Jump Start # 1103

Hebrews 6:4-5 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come”

Our verse today illustrates the perils of falling away from Christ. The Hebrew audience was at the crossroads. Things were becoming tough for them. Persecution was on the rise. Now things were serious. They had to decide whether they would continue on in their faith, or throw in the towel and return to being Jews. Life as a Jew was a lot safer and easier than it had become once they were Christians. Some had already decided. They had enough. They quit. Now others were thinking of the doing the same. This letter was written to convince them to remain with Christ. The superior way was Christ’s way. God’s way was with Christ. To quit was to give up their hope and their salvation.

The verses in our passage leads to that direct statement. The following verse states, “and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” There is no hope if one leaves Christ. There is salvation in no other name.  Throwing out Christ is throwing out all hope.

Now, my thoughts take us to the powerful blessings of being a Christian that our verses illustrate. Notice the expressions:

• Enlightened
• Tasted of the heavenly gift
• Partakers of the Holy Spirit
• Tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come

What great expressions! Twice the word “tasted” is used. I like that word. We like to taste good things. When we are introduced to something new, at first we are hesitant and slow to taste. We take a little bite, not sure if we will like it or not. But once we have tried it and we like it, we dive in.

What does God’s word “taste” like? Have you “eaten” the word of God? That idea builds upon the concept of reading and learning the truth. It’s more than a nibble here and there. It’s eating. It’s digesting. It’s becoming saturated with the word of God. Paul told some to let the word of Christ richly dwell within you. Let it take up residence in your heart. Eat it. Enjoy it. Profit from it.

Many who are opposed to the Christian system have never truly tasted it. Like a child that turns his nose up to something different, many do that to God’s word. They will let an ugly rant on the internet determine their mind for them. They will listen to the complaints of others. They will watch shows on TV that try to explain away the supernatural powers of God. Their minds are made up before they have even gotten to the table to try. We can be that way. A few years ago, a catsup company experimented with changing the color of catsup. We had a purple catsup. Didn’t work well for me. Catsup is supposed to be red. It comes from red tomatoes not purple grapes. It was just a color thing but it sure messed with my mind.

We can enter the Bible that way. Preconceived ideas about what the Bible ought to say. When we can’t find that, our stomachs turn and we no longer have a taste for it. The problem isn’t the Bible, it’s our thinking. We expect the Bible to be the way we want it to be, rather than the way God wanted it to be.

Tasting the word of God. What a pleasant thought. The Psalmist said that God’s word is sweeter than honey. There is a sweetness to it. Mercy, kindness, forgiveness, acceptance—those are sweet, especially when we are standing guilty. God’s word tastes right. Ever taste something, and it just didn’t taste right? The milk in your cereal tastes sour, the potatoes need a little salt, the meat is over cooked. Some things just don’t taste right. God’s word does. It’s perfect. It’s what we need.

I have found that a person can acquire a taste for things. You may have grown up not liking veggies. As an adult you changed. You liked that taste. The same goes with God’s word. You may have been told some things that later you discovered were not as true as you imagined. You looked for yourself and found a taste for the word of God.

My youngest went on a wild hog hunt last week. We have 200 pounds of wild hog in the freezer. My wife is uncertain if she even wants to touch it. I’m willing to give it a try. It takes that willing spirit to know if it’s good or not. The same is true with God’s word. We must give it a try.

Tasted the good word of God… there’s nothing else like it!

Roger