Third Warning: Against Apostasy (Hebrews 5:11–6:12)

Hebrews 5:11–6:12

The Chronicles of Narnia is one of my favorite book series. In the main storyline, there are four children: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. We all remember Edmund for his foolish obsession with Turkish delight and him betraying his family for candy… hilariously gross candy at that. Thankfully, his story ends in redemption. But there’s another child whose ending is more sobering.

In the final Narnia book, Susan says something like, “The games we played as children were quite fun, weren’t they?” She was treating Narnia as if it were all a dream. By the end, she’s not standing with Aslan at all. One who was once a queen of Narnia doesn’t make it to the end.

That picture is a sobering reminder: there are those who seem to be among us, but in the end, reveal that they are not.

This is the heart of the third warning in Hebrews. 

The First Category: Failure to Thrive

Hebrews 5:11–14 describes people who should be mature but are not. The author says they’ve become “dull of hearing.” That word “dull” could be translated as “lazy.” You know the feeling: you’re talking to someone, and though they hear you, they clearly aren’t processing or engaging.

Immature Christians are like that with God’s Word. They’ve stopped listening with eagerness and obedience.

The author lists four warning signs:

1. Dull of hearing – Spiritually lazy toward God’s truth.

2. Needing to be taught again – Lacking hunger to grow deeper; always relearning the basics.

3. Unskilled in the Word – Biblically illiterate and unable to apply truth.

4. Undiscerning – Unable to distinguish good from evil because the Word is not shaping judgment.

This is spiritual failure to thrive. Attempting to have life in Christ without growth in Christ.

The Second Category: Theological Gluttons

Hebrews 6:1–8 calls us to leave “elementary doctrine” and press on to maturity. There’s a danger in wanting to endlessly consume theological information without letting it produce action.

Theological gluttons know the terminology, love the debates, and collect the books. However, they don’t serve, disciple, or live out what they know. They treat church as a buffet line, not a training ground.

The passage warns that it’s possible to taste the goodness of God’s Word, to experience the blessings of God’s people, and yet to walk away. Ultimately showing a heart that never truly belonged to Christ. Such a heart is hardened beyond repentance because it has rejected the only means of salvation.

The issue is not ignorance but unwillingness to surrender. They want the benefits of Christ without submitting to Christ.

The Third Category: Those Who Belong

In Hebrews 6:9–12, the tone shifts to encouragement: “We feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.”

Those who truly belong are marked by:

• Fruitfulness – Their lives produce a crop useful to God.

• Love for God and His people – They serve others in Christ’s name.

• Perseverance – They show earnestness and hold their hope until the end.

Belonging to Christ means more than starting well—it means enduring to the finish.

In Sum:

The passage gives us three diagnostic categories:

• Failure to thrive – No growth, no discernment, still living on spiritual milk.

• Theological gluttony – All intake, no output; consuming truth without practicing it.

• Those who belong – Bearing fruit, loving others, persevering in faith.

The warning is serious: examine yourself. If you see the marks of immaturity or self-serving faith, turn to Christ. Rest in Him, grow in Him, and walk with others who will help you endure.

The encouragement is equally serious: if you belong to Christ, keep pressing forward. God is not unjust to forget your work and love for His name. Hold your hope to the end.

Application Questions:

1. Am I truly growing in maturity, or have I stalled in my faith?

2. Is my knowledge of God producing obedience and love?

3. Who in my life knows me well enough to exhort me when I drift?

4. Am I persevering in faith, hope, and love? Or am I coasting spiritually?

Note: The comparison with the story of Narnia was also found in “Hebrews For You” study commentary. It is a great resource that I have used in my studies. Here is the link: https://a.co/d/f2b0Olw