They who are "sluggish" in the matter of becoming mature will never attain to the full assurance of hope that will sustain them in the Christian race throughout their lives (Heb. 6.11, 12).

This passage began with the writer urging his readers to "rush on" to maturity (v. 1), carried along by the Spirit of God, as He works within them to will and do of God's good pleasure, taking them exceeding abundantly beyond anything they've ever known or experienced in their relationship with the Lord (Phil. 2.13; Eph. 3.20).

If we are not thus "rushing on" to improve our salvation in the way of maturity, we are sluggish, we will never attain to true assurance, and we may need to consider whether what we have known and claimed about our relationship with the Lord is really the kind of thing that in fact pertains to salvation (v. 9).

But what does "rushing on" to maturity entail?

The writer tells us: "so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (v. 12). They are rushing on to maturity who have their eyes fixed on the precious and very great promises of God and who move by faith in the direction of laying hold on those promises day by day (2 Pet. 1.4).

Abraham - already cited by the writer of Hebrews as a man of faith - shows us how this is done (Rom. 4.16-22). First, we must not be held back by whatever may be our present condition or circumstances (v. 19). As Abraham did not allow his age or Sarah's barrenness to keep him from pursuing what God had promised, so we must not be held back in seeking the promises of God - the promise of His Kingdom and Spirit (Acts 1.1-7) - by the fact that we've never experienced anything other than what we've experienced before. God promises us exceeding abundant more! They who are maturing in the Lord ever want to attain to that.

Second, Abraham "gave glory to God" when he was convinced that God could do what he had never experienced before (v. 20). As we begin to move in the direction of the promises we must glorify God, giving thanks, calling upon His strength, and declaring our intention to attain to all that He has promised. Just as the children of Israel in the wilderness, as they began each day to march in the direction of the promised land, cried out as one, "Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you!" (Num. 10.35), so we must worship and praise and give thanks and call upon the Lord each step of the way toward the promised maturity of His Spirit and Kingdom.

Finally, Abraham shows us that, in order to lay hold on the greater promises of God, we must take the steps immediately before us in the present, those which mark out the direction of the path of righteousness and the way of the promises (Rom. 4.20, 21). In order to realize the promise of being a father of many nations, he had to first go into his wife and become the father of a son.

And what about us? Are our minds set for maturity in the Lord, for daily growth in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, which is the realization of God's Kingdom (Rom. 14.17-19)? For growing in grace and good works? For bearing more consistent witness to the Lord? For attaining, day by day, more than we've ever known in our walk with the Lord? Then we will seek the Lord for the next steps we must take each day, and we will take them faithfully, our eyes fixed on Him to learn whatever we must do next (2 Chron. 20.12).

So let us not be sluggish, but let us imitate those, like Abraham, who have gone before us, and let us rush on to maturity in Jesus Christ. And let those who have the care of God's sheep, the shepherds of His flocks, devote themselves to urging and equipping and leading their flocks on to maturity in Jesus Christ.

For this, this rushing on to maturity, this is what pertains to the salvation of the Lord.

T. M. Moore