Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Hebrews 6:1-2

Paul lists 6 things in Hebrews 6:1-2 that he lists as essential doctrines for the church for progressing further into spiritual things.  Without these pieces, we cannot build successfully in the Spirit what God would have for His house.  Each piece is important, and often builds on one another, until the whole foundation is laid.  It is only after the foundations, the fundamentals are secured in a living and active way that the whole house can be properly built up.

This will only cover the first of these three.  The six things Paul lists are:

1. Repentance from dead works
2. Faith towards God
3. Baptisms (plural)
4. Laying on of hands
5. Resurrection of the dead
6. Eternal Judgement

The first one is more than repentance from works leading to death, but “dead works”, works which in themselves are dead.  Among other things, this includes certain religious mindset and behaviors which do not please God.

While God constructed the tabernacle of Moses through men, and had men walk out in type and shadow the realities of Christ who was then to come, His primary purpose of these activities was not for their sake  in ritual and ‘liturgy’ alone.  Rather, they pointed to the fulfillment of their form instead of just the shadow, which was the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We do not need, today, to sacrifice bulls and goats, because Jesus is our Eternal sacrifice.  We do not need a tabernacle on Earth today, for the Eternal one in the heavens has been opened for us, and the new and living way through Jesus’ blood has been opened into the true Most Holy place, and we are restored to fellowship with God.

When we repent from dead works, not only do we rid ourselves of every evil practice, but also of every practice which attempts to produce a righteousness outside of His Cross in our own effort.  This is not to be confused with following the every leading of the Spirit, for in love, we must come to obey and follow fully.  But, when we do fail, we must fall upon the cross, not upon our own efforts.  Further, it must be understood that while we live a life of obedience, what remains is faith, hope, and love.  These are what we are aiming for.  Any life lived short of these is vain, and must be abandoned.

As we abandon works that have no merit in them whatsoever, we find a greater and greater access to the life of faith.  Even the Jews of Jesus’ day knew an important truth.

We know that God does not listen to sinners.

John 9:31

This is a simple yet overlooked truth today, and probably in many other generations.  If you’re not interested in holiness, you’re not yet nearly as interested in God as you should be.  Yet, as we rid ourselves of what looks “spiritual” to the flesh, and enter further into Christ through His finished work, we find what God thinks spirituality is.

The scriptures makes mention of the “spiritual man” in places such as through Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:15, as well as elsewhere.  But, the true spiritual life is only lived by the one filled and living by and keeping in step with the Holy Spirit.

As a tree that was planted within a man, that grows to take up all the soil, so is the Kingdom within us.  All others are merely impostors, thieves, robbers, and murderers.

But, as we come into repentance, the way to faith becomes more real to us.  This is why John the Baptist had to come first, to bring the message of repentance to prepare the way for the message of faith, so that all men might be saved (John 1:7).

This is the progression, from repentance to faith.  Without faith, no one can please God, and repentance is the God-given way to faith.

And, for the third part of the foundation, we come to baptisms (plural).  This is the baptism by water and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

As all of Israel was baptized into the cloud and into the sea, so the believer must participate in both baptisms.  It is simply a matter of obedience if nothing else, however no part of the Gospel is ever a vain symbol, including water baptism. As good teachers of the Word point out, there is no formula for salvation without baptism, so if you attempt to proceed forward without this most important element, you do so at your own risk. As for the Holy Spirit baptism, while the believer receives the Holy Spirit at conversion, being baptized in the Holy Spirit constitutes complete immersion into Him.

Faith is the place of baptism.  When we have come to the place of faith in Christ, we are commanded to be baptized.  There is no scriptural support for a salvation without baptism.  While God has have jurisdiction on what to do with the gray areas for situations such as the thief on the cross or someone who simply could not get baptized in time after conversion, are we really taking Him at His word when He tells us to do it?  He told us to, and that should be enough.

For we are baptized into His death and resurrection.  We are circumcised in our old nature through it.  As the Egyptians that were behind Israel were forever cut off and destroyed, so many of our former captors can be destroyed through this simple act.  And, on the other side of that Red Sea, there is no return.

So too with the Spirit.  John the Baptist’s declaration of Jesus was that He would baptize with the Holy Spirit.  While He never did this while alive, He did this in His ascension to the Father, by the sending of the Holy Spirit upon the 120 in the upper room.  When tongues of fire came down and sat upon each one, and each one spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

So faith leads us to baptisms, as repentance had led us to faith.

This is the beginning of the foundation that must be laid, in order for the house of the Lord to be stable and mature.  They are depicted in both the life of Jesus in the Gospels, and also in the exodus of the children of Israel as they came out of Egypt, for our example.  Without them, we cannot successfully grow in the Holy Spirit, yet with them, we can move on to greater realms of faith, glory, and His Desires for us in His Kingdom life.

The remaining three elements are also just as foundational, just as the first were.  According to Paul, only when we have our foundation laid correctly can we progress further into more spiritual truths.  Just as repentance is required for the receiving of faith, and faith is the place for true baptism, all the greater things depend upon the first.  None are sufficient in themselves, but you cannot have have the higher unless you first enter in at the former.