This is completely meaningless, but what else could you do? You can clearly hear and see that people do not believe in the least in a spiritual building, even though they dream and fantasize about it.

People can be busy with the elementary principles and never be finished with them—over and over again without end. If they do not hear about them repeatedly at every meeting, they can feel forsaken and lost! This clearly proves that they even waver in their faith in regard to these elementary principles.

Then, if they hear brothers who have heeded the exhortation in Hebrews 6:1-3, they are tempted to think these brothers do not even believe in the atonement and all the elementary principles in God’s Word! This is completely meaningless. They believe far more than in just the foundation! The foundation has been laid; it is in order, and they continue to build on it fervently with faith, hope, and love. Of course, then they obviously speak about it just as we find it everywhere in all the letters of the apostles!!!

When you stand outside a house, it is natural to speak about its external appearance; but when you are inside the house, you speak about the contents of the house.

When you are in Christ, you love to speak about the things that are in Him—His nature and mind and all His virtues, and you never get tired of it because you are being transformed yourself through a living faith to the same life!!! Glory to God! In the Dutch Bible translation it says in the last verse of Hebrews 5 that if after many years you have stopped at the elementary principles, you have no understanding of the right message!!!

This is very significant! And this in spite of the fact that this message is clearly defined in God’s Word! For example, in 1 Peter 2:9: “That you may proclaim the praises [virtues] of Him . . . .”

And now we come to the final conclusion of the matter, namely, in verse 3. Here it gets serious: “And this we will do if God permits.” And in verse 1, “leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection . . . .”

What can this mean, “If God permits”? We see it with all clarity here in the Word and in real life among believers.

Unfortunately, the majority of them are unspeakably far from pursuing perfection, a godly life, and we can safely stop wondering about it! In other words, they have not received permission. And why not? They do not have a mind for anything like that! It is something unknown and foreign to them. You always find bitter opponents, big sinners, and envious people among them.

Because it is not going well for them, bitter envy arises in their hearts when they hear and see that it is going well for others. They become hostile and furious. By acting like that, they have completely revealed their bad attitude.

We have experienced this throughout many years.

It is especially significant what is written in Matthew 27:18: “For he knew that because of envy they had delivered Him.”

It is God’s business to deal with all this, which He also does!

We must greatly rejoice over all those who have an ear for life’s truths and a mind to follow them at any cost! God be highly praised!