Sanfilippo syndrome is a disease resulting in severe intellectual decline in children. Learned abilities in the first years of life are gradually lost, with life expectancy not exceeding the teen years. I see in this condition a picture of stunted, even a sort of “reversion” spirituality. These are believers who reach a certain point early in their Christian life and then they stop growing and often begin to revert. It is said that if you are not becoming more like Christ then you are becoming less like Him.

The writer of Hebrews is concerned for his readers that they have not moved passed the elementary things of the Christian life (see 6:1). Interestingly, he doesn’t abandon teaching solid doctrine to them, which would be natural in light of their spiritual dullness. The cure is to move them from immaturity to maturity—and that is what the writer is now about to do.

He continues with four more issues that every Christian should know well. First, “instruction about washings.” Some translations render this “baptisms.” However the plural form used here and the other use of this word in Hebrews (9:10) indicate that Jewish ceremonial cleansing is in view. The notion of holiness tied to outward, ritual acts has been supplanted by Christ. To be sure, as part of the Old Testament background, such teaching formed a foundation which prepared God’s people for Christ. But this is no longer relevant to the walk of faith.

Second, “the laying on of hands,” should be considered elementary as well. This signified in the Old Testament as well as the New (see 1 Tim 4:14, 22) the impartation of the Holy Spirit for a specific purpose. Third, the “resurrection of the dead” was something the Pharisees and Sadducees debated endlessly, but should be a well-settled matter for Christians (see 1 Cor 15:1-19). Finally, “eternal judgment” is a given (see 2 Cor 5:10 and also Heb 9:27); we will all stand before a holy and righteous God.

Every Christian should know about and understand these things. But we cannot become content with only that. Just as a baseball player must advance beyond first base, so also we must move beyond the first base of Christian truth. Let us not obsessively stay there! Our writer intends to take us around the bases and all the way home to Christian maturity. The question is whether we want to make the effort to go with Him.